The mere mention of the word Bougainvillea conjures up nasty thorns before beautiful flowers. Many people love the flowers, but not the headache of trying to prune this vine without getting torn up by its vicious thorns. Now there is a solution. The best of both worlds if you will. The Bougainvillea cultivar ‘Pixie’. It…
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This article was originally posted almost 4 years ago, but bears reposting since we are now in the heart of our winter (although you would never know it except for the calendar date). I also neglected to give a heads-up to the Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia blakeana) which really attracts the ruby-throat at the…
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The genus name is from the Ancient Greek meaning ‘A climbing plant’. Most of the species of this genus are found throughout the temperate regions of the world. One exception is Clematis smilacifolia. This Clematis is native to India and grows well in South Florida. It grows well on a trellis in full sun and…
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Portlandia grandiflora (Tree Lily or Bell Flower) has fragrant flowers like its relative, the Gardenia. It is a small tree or shrub from the Caribbean attaining a height of 6-8 feet. It grows best in filtered light and does very well in South Florida’s alkaline soils. It blooms from spring to fall with 6 inch…
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Seminole Pumpkin (Cucurbita moshata) is called the wild squash of the Everglades. This is a native Florida pumpkin which the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes cultivated before the Spaniards arrived in the 1500’s. They would plant the seeds at the base of dead trees and allow the vine to grow upward with the fruit hanging down…
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