It is a good time of year to check in on a winter bloomer that attracts hummingbirds, the Powderpuff shrub (Calliandra). Attaining a height of 6-12′, the red and white varieties only bloom in the winter, while the pink variety blooms year round. Just like the Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow shrub featured a couple of…
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Brazilian Red Cloak (Megaskepasma erythrochlamys), a winter bloomer which can tolerate shady conditions, and attract hummingbirds to your landscape. What’s not to like? A very tropical looking shrub with large green leaves, contrasting against the bright red bracts which house tubular white flowers. It can be planted as a single specimen shrub, or as a…
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Caesalpinia pulcherrima – This variable species is commonly known as the Pride of Barbados, Peacock Flower, or, inaccurately, Dwarf Poinciana. It has become widespread in the tropics, but its origin was probably the West Indies and northern South America. It flowers prolifically, and the more common hues of its 2-in. blooms are orange-red, yellow, white and pink. The ultimate…
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Mussaenda is a genus of shrubs in the Rubiaceae Family (the Coffee Family) with very showy enlarged floral sepals which surround the true flower. Mussaendas are commonly planted in the South Florida landscape, although they are native to the African and Asian tropics. Richard Lyons Nursery carries 6 different varieties as shown below.
This week’s featured plant is Hamelia cuprea (Bahama Firebush). Despite its common name of Bahama Firebush, this shrub is native to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Cayman Islands, but NOT the Bahamas. A close relative to Hamelia patans, our native Firebush, its leaves are larger and glossier, and the flowers are bell shaped and much…
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