One of the outstanding ornamental trees on earth is Albizia saman. Native from northern South America through Central America, and perhaps into the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, it has been distributed into the Old World tropics and climatic niches as far north as Hawaii. So popular is it that it has accumulated a host of…
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Students of television history know that entertainer Jimmy Durante closed his weekly variety program with the cryptic message, “Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.” Theories abounded as to whom, or what, the salutation applied. Durante’s first wife? A restaurant in North Carolina? An old flame? We at Richard Lyons’ Nursery are sad to report…
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As you know, April is one of the most stressful months on the calendar, and it has nothing to do with the dreaded income tax deadline. Homeowners in southern Florida also need to worry about the cumulative effects of the long dry season. In a normal winter, April is not only mostly sunny, but also…
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With winter quickly receding into the background, we turn our attention to a subject of perennial interest: how to develop foliar barriers. You may want to cover up a fence or a building, create the illusion of size by installing circuitous pathways, or simply enhance privacy. In our subtropical world, there are many species that…
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About 40 years ago, a Miami couple fresh from a long trip to Asia brought seeds of an attractive Indian evergreen tree to Fairchild Tropical Garden. Over time this species, Polyalthia longifolia (a/k/a P. longifolia var. pendula), has proven to be a very successful introduction to the landscape of southern Florida. Commonly known as the…
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