Name: Plumbago, Cape leadwort Botanical name: Plumbago auriculata (Plumbago capensis) Description: We went to Boulders Beach south of Cape Town, South Africa, to see the penguins. Walking past the boulders we found two famous landscape plants of the region, Cape honeysuckle and Cape leadwort or plumbago, taking in the winter sun and salt air. The climate on the Western Cape is said to be Mediterranean, meaning cool and wet winters and dry, warm summers. Bringing the plumbago to a subtropical climate...
Name: Lobster claw Botanical name: Heliconia rostrata Description: One of the more controllable heliconias, the dwarf form of lobster claw has the right scale for small gardens while producing a classic pendant inflorescence in green, yellow and red. The bracts that conceal small flowers are so finely sculpted they are works of art. The Heliconia Society shows several forms of rostrata on its website, and it's worth going to www.heliconiasocietypr.org/heliconia_cultivars6.htm to take a look. Originally...
Name: sapodilla Botanical name: Manilkara zapota Description: Native to the Caribbean islands, this large and handsome tree gives shade with the added benefit of fruit. The fruits are dropping now from our sapodilla, and their brown skin splits open to reveal a light-colored flesh and black seeds.
White flowers on the brunfelsia shrubs appear in mass; torch and butterfly gingers; heliconias and costus; reed-stem epidendrums; terete vandas and mokara orchids.
Name: Madagascar palms Botanical name: Pachypodium species Descrip- tion: Swollen trunks, spines and leaflessness in winter would hardly seem to describe an attractive garden specimen, but these characteristics of Pachypodium are so important in keeping the plants alive in Madagascar that you come to embrace them. These trees, which live in the most xeric conditions, are highly endangered, as are most plants in that country. Several species grow in the southern dry forest, while others grow in the...
Q: My pentas get a lot of sun and I water them regularly. However, some plants wither and the stems turn brown. A: The plants are being over-watered and may have developed a disease. Pull out the dying plants, since they are unlikely to recover. If the plants were diseased, you may not be able to replant with the same plants in the same spot.
Name: Ylang-ylang Botanical name: Cananga odorata Description: The flowers of the ylang-ylang (ee-lang ee-lang) are strange looking, with six greenish-yellow petals hanging limp or curled. They develop as little green buttons along the twigs. But their perfume, not their looks, is their most delectable and desirable quality. Sometimes called the perfume tree, ylang-ylang produces a volatile oil in the flowers that is distilled and used in Chanel No. 5 and other perfumes throughout the world.
Q: To save money, I'd like to grow my own vegetables and herbs during the summer. What can I grow? A: There are several crops you can grow: hot pepper, eggplant, okra, black-eyed peas, pigeon peas, rosemary, Cuban oregano, lemongrass and thyme.
Florida Keys Tropical Fruit Fiesta: Features fruit tasting; sale of tropical fruit trees, fruit and fruit products; experts from the University of Florida and Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden; a fruit auction, bilingual plant clinic and fruit competition. Presented by the University of Florida Monroe County Extension; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; Marathon Garden Club, 5270 Overseas Hwy., mile marker 50, Bayside, Marathon; free. 305-292-4501 orhttp://monroe.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn/lawn_fruitfest.shtml...
Name: Bird's-nest fern Botanical name: Asplenium nidus. Description: When the rainy season returns, our ferns once more will be happy. The bird's-nest fern, while requiring less humidity than many more delicate species, is resuming its summer growth. The fronds are undivided, and each one has a black midrib and undulating edges. A central crown from which frondlings emerge is a nub of dark brown fuzz, reminiscent of a bird's nest.
Q: What is hurricane pruning? A: At the beginning of hurricane season, trees with dense canopies need to be thinned out. However, don't hat-rack (over-prune). It's against county code since it weakens the tree and makes it more susceptible to wind damage.
South Florida's most celebrated organic farmer started out here 24 years ago as a fertilizer and chemical sales rep. It wasn't so much a change of philosophy as the gear-shifting experience of motherhood that set Gabriele Marewski on a new path.
Botanical name: Copernicia hospita Description: Found naturally only in Cuba, this pretty palm grows to about half the size of its better-known kin, the Bailey palm or Copernicia baileyana. Yet, you don't have to be a giant to see the beautiful symmetry of the large crown and the way it displays its flower spikes so gracefully among the many leaves. The round, palmate leaves are stiff, waxy and bluish- or grayish-green. The leaf stem extends into the leaf blade, and the leaves bend toward the center...
Q: I have a dwarf Julie mango in full sun that is 10 years old but it's only three feet tall. The fruits drop when pea-size. A: A tree that hasn't grown much for this long a period indicates that it was planted too deeply or was root-bound when planted. Remove the tree and replant with another mango, but not in the same hole.
What's blooming in June: Marsh pinks; scarlet milkweeds; cocoplum; salvia; ruellia; porterweed and firebush Plant trees. Planting holes should be (ideally) three times as wide as the rootball and just as deep, so the root crown (where the trunk flares at the base) is at the soil line. Once the tree is properly seated, shovel the fill back around the roots, watering in as you go to prevent air pockets. Make a saucer with excess soil so water will be held over the root zone. Mulch and water well. Keep...
Q: Is it true that rats are attracted to compost piles? Coral Gables A: To avoid attracting rats, do not put meat scraps, fat, bones, grease or dairy products in your compost pile. These do attract animals and can create nuisance odors.
Name: Golden shower Botanical name: Cassia fistula Description: The golden showers are handsome this summer after a fairly dry spring, with racemes of yellow flowers cascading abundantly and gracefully from the twig ends. Originally from India, the trees is widely loved throughout the tropics.
EVENTS Orchid Society of Coral Gables: The society's annual auction includes specials from local and out-of-town vendors and food for purchase; 7:15 p.m. Tuesday; Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables; Free. 305-310-7425.
Q: My lawn maintenance man wants to inject fertilizer into the soil. Why can't I put out fertilizer the old-fashioned way by spreading it under the trees?
Name: Brazilian potato tree, blue potato tree. Botanical name: Solanum wrightii (syn: Solanum macranthum). Description: Related to tomatoes, potatoes and four-o-clocks, as well as chalice vine and yesterday-today-tomorrow, this flowering tree is from Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. It produces clusters of flowers across its wide canopy throughout the year. The flowers open purple and fade to white. It's a fast-growing small tree with large lobed leaves that are sticky with prickles. Highly ornamental...
North America's only native parrot, the Carolina parakeet, once flew freely in the eastern United States but was declared extinct in 1939, more than 20 years after the last one died in the Cincinnati Zoo. So parrots, technically, had a place here once.
Name: wild cinnamon, cinnamon bark Botanical name: Canella winbterana Description: Native to South Florida and the Caribbean, wild cinnamon is a beautiful, slow-growing tree of the coastal hammocks. The flowers grow in clusters at the branch ends, opening a few at a time throughout spring and summer. The canopy is narrow and dense, and the leaves leathery and somewhat succulent. Canella winterana is salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant and casts a dense shade.
Q: I have problems keeping my ixoras looking nice. They always look yellow. What can I do? A: Ixoras are a commonly grown hedge shrub but aren't really suited for our alkaline soils and often suffer from iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Name: Mexican honeysuckle Botanical name: Justicia spicigera Description: In the same family of plants as Brazilian plume and shrimp-plant, this Justicia has brilliant flowers that sparkle in our equally brilliant light. The species name means spike or spike-bearing, which aptly describes the orange tubular flowers.
Q: What is the right way to plant and care for poinsettia plants in the yard? I want them to bloom at Christmas. A: You can grow poinsettia plants year round in South Florida. Plant them in the ground or in containers in a sunny area of your yard that is not exposed to light at night.
African Violet and Mother's Day Show and Sale: Free for moms with one paid admission; 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday; Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S. Flamingo Rd., Davie; $12 for kids 12 and up and adults, $5.50 for kids 4-11, free for kids 3 and under. 954-555-1234 or
The South Florida Water Management District is considering making the twice-weekly limits placed on sprinkling your St. Augustine permanent. Workshops discussing the idea wind up at the end of the month.
Name: old man palm Botanical name: Coccothrinax crinita Description: This threatened palm from Cuba is as charming as any plant you could want. Topped with circular palmate fronds, the old man is loved for the hairy thatch that adorns its slender trunk, making it appear a great deal thicker than it is. It's quite slow-growing, which means it won't beanstalk skyward like coconuts and veitchias.
