One of the most successful flowering tree introductions to southern Florida in the past 15 years has been Cassia bakeriana. Native to Thailand and Burma (Myanmar), the Pink Shower Tree blooms profusely in the spring, producing flowers that progress from pink to lighter pink to white. The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Newly-emerging leaves are…
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The folks at Richard Lyons’ Nursery are eager to let you in on one of the best-kept secrets in the tropical plant community: The Bridalveil Tree is a great plant! Native to northern South America, Caesalpinia granadillo is a moderate-sized tree that assumes a vase-shaped profile at maturity. In its home region, the Bridalveil reaches…
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Here’s another in the series of interesting newsletters that Richard Lyons’ Nursery receives from Brooks Tropicals. This issue deals with carambola — the delightful starfruit. Brooks notes that its fruit comes from Pine Island, where soils are sandy. However, starfruit trees grow equally well in the shallow limestone soils of Miami-Dade County where Richard Lyons’…
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When Dr. Edwin Menninger bemoaned the “solid green” of Florida’s native flora, he must have forgotten about Salvia coccinea. If you want to add brilliant color to your home landscape, please consider this striking native shrub. Commonly known as Scarlet Sage, this herbaceous perennial from the family of lamiaceae is native to a huge range from South Carolina…
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This week we take a look at a very interesting group of Florida native plants known collectively as stoppers. All stoppers are members of the Myrtaceae, an enormous family that also includes the genus Eucalyptus. Some grow as shrubs and some as trees. Each of the five described below not only has ornamental value, but also has proven…
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