Queen’s Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa) is a deciduous subtropical tree, USDA hardiness zone 10B-11, closely related to the more cold tolerant Lagerstroemia indica. However, Queen’s Crape Myrtle has a single trunk, much larger crown spread, larger leaves, and larger flowers varying in color from pink to purple, as opposed to the many flower colors of L. indica. It attains…
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Just a quick note on ornamental Passion Vines and their ornate flowers compared to the insignificant flowers of our native corkystem Passion Vine. Whether you are growing these vines for their beauty, or food for three of our local butterflies, I hope you do enjoy them. Regardless, you will find that the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly…
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This week focuses on two terrestrial bromeliads. When you talk about bromeliad plants, most people get an image in their heads of plants growing high up in the trees. The reason for this, is the majority of bromeliads are in fact epiphytes. That is, a plant growing on another plant. However, in the cases of…
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This week’s focus will be on two tropical vines not seen very often in the landscape. The first one is a member of the Euphorbiaceae or Spurge Family. This family is best known for Poinsettias and succulents of South Africa. However, there is a tropical vine, Dalechampia dioscoreifolia or commonly called, Winged Beauty or sometimes…
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Looking around the nursery in some filtered light I came across three tropical irises. Two are in the genus Neomarica, commonly called the walking irises due to the flowering stems arching to the ground after flowering and new plantlets developing where the old flowers have died. This gives the appearance of ‘walking’ along the ground.…
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