Portlandia grandiflora (Tree Lily or Bell Flower) has fragrant flowers like its relative, the Gardenia. It is a small tree or shrub from the Caribbean attaining a height of 6-8 feet. It grows best in filtered light and does very well in South Florida’s alkaline soils. It blooms from spring to fall with 6 inch…
Read more
In the inventory and articles published on this website, we think it’s helpful to provide both botanical and common names, but sometimes the informal names are head-scratchers. For example, “Swiss Chard” is the appellation placed on a plant that’s native to the Mediterranean. Fortunately, most common names do make sense, and we believe there are few more descriptive than ‘Powderpuff.’ The most ornamental…
Read more
If you’re at all like me, you value your privacy. Around your property, one way to help ensure privacy is to install a good hedge. Contrary to what some growers will tell you, not every hedge plant is capable of fulfilling homeowners’ needs for a dense, long-lasting screening material. It may sound like heresy for me to…
Read more
Here is the final installment in our series on fragrant shrubs and trees growing at Richard Lyons’ Nursery. Brugmansia sp. (Angel’s Trumpet) – In bloom, this genus of seven species is hard to forget. It bears large, pendant, trumpet-shaped flowers that emit a pleasing fragrance that is strongest during evening hours. Brugmansias, related to peppers, potatoes and…
Read more
Here is the third installment of our series on fragrant shrubs and trees growing at Richard Lyons’ Nursery. Buddleja madagascariensis – The Madagascar Butterfly Bush is endemic to its namesake country. It grows informally, usually to about 13 ft., but can exceed that height. However, it can be successfully pinched back, or even cut back hard, to encourage branching…
Read more