Since 1958, grower Juan Valdez and his mule, Conchita, have been employed to put us in mind of some of the best coffee in the world. These fictional characters have left an indelible impression on generations of consumers. And right now you might be thinking how nice it would be to stroll through lush fields of coffee in Colombia.…
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Agaves comprise just over 200 species of succulent plants native to the New World, from the south-western U.S. to northern South America. They are characterized by a rosette of fleshy, stiff leaves capable of withstanding severe heat and drought. Over time, the common name Century Plant has been attached to the genus on the claim that flowering occurs just…
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Quick! Can you name a beautiful ornamental succulent plant that somehow belongs in the same family as hyacinth and asparagus? Our choice is Beaucarnea recurvata, a uniquely constructed tree native to arid parts of southeastern Mexico. In those areas, Beaucarnea can reach 30 ft. high after many years, but in cultivation it tends to stay shorter. It starts life as…
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Richard Lyons’ Nursery for some time has been warning consumers of the dangers of citrus greening, the prime cause of the decline in Florida’s signature fruit crop. There is still no known cure for the disease. The first federal citrus crop forecast for 2016-17 is not an optimistic one for Florida. The National Agriculture Statistics…
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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 Mast Tree –– ship…
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