Keep soil moist - Plant Encyclopedia Results

Growing Cyathea cooperi can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience that adds a unique beauty to one's outdoor space. Adequate moisture is key to the tree fern success, so it should be planted in moist, rich soils with good drainage. It prefers full sun, but some semi-shade is also acceptable. For potted specimens, soil should be renewed yearly, and the potting mix should be kept consistently and slightly moist to prevent the fern from drying out. To ensure the tree fern continued health and growth, it should be fertilized several times a year, but with low nitrogen fertilizers to avoid spurring overly leafy growth.

For those in colder climates, Cyathea cooperi can be kept successfully in a pot and placed in a cool, sheltered corner for the winter. When nighttime temperatures drop below 30°F, the pot should be covered with plastic and a light insulating layer of mulch or hay. During the winter, water should be kept to a minimum, and then increased slightly as spring approaches and temperatures begin to rise. As long as the tree is not exposed to severe cold for an extended period of time, it should survive and thrive, making it a beautiful addition to any outdoor space.

Read more:

Australian Tree Fern - a botanical marvel

The Empress of Brazil, also known as Worsleya procera, is easy to cultivate and is an ideal choice for growing in containers and indoors.

This small plant prefers full sun, and its soil should be kept moist at all times. Water regularly, and make sure to keep the soil evenly moist. In cold regions, the Empress of Brazil can be grown in a pot, although it should be brought inside for the winter months.

The Empress of Brazil has vibrant, beautiful blooms that come in colors ranging from deep blue to lavender, to purple. It is a low-maintenance plant, and it is also very easy to propagate. Its flowers are often quite large and can measure up to six inches in diameter.

The Empress of Brazil is a drought-tolerant plant, but it does not do well with dry air. You should mist the leaves of the Empress of Brazil regularly to keep them hydrated. Aside from misting, you should also feed your Worsleya procera a fertilizer that is high in phosphorus, as this will help it to produce healthy and beautiful blooms.

The Empress of Brazil can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 9-11. It is an evergreen plant and is easy to grow as long as given the right conditions. The Empress of Brazil requires plenty of sun and moderate water. It also needs to be in well-drained soil, so be sure to plant in an area that doesn't stay wet for long periods of time.

With proper care and attention, the Empress of Brazil will reward you with long lasting and gorgeous blooms. It is an ideal choice for adding color and beauty to your garden or home. So, go ahead and give it a go, and let the Empress of Brazil show you its beauty!

The plant is well known in South East Asia, with folklore uses in Thailand, Indonesia and China, and leaves of the plant are eaten as a vegetable. This is a very low maintenance, fast growing herb/vegetable that can be grown indoor and outdoor. The leaves are picked for salads, soups, or sauteed them to make a dish. They are also be made as tea and extract.

The plant is often referred to as Sambung Nyawa which means Continuation of Life. The purpose of this plant is to incorporate it into your diet for a healthy life, as many generations of African and Asians have done traditionally. This plant is used as an herbal dietary supplement to help decrease cholesterol, blood glucose, hypertension, rheumatism, viral ailments, and other illnesses. The herb has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-allergy properties. Some of its uses include - migraines, constipation rheumatism, diabetes, dysentery, fevers, kidney ailments, cardiovascular conditions, cancers, leukemia, and as a skin care elixir.

See article about this plant: Longevity Spinach Super-food Recipes.

Watch Video about Gynura.

This is a tropical fruit tree that grows year-round in the Pacific Islands and for over 2000 years has been used for its many healthful benefits. Renowned ethnobotanists, scientists, and medical professionals have discovered that noni juice works on a cellular level and affects nearly every system in the body. This juice is also a rich source of antioxidants and can help support the immune system and help cells more readily absorb nutrients. Every part of the plant is used medicinally.

The plant grows well on any soil, even sandy or rocky. Apart from saline conditions, the plant also can withstand drought. Flowers are small, white, growing from a fleshy structure. The nectar is favorite food of honey-eaters. Blooms and fruits year round. Fruits are oval, medium 4-7cm, at first green, turning light yellow or white when ripe with many seeds. The fruits are edible, but don't have a nice taste or smell.

The plant can be easily grown in container, tolerates shade, will fruit in a pot. Extremely cold sensitive (55F minimum). Keep protected during winter.

See VIDEO: Doctor Noni.

See Article about Noni.

Barringtonia asiatica, often called Sea Poison Tree, is native to Coastal areas of India, Madagascar, Philippines and Polynesia and can be used for bonsai. It is a small tree that can reach between 10-20 ft (3-6m), preferring full sun and moist soil. It produces fragrant, pink and white-off white flowers, often also attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. The plant is flood tolerant and tolerant of sea salt, making it an ideal choice for seaside plantings. It is poisonous or toxic and grown in USDA Zone 9-11. In colder regions, it can be grown in a pot with care.

This deciduous tree has large leaves held in rosettes at the ends of the branches, with young leaves being a beautiful bronze with pinkish veins. Old leaves may turn yellowish. Flowers are delightful puff balls of white stamens tipped with pink, which open at night and attract moths and nectar-feeding bats with their heavy scent. The fruits of the Sea Poison Tree take the shape of a lantern, with the outermost layer of the fruit wall being green and turning brown when ripe. The middle layer is spongy and contains air sacs to help the fruit float, and the innermost layer is hard and thick to protect the seed.

The plant has many ethnomedical uses, particularly in areas where it is native. The heated leaves are used to treat stomach ache and rheumatism (Philippines), while seeds are used to get rid of intestinal worms. Its saponin-rich parts are pounded, pulped or grated to release the poison and used to stun fish in freshwater streams, while the floating seeds are sometimes used as fishing floats. Easily reproduced by seeds, Barringtonia asiatica is a colorful and fragrant tree, making it a great choice for roadside plantings and other seaside plantings.

Heliamphora parva, also known as the Marsh Pitcher Plant, is a small native plant that originates from Venezuela. With showy, ornamental foliage, this plant is perfect for anyone looking for an exotic addition to their garden. Growing up to about two to five feet tall, this plant thrives in full sun or semi-shade, making it an easy and versatile option for just about any garden.

These plants love wet, boggy conditions and prefer to keep the soil moist, although you can also grow them in aquatic conditions if desired. You will also need to provide plenty of fertilizer to help them bloom and create their attractive foliage. The Marsh Pitcher Plant will produce striking white or off-white flowers, and as such makes a great ornamental plant in any garden.

If you are located in a colder climate, you can easily grow your Marsh Pitcher Plant by placing it in a pot and bringing it indoors during the winter months. For best results in cold regions, keep the pot in a warm location and provide plenty of sunlight, as well as regular water.

The Marsh Pitcher Plant is hardy in USDA Zones 9 to 11, making them a great choice for gardeners with warmer climates. With the right care and attention, they can be a beautiful addition to any garden, and you can look forward to enjoying their beautiful flowers in no time.

One of the most popular native fruit of Brazil. This is a slow-growing rather bushy tree up to 15 ft tall, often multi-stemmed with opposite small leaves. The larger trunks and branches have bark which peels off in small patches which is found to be very attractive. The tree is evergreen, but once or twice during the year it will shed large numbers of leaves generally corresponding to heavy rains. Small white flowers are produced along the larger trunks and branches ("cauliflora" means "flowers growing on trunk"). Fruit development is very rapid, usually taking only 20-25 days from flower to full maturity.

The fruit forms on the trunks on short stems, with 2-3 fruits sometimes in a cluster. When trees are in heavy fruit, you cannot see the branches for all the large numbers of dark purplish-black fruits that look like large grapes. They have a white pulp with several small seeds. Skin is thick, and delicious melting pulp somewhat resembles Northern Black Currant in flavor. Jaboticaba fruits are ready to harvest when they have developed a full color and are somewhat soft like a ripe grape. The fruits can be eaten fresh, used in jellies, jams, ice creams, wines or can be frozen whole to enjoy throughout the year. Usually, Jaboticaba will bear fruit only in 6 to 10 years from seed. Once mature, the trees may produce between six to eight crops of fruit per year.

Jaboticaba is fairly wind tolerant but not salt tolerant, but it is relatively cold hardy, taking down to 23 F for short periods without serious damage. Young plants may be injured at around upper 20's F. As the root system is shallow and dries out quickly, the tree requires regular irrigation. It thrives better when planted in heavily mulched organic soils. In their native area, Jaboticabas are frequently flooded by rising rivers for weeks at a time without serious damage, so they are considered water-tolerant. The plant will do best in acid soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, somewhat like gardenias. In highly alkaline soil the plant often develops micronutrient deficiency.

Because of its slow growth, Jaboticaba is perfect for growing in containers. Mature trees in 3-5 gal pots can be many years old. Due to small leaves and dwarfish growth habit, Jaboticaba is often used as bonsai. The tree is small enough to fit into many parts of the garden landscape. Some old bonsai specimens can fruit.

See video about a mail ordered Jaboticaba tree.

This is an old fashioned, but very rewarding garden plant. Zantedeschia is named after Professor Zantedeschi, probably Giovanni Zantedeschi, 1773-1846, an Italian physician and botanist. The flowers are faintly scented and this attracts various crawling insects and bees which are responsible for pollinating the flowers. The spathe turns green after flowering and covers the ripening berries. It rots away when these are ripe and the succulent yellow berries attract birds, which are responsible for seed dispersal. The rhizome is large and eaten by wild pigs and porcupines and the ripe fruit enjoyed by birds. Raw plant material causes swelling of the throat because of microscopic, sharp calcium oxalate crystals. The leaves are used as a poultice and a treatment for headaches. May be used as a marginal plant along streams, or on the edge of a pond. Plant in partial shade if there is no permanent water. It can be planted as a foliage plant in deep shade under trees but will not flower well in this position. It is fast growing and likes very rich, well-drained conditions. It is an excellent cutflower and lasts a long time in water. Nowadays there are other forms of this species which will enliven an old theme. There is also an attractive form with leaves spotted white. Requires consistently moist soil.

See Zantedeschia aethiopica.

Byblis liniflora, or commonly known as the Rainbow Plant, is a carnivorous ground cover native to northern Australia and New Guinea. Generally low-growing, it usually reaches only up to 2ft in height, and often forms a dense mat. It produces beautiful pink flowers that are accompanied by striking ornamental foliage that come in various shades of intense greens and reds.

In order to encourage healthy growth, the Rainbow Plant needs to be planted in full sun, and the soil should be kept moist. In USDA growing zones 9-11, it can easily be grown outdoors, but those living in colder climates should grow it in pot and move indoors during winter.