Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Iresine, Beefsteak Plant or Chicken Gizzard

🍀 How to make perfect ground cover: this colorful house plant thrives outdoors!

✳️ Did you know that there is a showy houseplant that makes an excellent ground cover in southern gardens?
✳️ The Iresine, also known as Beefsteak Plant or Chicken Gizzard, is an evergreen perennial that grows up to 3 feet tall. It showcases bright mauve, or variegated puckered foliage that adds a pop of color to any space.
✳️ Perfect for both indoor gardening and warm climate gardens, it thrives in both shady or full sun areas and requires regular water when actively growing, with moderate watering afterward.
✳️ Its striking "Blood Leaf" features purplish-red, oval-shaped leaves with notched tips on vibrant red-maroon stems, forming dense, bushy clumps. It grows fast and spreads fast, making a perfect ground cover.
✳️ You'll find delightful varieties: the traditional Iresine herbstii Acuminata, with its sharply pointed blood-red leaves, and Iresine Aureo-Reticulata, or "Chicken Gizzard Plant," boasting bright yellow-veined, apple-green rounded leaves. And don't miss the Confetti variety, with its leaves sprinkled in green, red, and yellow!
✳️ Whether used indoors or as a ground cover outdoors, Iresine is a colorful choice that deserves a spot in every garden!

😵‍� What is the most spectacular variegated ginger?

🌀 Variegated Spiral Ginger - Costus arabicus (amazonicus) variegata - is a tropical stunner originally from South America but adored in Hawaii and Florida
🌀 This ginger's eye-catching, spiraling stems are streaked with striking white variegation, topped with elegant pure white flowers with yellow centers.
🌀 The pure white blooms are truly a piece of art! Perfect for shade gardens (but also can take sun), this plant thrives in moist soil and loves plenty of water.
🌀 If you're looking to add a bit of drama and elegance to your garden, this beauty is a must-have!

📚 Learn more about gingers from previous posts:

😵‍� What is the most spectacular variegated ginger?

🌀 Variegated Spiral Ginger - Costus arabicus (amazonicus) variegata - is a tropical stunner originally from South America but adored in Hawaii and Florida
🌀 This ginger's eye-catching, spiraling stems are streaked with striking white variegation, topped with elegant pure white flowers with yellow centers.
🌀 The pure white blooms are truly a piece of art! Perfect for shade gardens (but also can take sun), this plant thrives in moist soil and loves plenty of water.
🌀 If you're looking to add a bit of drama and elegance to your garden, this beauty is a must-have!

📚 Learn more about gingers from previous posts:

😵 What is the most spectacular variegated ginger?

🌀 Variegated Spiral Ginger - Costus arabicus (amazonicus) variegata - is a tropical stunner originally from South America but adored in Hawaii and Florida
🌀 This ginger's eye-catching, spiraling stems are streaked with striking white variegation, topped with elegant pure white flowers with yellow centers.
🌀 The pure white blooms are truly a piece of art! Perfect for shade gardens (but also can take sun), this plant thrives in moist soil and loves plenty of water.
🌀 If you're looking to add a bit of drama and elegance to your garden, this beauty is a must-have!

📚 Learn more about gingers from previous posts:

Impatiens repens â€" Balsam, Busy Lizzie

💡 Ever tried Balsam Busy Lizzie?

💛 Impatiens repens – Balsam, Busy Lizzie, is the cheerful little cousin of the well-known Impatiens! What sets this one apart?
💛 Its showy yellow flowers, very small leaves, and compact, dwarf growth habit make it perfect for hanging baskets or as a delightful houseplant.
💛 If you're a fan of Impatiens, you'll love how this unique species brightens up any space with its charming, sunny blooms. It's small, it's bold, and it's a must-have for plant lovers!

⚜️ What is the prettiest flower for shade?

❗️ Ground orchids grow in regular garden soil instead of in the air on tree branches, come in many colors and shapes, bloom in sun or shade and are very easy to grow!

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" >🎥 Spathoglottis Tropical Punch - Sorbet Ground Orchid

📚Learn more from previous posts:

Spathoglottis Tropical Punch - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Joy Perfume tree (Magnolia champaca) flowers

☀️ When does Champaka tree start blooming?

🏵 Champaka, or Joy Perfume tree (Magnolia champaca) blooms in and off year around. This year it's the third time we see our trees with flowers.
🏵 The flowers are used to make the world's most expensive perfume 'Joy' and smell like fruity bubble gum... you can't stop sticking your nose in this flower!

🎥 Yellow Champaka in bloom. This tree is 3 years old.

📚 Learn more from previous posts:

🍋 Does it really taste like Lemon drops?

🟡 Looking for a fun, tropical addition to your small garden or patio? Garcinia edulis - Lemon Drop Mangosteen, Madrono - might just be the perfect fit!
🟡 Lemon Drop Mangosteen is a small, very slow growing tree that brings both beauty and deliciousness to your rare fruit collection.
🟡 The tree is a compact, evergreen gem with glossy green leaves that look great year-round.
🟡 Its small, bright yellow-orange fruits are about the size of a golf ball, with translucent white pulp inside. The taste? A refreshing burst of sweet and sour - like a lemony tropical candy!
🟡 These little fruits are not only great for snacking fresh but also make awesome juices, jams, or desserts.
🟡 The tree is pretty low-maintenance - just give it some sun and water, and it's happy. Great for containers.