Featured plant. Heliconia rostrata - Lobster Claw

Heliconia rostrata - Lobster Claw

Lobster Claw, Parrot's beak... Tropical flowers never fail to astound and amaze with their forms and colors. Lobster Claw plant (Heliconia rostrata) is no exception, with large, brightly hued bracts that cluster up a stem. It is also called Parrot Beak and has inconsequential tiny flowers covered by the showy bracts. It is native to Central to South America and is one of the most recognized and widely grown species of showy heliconias, and one of the most beautiful! The inflorescence it produces is one of the most colorful you will ever encounter. Pendulous blooms of striking red and yellow bracts often reach 3’ in length! The flowers last a long time and make an excellent cut flower. It is an easy grower in tropical areas but some room is required because the stalks can reach 7 feet in height. It can withstand temperatures in the high 20s. Can be grown in large pots, it starts blooming once the plant reaches 4-5’ tall and the amazing inflorescences will appear one after another creating a spectacular show to enjoy. Grow in full to partial sun and rich soil with lots of water and fertilizer.

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Featured plant. Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum - Voodoo Lily

Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum - Voodoo Lily

Rare Amorphophallus ralative, Typhonium venosum (Sauromatum venosum), is a common shade-loving house or garden plant from temperate and tropical Africa and Asia. This plant is also known as the Voodoo Bulb because of its ability to flower from a corm without soil and water. Tuberous perennial with solitary, segmented round leaf and strange, arum-like flower. Rare collectable, it is a showy exotic container plant.
Typhonium grows to around 20 inches tall from an underground corm. A large corm can spawn multiple new corms. Inflorescences emerge before the leaves. An inflorescence has a purplish-brown-spotted, yellowish spathe and a purplish-brown spadix which emit a strong odor perceived as similar to cow manure, rotting flesh, or a dirty wet dog, depending on who smells the inflorescence ;) The odor lasts only a day and attracts carrion-feeding insects which can pollinate this plant.
Plants we have in stock, have tubers 1-2" in diameter. The plant goes dormant in winter and starts sprouting in March-April. Keep soil slightly moist but not wet, and wait for the magic leaf to pop up... The plant should flower within a year or two.

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Spring tips

Once temperatures stay above 65F, growing season starts for tropical plants.

1. Increase watering as soon as you see new buds opening and new leaves growing

2. Trim all dead or damaged wood 1-2 inches above new growth

3. Apply the following treats to make your plants happy:

- granulated balanced fertilizer

- SUNSHINE Superfood microelements as foliar spray for healthy growth, profuse flowering, and disease/bug resistance

- SUNSHINE-E to help plants come out of dormancy faster and increase metabolism. 100 ml bottles and 50 ml bottles available for large plant collections.

- SUNSHINE-Honey to fruit trees so you can enjoy sweeter and bigger fruit later this year

4. If nights are still chilly, take potted plants outside to enjoy the afternoon sun and bring them back indoors for the night.

Fertilizing Ylang Ylang

Q: What fertilizer should we be using for ylang ylang?

A: Ylang Ylang is a free-flowering tropical plant that requires regular feeding during active growth period (March through November in Florida). We use balanced granulated fertilizer that contains micro-elements. Apply once a month 1 tsp per 1 gal of soil. For in-ground plants, 1/2 cup once a month.
We also apply additional micro-element treat SuperFood as foliar spray which dramatically increases growth rate and promotes flowering.

Check out our fertilizers, plant boosters, and garden supplies:

To prune or not to prune?

Q: We had a few nights with light frost and some of my tropical plants look sad, lost all leaves. I scratched the bark and it is green inside. Should I prune back all branches that look dead?

A: Never prune during winter time, even if some branches look dead. There is a chance you will be surprised by Spring when they sprout new leaves. Be patient and postpone all pruning until active growth starts, then cut off only damaged part, approximately 2" above new growth.

See list of deciduous plants.

Featured plant. Randia formosa - Blackberry jam fruit

Randia formosa - Blackberry jam fruit

This unique compact plant, perfect for container culture, combines features of a fragrant flower and tasty desert fruit. Kids love it! Originally from Central and South America, this rare tropical small evergreen tree bears fruit which tastes like fresh Blackberry jam. Many claim that it's even better than preserves. Closely related to the gardenia, its flowers are sweetly fragrant. This relatively hardy tropical has attractive foliage and can be grown in a container as well as in the ground. The Randia formosa (or Rosenbergiodendron formosum) produces as many as 25 to 30 fruits at a time. Since it blooms for a few months in the fall and winter, fruiting and flowering can be enjoyed when many other plants are dormant. Large tubular white flowers that attract nocturnal moths... Read more about this plant...

Get it from our store... Limited quanity!