In 1982, a German artist Joseph Beuys proposed a plan to plant 7000 oaks
throughout the city of Kassel, each paired with a basalt stone. The 7000 stones were
piled up on the lawn in front of the Museum Fridericianum with the idea that
the pile would shrink every time a tree was planted. The project, seen locally
as a gesture towards green urban renewal, took five years to complete and
has spread to other cities around the world!
We can plant a tree without moving a stone... Just plant and enjoy the
beauty!
The missing genetic link is found! The tiny little "bambusoid grass" is actually the original ancient ancestor of Bamboo
and all members of the Bambusoideae, the giant woody grasses!
This plant is the evolutionary mother of ALL modern bamboo's that that has
just never really been made available to the general public...
...So I decided to begin propagating my own Lithachne humilis colony.
After a few months of hovering over delicate seedlings, I have a few to offer!
But there is a story behind it... Continue reading...
Q: I live in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. I'm looking for something
fragrant to grow on my porch. I don't have a lot of space and am interested to find something unusual that won't grow too large.
Any suggestions? I've heard about Chanel #5 tree and I wonder I can keep it in a pot?
A: The Ylang-Ylang tree, Cananga odorata, emits a fragrance so soft and
beautiful it became an essential ingredient of Coco Chanel's iconic and much-loved perfume Chanel No 5. Trouble is, it will grow into
a giant. How do you get this kind of magic onto your lanai or porch? Opt for its smaller relative: Dwarf Ylang Ylang, Cananga fruticosa (pronounced ee-lang ee-lang, meaning:
flowers of flowers).
The fragrance is a little less intense than its larger cousin, but still wonderful to have around.
Let the fragrance drift slowly through the air into your home at night. The scent is strongest from dusk to dawn and it will
need warm and humid conditions for a fuller aroma.
Dwarf Ylang-Ylang is ideal for folks with limited space as it can be
grown in a container or as a house plant. It's a very unusual and interesting plant to add to your porch, lanai or garden. It's
pretty easy to grow and disease resistant too. It will stay compact and in nice tree-like shape. Dwarf Ylang Ylang starts
blooming quite young and will continue to bloom year-round with profuse blooming during the spring and summer months.
The tree prefers a high-humidity environment, evenly moist soil, warm temperatures and will grow best in plant hardiness zones 10-11
but can take short periods of cold.
Read
more about Chanel No5 Flower...
Dwarf Ylang Ylang is certainly one of the most desired and sought after rare,
fragrant plants. Get yours today!
Q: I would like to buy a noni tree, something that would produce much fruit as soon as possible.
I live in NJ, would you ship here?
A: Noni is one of the most suitable fruit trees for potting culture. A 1-3 gallon size plant will
flower and fruit for you within a year. These are Noni's special features:
- flowers and fruits at young age, nearly year around
- tolerates shade and grows large ornamental leaves in filtered light
- suitable for indoor culture
- easy in cultivation, drought and water tolerant, not susceptible to insects
- medicinal properties are endless and cannot be under-appreciated
This plant can be shipped to any state, and will produce fruit for you under minimal care. Just
provide warm frost-free conditions, as this tropical tree is very cold sensitive.
Q: I've just moved from Virginia to Sarasota, Florida. I'm
looking for a vine similar to Wisteria to grow in my new garden. I've so enjoyed my
Wisteria vine and I'm hoping to find something equally spectacular for my FL
garden. Truth is, I'm getting older and won't be able to keep up with the
hard-core maintenance Wisteria needs to keep it in under control. Is there a
similar vine you can recommend that is just as showstopping as Wisteria?
A: The vine that immediately comes to mind is Petrea Volubilis or Queens wreath. It looks similar to Wisteria, and though a fast and strong climber, it's not invasive or
destructive at all. An occasional pruning is all it will need to maintain it.
Much like Wisteria it gives a glorious show of flowers when spring arrives.
Masses of long, mauve flowers will continue to appear on and off in summer with
another burst of flowers in the fall. Flowers are up to a foot in length!
Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies will all be impressed with you for
growing this charmer.
Snip off the gorgeous flowers, put them in shallow bowls of water
around your home and be the envy of all your friends and house guests!
This vine prefers the warmth of Zone 10 to thrive, but it will survive
in areas of Zone 9B when it borders zone 10A, especially if it's placed in a
protected area. It grows best in full sun but will tolerate part shade. It's
great for coastal gardens and once established, it has good drought
tolerance, medium salt tolerance, and good wind tolerance. It has no major pest
problems, which is always a bonus.
Grow and shape it as you like: a large bush, a small tree or a
breathtaking espalier. Some people plant Petrea vine by a tree to create that much
sought-after ethereal wisteria effect. This is no doubt a very charming vine
and a must-have for those who are in love with Wisteria but scared of its
vigorous growth and ongoing maintenance.
For Wisteria lovers we also recommend its spectacular tropical relative
Millettia reticulata - Evergreen Wisteria.
How to propagate plants from cuttings. Top (Tropicals)
secrets.
Q: After pruning my jasmine, I have so many branches and I don't
have a heart to through them away, can I use them to make more plants? Please
tell me what size cuttings and do I need to remove leaves? Should I just
stick them in the ground? Will they root? I don't know if you will be willing to
share your secrets?
A: We are always happy to know that you grow more plants, and
make our World better! These are some useful tips for the propagation of
tropical plants using cuttings:
- Cuttings and leaves. Use cuttings 2-5" long. Strip leaves from
the bottom. Cut larger leaves in half to reduce evaporation.
- Soak cuttings for 15-30 min in SUNSHINE solution.
- Mix. Use special well-drained mix with lots of soil conditioner: we
have a special professional propagation mix for cuttings.
- Mist. Put community pots or trays with cuttings in mist, or if you
don't have mist - cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to create a
mini-greenhouse.
- Shade. Keep propagation pots in bright shade and never allow direct
sun rays.
- Rooting hormone: yes, use it if you have it. Not only it promotes
root formation but also prevents from fungus so the cuttings won't rot. We use
Dip-N-Grow.
- Rooting and food. Check in 2-3 weeks for roots. Once you see the
little roots, begin fertilizing with a special Baby-Plant Food and make sure never exceed recommended doze otherwise
you may kill the cuttings.
- Establishing. Once roots start growing, plant in 4" pots in a well-drained potting mix and watch the beauty grow! Gradually move to
the full sun only when little plants establish and start new growth.
If you are lucky to make more rare plants than you can use, contact us, we will buy them from you or trade for your dream plants!
In fact, one of our customers from many years ago started selling us baby
plants that he propagated from our plants, and now has a successful business
(Karma Nursery); we buy a lot of plants from him every month!
Q: I live on Sanibel Island, Florida and I'm looking for an
exotic vine to cover the side of my house. A friend suggested Chalice vine. What
can you tell me about it and will it tolerate the salty soil and salt spray of
the island?
A: Chalice vine, or Cup of Gold - Solandra maxima - is a large,
woody, scrambling tropical vine with huge, cup-shaped flowers. Variety
Variegata has also amazing cream and green variegated foliage. The flowers are
fragrant, especially in the evenings, with a lovely coconut-like aroma. This
unusual vine will give you intermittent waves of large, wide flaring golden
trumpets.
Even when not in flower, it is beautiful as new growth is bright and
purple-bronze in color. It has a large and loose spreading habit. As this vine
ages, flowers will appear along the entire length of branches off the main
vine. So, just think about it - up to 100 feet vine and you will have about 500
flowers at the same time! They are very fast growing and usually bloom from
February until May. Plant them... Sit back and wait... Four months of heaven!
They are great for seaside gardens as they are very tolerant of salt
spray and salty soils. Will, in fact, thrive in most any well-drained soil.
Give it a large, sturdy pergola or trellis, or train it to grow up the
side of a house where it will spill down over windows and doorways to take
your breath away... Chalice vine is impossibly exotic!
Q: Please help! We just moved into a new house in Florida and
don't have any mature trees yet, but the sun is already brutal! Can you suggest
any super-fast growing shade tree that can make shade over my driveway as
soon as possible?
A: Check out Giant Potato Tree - it is very fast growing, has very large leaves plus
very pretty purple flowers as a bonus year round! The pictured tree was
planted from 3 gal only 6 months ago, and already covers with shade the whole
car. It is small to a medium size tree, but one of the fastest growing.
If you are looking for a larger tree and willing to be more patient, here
is the full list of tropical and subtropical fast growing shade trees. Most of
them may take a few years until they reach a mature size, however, in order
to enjoy your shade tomorrow, you must plant the tree today!
Q: I am interested in a Strawberry Tree... does this tree produce
fruit while still small or do I have to wait until it is large before it
produces? Should I fertilize it so it produces sooner? I ask because my garden
is not large and I prefer to keep my fruit growing trees in a smaller size.
Also, how big is the fruit and does it have a seed?
A: Strawberry Tree, Muntingia Calabura, is one of those fascinating fruit trees that starts
flowering and fruiting in small size. We have plants growing in 1 gal
containers that already have flowers. This tree is nearly year-round producer
providing warm conditions. It is a fast grower, although a compact tree when
mature, and can be trimmed to desirable size without affecting production.
Muntingia fruit is one of our favorites. It is super sweet and juicy,
and the seeds are tiny small, not bigger than the strawberry seeds, so you
don't have to spit them out. The fruit size normally about 1/2 inch, but we have
a tree in our garden that produces almost cherry-size fruit! See picture
above. The secret is, good watering and using fruit booster - SUNSHINE honey micro-element supplement. We also fertilize our fruit
trees using Fruit Festival and Mango-Food fertilizers.
I acquired this rare and freaky aroid, (Typhonium roxburghii) when my wife
Suzie and I were living in So. California in the early 1990's... When I first
saw this plant (growing in a few pots of bamboo, along with other weeds), it
had perhaps the most unusual flowers of anything I had ever seen...
The missing genetic link is found! The tiny little "
