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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

Why do we love Ground Orchids?

Ground orchids collage

Q: I need your expert advice on a low growing perennial with pretty flowers that I can plant in semi-shade close to my house. What is your favorite perennial?

A: Our most favorite bright flowering perennials are ground orchids!

Ground orchids are the easiest and most rewarding flowers for a tropical garden. They thrive in regular garden soil or potting mix, tolerate both sun and shade, and bloom nearly year-round.

Their adaptability makes them a perfect choice for any spot in the garden, whether you need to fill a sunny patch or a shaded area under trees. And look at these colors! From vibrant purples to soft pinks and yellows, ground orchids bring a splash of tropical beauty with minimal effort. Their consistent blooming makes them a must-have for gardeners seeking color all year.

Kittens with Ground 
orchids

Ground orchids video

Date:

What is the most aromatic medicinal herb

Lippia alba - Poleo, Pitiona

Lippia alba - Poleo, Pitiona

What is the most aromatic medicinal herb
  • 💮 Lippia alba - Poleo, Pitiona: this medicinal plant related to Lantana is widely cultivated in Mexico as an ornamental for its aromatic foliage and pretty white flowers.
  • 💮 The essential oil composition is unique to each plant!
  • 💮 The leaves are used for flavoring foods, such as mole sauces from Oaxaca, Mexico.
  • 💮 The plant is used medicinally for its somatic, sedative, antidepressant, and analgesic properties.
  • 💮 Leaves and roots are used to make tea or syrup for cough relief and are said to relieve symptoms from anxiety to flatulence and hypertension.


🛒 Order Lippia alba

#Food_Forest #Remedies

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Date:

Cats are like music

Cats are like music
🎶 Cats are like music.

“Cats are like music. It’s foolish to try to explain their worth to those who don’t appreciate them.”

Share your cats in comments!
📸 🐈🐈🐈👇

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden 

#Quotes

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Date:

Earrings for your Princess!

Dichrostachys cinerea - Princess Earrings, Sickle bush

💎 Earrings for your Princess!

⭐️ Dichrostachys cinerea - Princess Earrings, Sickle bush from West Africa is one of the most unusual and unforgettable flowers of cheerful color combination... They bring hope, joy and sunshine into your day!

🛒 Plant Princess Earrings

#Hedges_with_benefits

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Date:

A fish tank is just interactive television for cats

 A fish tank is just interactive television for cats
🐝 "A fish tank is just interactive television for cats." - Oliver Gaspirtz
  • 🐟 Do you have a cat and a fish tank at home? Share in comments! 🐟👇


🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden 

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Date:

How to get Live Fireworks in Winter

Clerodendrum quadriloculare - Winter Starburst, Fireworks

Clerodendrum quadriloculare - Winter Starburst, Fireworks

Clerodendrum quadriloculare - Winter Starburst, Fireworks

Clerodendrum quadriloculare - Winter Starburst, Fireworks

🧨 How to get Live Fireworks in Winter
  • 🎆 Clerodendrum quadriloculare - Winter Starburst, Fireworks - is a large bush or small tree with showy dark green leaves with a striking purple underside, adding visual interest even when not in bloom.
  • 🎆 Spectacular winter blooms are slightly fragrant. Clusters of long, tubular flowers in shades of pink and white that resemble a burst of fireworks - spectacular show!
  • 🎆 Fast growing, grows well in full sun to partial shade and thrives in warm climates, reaching heights of 8-15 feet.


🛒 Order Winter Starburst

#Hedges_with_benefits #Trees

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A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere

 A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere
🐈 "A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere." - Groucho Marx

😁 It's a lucky black cat night! Share your black cats in comments.
📸 🐈🐈🐈👇

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden 

#Quotes

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Date:

What plant you need if your kid is afraid of chickens

Neea psychotrioides - Pigeon Plum, Hoja de Salat, Saltwood

🐓 What plant you need if your kid is afraid of chickens
  • 🐣 Neea psychotrioides - Pigeon Plum, Hoja de Salat, Saltwood - from Central America is rare in cultivation. This small tree or bush should get more attention from tropical plant collectors.
  • 🐣 Neea is very nice, easy growing and make those "jelly beans" like berries. The flowers are almost unnoticeable. The berries are very showy and come right after. It fruits for several months non stop.
  • 🐣 Mature fruit is edible. In its native countries, this plant is widely used medicinally.
  • 🐣 From the book "Messages from the Gods. A Guide to the useful plants of Belize": "It is used to treat babies who can not sleep, often accompanied with crying, especially when they have been frightened by chickens..." So the plant is very useful especially for those who are afraid of chickens!


🛒 Order Neea Pigeon Plum

#Hedges_with_benefits #Remedies

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Date:

How to choose the right flowering trees for your landscape

Phymosia umbellata - Cranberry Malva Aparasolada

🔍 How to choose the right flowering trees for your landscape
  • 🌷 There are so many flowering and blooming trees to choose from, where should you start? Well there are plenty of questions to ask and several answers for each.
  • 🌷 Are you looking for trees that bloom in winter or are you looking for summer flowering trees? Maybe you are looking for the fastest growing shade tree. The choices are endless. Depending on your answer, there may be several trees that meet your needs.
  • 🌷 One good place for beginners and even seasoned growers is to use the search features in our Top Tropicals Plant Encyclopedia. Here you can search by name, size, growth habit, light requirements, watering needs, color of bloom and cold hardiness.
  • 🌷 You will be able to search for trees that attract butterflies and even those that are salt tolerant if you live near the ocean.
  • 🌷 If you choose the small tree category, you will find small flowering trees and even dwarf flowering trees or bonsai starters.


🎥 Phymosia umbellata - Cranberry Malva Aparasolada

🛒 Shop flowering trees

#Trees #How_to

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Date:

We remember 9/11, and we always will

We remember 9/11, and we always will
🇺🇸 We remember 9/11, and we always will.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr.

💙 As this day approaches, the weight of its memories fills our hearts - honoring the lives lost, the bravery of the heroes, and the resilience that carried us through such a difficult time.

🩶 In our journey of healing, let us stand united, supporting one another with love, kindness, and understanding. In times like these, tolerance and mutual respect, regardless of our differences, become gifts we share with the world.

❤️ Take a moment to appreciate what we have today, the people who surround us, and the ones who love us. Cherish them while they are here - today. Give a hug to those you love while you have the chance.

🌱 Nature offers us healing power in its quiet way. Fragrant flowers calm the mind, young fruiting trees represent renewal, every plant reminds us of life's resilience. As we reflect, may the beauty and growth around us help us find peace, and remind us of the strength that comes from standing together!

#Quotes

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