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Mark your calendars: December 14, 2024

December 14, 2024 - SATURDAY - Holiday Plant Market

Holiday Plant Market
Saturday, December 14, 9 am - 4 pm

Save the date! Join us on December 14 for our Holiday Plant Market!

It's the perfect time to find unique holiday gifts in our Tropical Wonderland, where lush greenery and vibrant blooms replace snow. Discover a stunning variety of tropical plants, from fragrant flowering shrubs and rare vines to fruit trees and spice plants - ideal for holiday giving!

Enjoy amazing deals with plants starting at just $5 and $10, plus receive a free plant with every purchase. Our plants have grown big and beautiful over the summer. Bring friends and family to explore, and let our friendly PeopleCats help you find the perfect plants. Celebrate the season with us in full tropical style - we can't wait to see you there!

Highlights of the event:

30% OFF online prices, one day only! (excluding 15 gallon material and rare plants)
$5 and $10 plants
Raffle
Free plant with any purchase as a token of our appreciation

Event discounts valid at both locations:

Ft Myers Garden Center: 13890 Orange River, Ft Myers, FL
Sebring B-Farm: 9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL

to confirm attendance
RSVP on Facebook!

Plant Market

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Holiday Plant Market Cat

Plant Market

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Plants the seeds today to enjoy your fruit tomorrow

seeds of Nutmeg

seeds of Nutmeg

🍿 Plants the seeds today to enjoy your fruit tomorrow

"They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds." - Mexican Proverb
  • 📸 Mr Barcy is getting ready to plant seeds of Nutmeg


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🔠 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden 

#Quotes

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How much water is too much?

How much water is too much?
💧 How much water is too much?

🌴 "Always over-water your plants: just improve their soil drainage!" - Murray Corman, horticulturist, rare tropical fruit tree expert.

  • 🐸 One of the most common challenges in tropical plant care, including houseplants, is overwatering, particularly in container gardening. So, how much water is too much?

  • 🐸 Surprisingly, water itself isn't harmful to plants, no matter how generous your watering is. The real issue is poor drainage, which leads to stagnation and bacterial buildup, ultimately causing root rot.

  • 🐸 If you've traveled to places like Hawaii or explored tropical jungles, you might have noticed plants thriving between rocks with minimal soil, receiving a near-constant fine mist of rain. Conversely, swamps support very few trees - only bog or water plants adapted to wet conditions can survive there. The lesson? It's not the water, it's the growing medium!

  • 🐸 The Solution: For potted plants, always use a high-quality potting mix with excellent drainage properties. This should include ample "soil conditioners" such as perlite, vermiculite, and pine bark. At our nursery, we use a professional soil mix called Abundance.

Read full article.

👍 What makes an issue for you? Over water or forgetting to water? Share in comments⬇️

📚 Learn more about potting soil

🛒 Shop soil mixes

#How_to

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Six colorful plants for your indoor garden

Sanchezia stenomacra - Blood Red Feather

Sanchezia stenomacra - Blood Red Feather

Anthurium vittarifolium - Long Leaf Anthurium

Anthurium vittarifolium - Long Leaf Anthurium

Clinacanthus nutans - Snake plant, Phaya-Yor

Clinacanthus nutans - Snake plant, Phaya-Yor

Aeschynanthus speciosus - Lipstick Plant

Aeschynanthus speciosus - Lipstick Plant

Tibouchina multiflora (grandifolia) - Glory bush, Quaresmeira

Tibouchina multiflora (grandifolia) - Glory bush, Quaresmeira

Calathea zebrina - Zebra Plant

Calathea zebrina - Zebra Plant

🌈 Six colorful plants for your indoor garden

🎶 Q: I've read your post about growing tropicals indoors and you got me inspired! Can you recommend something unusual, colorful and bright, preferably with flowers, that I can grow as house plants?

🌸 A: House plants don't have to be boring and just green! Below are a few excellent choices for your indoor garden that will brighten your sunroom. Just make sure to follow the 10 key tips for growing tropical plants indoors.
  1. Sanchezia stenomacra - Blood Red Feather - spectacular red feathery blooms and and soft, fussy leaves.
  2. Anthurium vittarifolium - Long Leaf Anthurium - super rare, an eye stopper, with long leaves up to 2 ft long, and bright pink fruit.
  3. Clinacanthus nutans - Snake plant, Phaya-Yor - exotic flower from Thailand resembling snake's open mouth.
  4. Aeschynanthus speciosus - Lipstick Plant - popular house plant with bright showy orange blooms.
  5. Tibouchina multiflora (grandifolia) - Glory bush, Quaresmeira - can be grown outside in Southern gardens, as well as in a pot indoors. Showy purple flowers, velvet leaves are wonderfully soft 6-8" in diameter!
  6. Calathea zebrina - Zebra Plant - the brightest zebra-striped large leaves up to 1 ft long.


    7. 👍 What flowering plants do you grow in shade? Share in comments⬇️

    🛒 Shop indoor garden

    #Container_Garden

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Solving a conflict

🤡 Solving a conflict

“I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.” - Groucho Marx

Share your cats in comments!
📸 🐈🐈🐈👇

🔠 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden 

#Quotes

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What are the best Mulberry varieties

White Mulberry

White Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Dwarf Everbearing or Dwarf Issai Mulberry

Dwarf Everbearing or Dwarf Issai Mulberry

Pakistanu Mulberry

Pakistanu Mulberry

White Mulberry and Shangri-La Mulberry

White Mulberry and Shangri-La Mulberry

Florida Giant Mulberry

Florida Giant Mulberry

💗 What are the best Mulberry varieties

Muberries are very cold hardy (to hard freeze, up to zone 6), tough trees that take poor soils and grow well in almost any conditions once established.

💬 #Fun_Facts: Did you know that mulberries belong to the same plant family with Jackfruit?

🤟 The Best Mulberry Varieties for Your Garden:
  • 🐾 Dwarf Everbearing and Dwarf Issai - Compact, container-friendly varieties perfect for small spaces. These dwarf trees (6-10 ft tall) are disease and drought resistant, with multiple crops year-round, even from the first year! Ideal for patios and small yards..
  • 🐾 Florida Giant - A vigorous, fast-growing tree with large, heart-shaped leaves and long purple-black fruits bursting with a sweet-tart flavor. This beauty grows up to 6-10 ft per year and thrives as far north as zone 6, despite its name.
  • 🐾 Shangri-La - A modest-sized tree with giant leaves and plump, sweet-tart berries. Originally from Florida, it's heat, drought, pest, and disease-resistant. Ripens from April through summer, bringing both beauty and bounty to your garden.
  • 🐾 White Mulberry - Produces medium-sized, super-sweet white fruits without a hint of tartness. This productive tree makes a mess-free option since the fruit doesn't stain. Ideal for fresh eating or drying.


📚 Learn more about pineapples from previous posts:
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

🛒 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest

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Did you know that Lipstick plant has pretty flowers?

Bixa orellana - Lipstick Tree, Annatto, Achiote Bixa, flowers

🎨 Did you know that Lipstick plant has pretty flowers?
  • 🌸 Bixa orellana - Lipstick Tree, Annatto, Achiote Bixa flowers are special not just for their beauty but for what comes next - annatto!
  • 🌸 These delicate, pinkish-white blooms with soft petals give way to spiky seed pods filled with bright red seeds, which are the source of the natural dye and spice known as annatto.
  • 🌸 Often called the “lipstick tree,” Bixa is celebrated for these seeds, used to color and flavor foods and even in cosmetics. So, those pretty flowers aren’t just decorative - they are the start of something vibrant and useful!


📚 Check out Lipstick Plant spectacular seeds

🛒 Order Lipstick Plant

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders #Trees

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The secret of a happy marriage

😘 The secret of a happy marriage

“The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.” - Henny Youngman

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🔠 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
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What is your favorite Pineapple variety?

Pineapple Florida Special

Pineapple Florida Special

🌞 What is your favorite Pineapple variety? A Sunshine State Delight: Florida Special!
  • 🍍 One of our favorites here in Sunshine State is Pineapple Florida Special
  • 🍍 Bred by the Libby fruit company for Florida's unique climate, the Florida Special Pineapple once thrived across 240 acres in Immokalee before Libby sold to Nestle.
  • 🍍 This variety produces medium to large, golden-yellow fruits with a perfect balance of sweetness and tang. Known for its resilience, it can withstand temperatures down to the mid-30s without internal damage, making it a great choice for subtropical gardeners.
  • 🍍The plant's compact size, reaching 2-3 feet, makes it perfect for containers, patios, or garden beds. Its spiny green leaves form a striking rosette, adding tropical flair to any space. Whether grown for its juicy fruit or ornamental appeal, the Florida Special brings a slice of paradise to your garden!
  • 🍍 Enjoy it fresh, in smoothies, or as a tasty addition to tropical dishes.


📚 Learn more about pineapples from previous posts:
Three must-have fruit for every tropical garden
The most luscious Hospitality Fruit

🛒 Order Pineapple Florida Special

#Food_Forest

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What flower is perfect for coastal gardens

Iris Neomarica caerulea

🏖 What flower is perfect for coastal gardens
  • 💙 Neomarica caerulea - Iris is a graceful gem with a royal twist!
  • 💙 The variety Regina, discovered in Brazil lounging by the ocean, was introduced by plant enthusiast Sid Gardino, who named it after his wife, Regina - talk about romance!
  • 💙 This beauty thrives in shady spots and sandy soil, making it perfect for gardens near the coast, thanks to its salt tolerance.
  • 💙 With its elegant blue-violet blooms and sword-like leaves, Iris Regina adds a splash of tropical charm to your garden, all while asking for very little in return. It's the kind of plant that makes your garden look fabulous without breaking a sweat!


🛒 Plant your own beautiful Iris

#Container_Garden

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