TOP TROPICALS ONLINE STORE: Cold hardy

Also known as A. x hybridum Fireball, and Abutilon Biltmore Ballgown, this is one of the many lovely hybrids between A. darwinii and A. striatum, with maple-like leaves and bell-flowers whose petals are recurved, turning in slightly at the bottom. Flowers are fiery red, as one would imagine, with prominent red veins accenting the surface. Happy plants can reach 8-10 ft tall, though pruning easily adjusts the size. Best with plentiful summer water and fertilizer. Less hardy than many, preferring temperatures that only occasionally drop into the 20s F, USDA zone 9. Placement out of wind with overhead protection and plentiful mulch help in less than balmy climates.

Prolific Hardy Kiwi is valued for its self fertility. Prolific fruit is dark green all the way through. Hardy Kiwi likes half day to full sun and well-drained soil. The plants need a strong trellis and can spread 10-12 ft when mature. Prolific Kiwi, a self-pollinating variety, is early ripening and produces abundant crops of medium to large, sweet and tasty fruit. The cultivar is sometimes used as a pollinator for other female cultivars. Fruits are flavorful with reddish/violet on the skin and flesh when ripe. Minimum chilling requirements 300 hours. These Kiwi have smooth-skinned fruits so there is no need to peel the skin of the fruits unlike the fuzzy fruit species Actinidia deliciosa. Fruits vary in size and are similar to several varieties of grapes. Plant stems and fruit buds are more cold tolerant than the A. deliciosa species and are mainly grown in colder areas where the cold temperatures can range from 10-18F. Fruit flavors are of course different with every cultivar, similar to all fruits.
The Hardy Mini Kiwi Prolific can bear fruit the first year after planting. It produces smooth-skinned fruit the size of large grapes in late summer to early fall, great for fresh eating, salads, dessert or jelly. Kiwi plants are attractive growers that require a sunny location, preferably with wind protection. They can be grown in different types of soils; however, the soil must be well drained. Kiwi plants are very pretty when used to cover a wall or fence or used in landscape design. Less aggressive than other kiwi varieties, Prolific is easily trained and ideal for trellises or fences.

Narrow-Leaf Cinnamon Ginger. The plant is a low mounding ginger with glossy leaves, and amazingly fragrant foliage. Gently brushing the leaves is all it takes to release a spicy cardamom-like aroma. Rhizomes are ginger-scented with a touch of Cinnamon. The flowers are quite beautiful, and resemble those of shell ginger to which it is closely related. In a shady tropical garden, the glossy dense foliage is lush and beautiful.
Hardy to zone 7, it is very easy to grow, and will grow from a small rhizome division into an enormous specimen in just a couple of years. If not protected from freezes, it will die back to the ground, but it will re-emerge from the rhizomes in the Spring, as long as the ground doesn't freeze. Southeast Asian medicinal plant used to control hypertension, as diuretic, antifungal, and antiulcer. In Japan it is used as food preservative.

One of the most desirable symbols of Tropics, Alpinia purpurata, also called ostrich plume and pink cone ginger, are native Malaysian plants with showy flowers on long brightly colored pink bracts. They look like the bloom, but the true flower is the small white flower on top. Red Ginger grows in Hawaii, and many Central American nations, including Belize. It is also found in Samoa, where it is the national flower, and is locally called "teuila." It prefers partial shade and moist humid conditions, although it can tolerate full sun in some climates. It tends to like to be well watered and not left to dry out. Ginger can also be grown as a houseplant and its cut flowers can be used in arrangements.

Hot Pink Produces large clusters of pink flowers that graduate to light pink at the very top. The flowers accent wonderfully with the dark green foliage. Prefers shade to light shade. Grows to 5-8 feet tall and produces flowers throughout the year.
One of the most desirable symbols of Tropics, Alpinia purpurata, also called ostrich plume and pink cone ginger, are native Malaysian plants with showy flowers on long brightly colored pink bracts. They look like the bloom, but the true flower is the small white flower on top. It tends to like to be well watered and not left to dry out. Ginger can also be grown as a houseplant and its cut flowers can be used in arrangements.

Aster Tree, Snow Bush, White Cloud Tree. This unique plant is the only tree in Asteraceae family. The persistent white pappus of the infructescences remains showy for months after the plants stop blooming. The plant looks like a white cloud or covered with snow. Winter bloomer. Unusual shape leaves 1-2" wide. Can be grown as a large bush, trained into a small standard tree, or kept in a pot. Very hardy plant, tolerates drought and poor soils, and some freeze.

This outstanding banana features green leaves with red splashes on top, and burgundy undersides, giving rise to the name Blood Leaf Banana. It shows up well against solid green companion plants, and performs well in containers. It will overwinter nicely in colder climates and produces small red fruit.
See Article about this plant.

Pride of De Kaap, Nasturtium Bauhinia - compact shrub with large red orchid-like flowers.

Purple Orchid tree, butterfly tree. Vigorous shade tree with wide canopy and showers of purple flowers from fall through winter/spring. Nice, fast growing shade tree.

White orchid tree, White Mountain Ebony. Spectacular flowering tree. The most cold hardy of all bauhinias, cold hardy to at least 26F. Fast growing, good shade tree.

The slightly fragrant flowers are reminiscent of showy orchids, with five irregular, usually slightly overlapping petals in shades of magenta, lavender or purplish blue. Great landscape shade tree.
See Article about this plant.

Fast-growing cross-vine with deep red buds in spring, which open to reveal a cheery yellow inside. Tubular flowers appear in late spring. Very cold hardy, easy to grow.
See picture of the plants.

Blackberry Navaho is an erect, thornless blackberry cultivar from the University of Arkansas. Well adopted to tropical and subtropical climates. Excellent, consistently rated the highest of the Arkansas varieties. Yields moderate to high, usually higher than Arapaho. The berries are small to moderate in size, and they are moderately sweet in flavor. Late ripening and a prolonged ripening period. Ripens beginning approximately June 15; fruiting extends for about five to six weeks. Fruit very firm; storage and handling potential exceptional; can be shipped under proper conditions.

The world's first thornless primocane-fruiting blackberry. Primocane-fruiting blackberries, which flower and fruit on each season's new branches, will potentially providing for two cropping seasons. It has very large berries with good flavor.

Tree Wisteria, Vanwykshout, Mogaba. This decorative, small tree has drooping, blue-mauve, fragrant, pea-like flowers that hang from the branches in bunches, often covering the whole tree. Slow growing. Hard to find plant.

Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Kiss-me-quick. Showy flowers changing color from purple though pink to white within 3 days. Takes sun or shade.

Rose cascade, Blood Red Tassel Flower. Bushy small tree or large round shrub with 2-3 inches flowers, big red puffs, in winter and spring. Nice landscape plant, very fast growing.

Very rare white powder-puff. Large bushy shrub with spectacular white flowers during spring-summer. Thge plant is relatively cold hardy. Fast growing.

A low branching shrub or small tree with multiple trunks. Showy pink flowers, like a powderpuff, are bright pink on the surface and pale pink to white inside the "powderpuff" ball. This is a excellent container plant for the cooler climates and for the warmer regions a beautiful outdoors plant.

Dwarf Bottlebrush, Popular plant in dwarf version. Good for container growing or small garden. Small shrub 2-3 ft tall with showy bright red flowers during spring-summer. Drought tolerant once established.
See Article about this plant.

Jamaica Caper Tree, Mustard Tree. Jamaica caper produces large quantities of flowers with white petals and many purple stamens, which extend beyond the petals. Fruit are slender, rust-colored pods which split open to expose orange-red seeds. The dense, strong Jamaica caper is very wind resistant and extremely salt tolerant.

Natal Plum. Fragrant star-like flowers and edible fruit. The oval fruit with tender, smooth skin turns to a bright magenta-red to dark-crimson, must be fully ripe and slightly soft to the touch to be eaten raw. Thorns make Carissa an excellent plant for barriers. Makes a good container specimen or bonsai. Carissa is subtropical plant, thriving throughout Florida and enduring temperatures as low as 25 F when well-established. Young plants need protection when the temperature drops below 29F. The plant has moderate drought tolerance and high resistance to soil salinity and salt spray.