Blooming shrubs

Ylang Ylang shrub. Not everybody can grow Cananga odorata, Ylang-Ylang Tree - fast growing and pretty big. With the Desmos chinensis, a small relative you get that intense fragrance but in a plant that can be kept around 3 to 4 feet. It is a better choice for those with limited space.
This plant is seasonally sensitive: during cooler months leaves may drop or get yellow/dark spots. New leaves will regrow with warm temperatures (over 80F).

West African Sickle bush, Aroma, Kalahari Christmas tree, Chinese lantern tree, Marabou-thorn, Princess's Earrings. Interesting powderpuff-like pink flowers make this plant unforgettable. Good plant for bonsai.

Tropical Hydrangea - very fast growing winter bloomer with fragrant pink hydrangea-like flowers. Large size multistem bush with large heart-shape lush foliage. Flowers of this spectacular winter bloomer attract lots of bees and butterflies. Great landscape solution for a quick covering / screening of unwanted views!

Spectacular foliage plant from Canary Islands, slow growing, winding or hanging at times that grows about 1.5-2 ft high.The leaves are dark green spotted with golden drops. New leaves appear as tightly rolled cones, unfurling to show beautiful creamy yellow markings. The 3" long inflorescences with small white flowers are pleasantly fragrant during the night; the fruits are globose berries of about 15 mm of diameter of a reddish orange color. Perfect house plant with low needs.

Duranta repens - White Golden Dewdrop. The popular name of this large erect shrub is inspired by the clusters of bright orange-yellow berries that follow the flowers, in such quantities that they often cause the slender branches to droop gracefully. The white flowers appear in loose clusters, and both berries and blossoms are often seen on a plant. This evergreen fast growing shrub spreads and arches to 10 feet tall and wide and is great for live hedges and covering fences and corners.

Variegated Sky Flower is grown for its summer flowers and ornamental fruit. This evergreen fast growing shrub spreads and arches to 10 feet tall and wide and is great for live hedges and covering fences and corners. In the summer, cascading clusters of blue tubular flowers appear followed by wonderfully contrasting orange-yellow berries. This variegated form has creamy-yellow margins around the one inch long serrated leaves. In mild climates this plant can be in flower nearly year round with flowers and fruit appearing at the same time. It does best in full sun with frequent deep watering and is hardy to about 20-25F. A good choice for espaliers, as a small tree or large bush; all forms benefit from frequent selective pruning. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies.
Great for providing a color contrast in the landscape, and is especially well-suited as a bright-colored background or screening. Prune back in late-winter to encourage a more compact shape and strong flush of fresh spring foliage. Requires moderate watering in a well-drained soil.

Blue sage, blue eranthemum - bright gentian blue - an unusual color in the tropics, winter bloomer, shade lover.

South African Coral tree, Caffra. It is the tree with orange-scarlet, sometimes creamy, flowers.

Medium to large tree, rare in cultivation. Flowers in very striking terminal racemes, resembling the inflorescences of Aloe, scarlet-red. Seeds bright red with a white spot. The flowers of this species are larger and more spectacular than any other Erythrina species.

Euclinia longiflora - African Tree Gardenia. African Angel Trumpets, Tree Gardenia. Flowers of this tropical shrub are long tubes opening as a white fragrant trumpet, hence the common name. Gorgeous sight! Light green dense foliage resembling coffee leaves is also very ornamental. This is a very rare species. Can be grown in a pot as a houseplant, requires bright light for blooming.

Full scientific name: Ficus natalensis subspecies leprieuri, also known as Ficus triangularis variegata.
One of the coolest plants on the market! The Ficus Triangularis Variegata plant is one of the harder plants to find, even its non-variegated version is not common. This easy-care beauty shows off quantities of green and cream, triangle-heart-shape leaves that are held aloft on stiff compact stems. It's a super tough plant that can take a bit more abuse than other members of the ficus family. It is a slow grower eventually reaching 4 feet in height. The brighter the light, the better the variegation will be on new foliage.
This spectacular ficus can make an excellent houseplant. Decorate a table top with a single specimen or flank a doorway or entry with a pair of these easy-care ficus. They would also look terrific in a bright bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen.
This plant NEEDS light, if you do not give it enough light it may drop leaves or stop producing variegation. If grown indoors, use additional grow light for 10 hours a day. Water your plant whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. This handsome plant does not like wet feet so use your finger to make sure the soil is completely dry before offering moisture. Water thoroughly and then let the plant dry out again before it gets another drink.

Vietnamese Gardenia - large fragrant flowers. Easy to grow to compare with other gardenias, not so sensitive to overwatering and the most cold hardy of all tropical gardenias. Flowers are very beautiful unusual shape, extremely fragrant. Perfect for container, very bushy. Can be also planted in the ground. This pretty plant has been called "Gardenia" for long time. However, analysis shows that it is a horticultural form of Kailarsenia.
See article about this plant.

Also called "First Love" (sometimes misspelled as YAshioka), this cultivar is one of the darkest green of all gardenias, it has a 3 to 5 inch bloom so perfect, it looks artificial. It was developed by Tadaoki Yoshioka while he lived in Hawaii, and he later brought it to Florida when he moved to Ft. Lauderdale with his family in 1954. The gardenia was named after his daughter, Aimee (Aimee Hironaka), who died in a plane crash in Dallas on August 2, 1985 (Delta Flight 191). Aimee gardenia grows openly and upright and blooms twice a year and slightly later than others. Flower Size 3 - 5".
See picture of flower,
page about gardenias, their cultivation and varieties.
See picture of actual plant for sale (1-2013).

This unique hybrid is very rare and hard to find. The plant has huge double flowers up to 5-6

Golden Gardenia Kula - very rare tropical gardenia. Medium size slow growing shrub with leathery leaves and fragrant flowers that change color from ivory through yellow to orange.
It is a rare, collectible item!

Parrot's Beak. An extraordinary round shrub with pendant branches, large long leaves and exotic flowers comprised of yellow blossoms which emerge at the end of a tube-like structure of overlapping bracts. The flower resembles parrot's beak.

Fire Bush, full size variety. Grows into a small tree. Small, tubular red-orange flowers. Pruning inhibits the blooms, which appear at the ends of the branches. One of the best butterfly attractors.

Heliconia hirsuta Costa Flores is native to Costa Rica. It blooms from late spring to early summer. The Costa Flores produces dark red bracts with yellow sepals with black accents on them. It enjoys full sun to partial shade and flourishes in zones 10 and higher. To prevent wilting, it is recommended to water this plant daily. It can grow to be 3 to 5 feet in height. Great for attracting bees, butterflies, and birds.

Lobster Claw, Parrot's beak. One of the most recognized and widely grown species, and one of the most beautiful. The inflorescence it produces is one of the most colorful you will ever encounter. 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

Salad Hibiscus, Sleepy Hibiscus. Vinous flowers open in the morning, and by 3-4 pm they convolve into a curious fico-like knot. Flowers cover the bush several times a year. Very similar to acetosella, this edible hibiscus is great for salads, rich of vitamin C. Seeds are used for making delicious tea. Very fast growing, form a large bush. Tolerates dry conditions. Grow your edible landscape in no time!

Coral Hibiscus, Skeleton Hibiscus. A weeping tree hibiscus, rare and hard to find. Grows rapidly and blooms freely. Flowers look like parachutes and can be recognized by the fringed and lacy petals which are bent backward. It has slender and gracefully curved stems. Can be trainer into a showy standard.

Holmskioldia citrina - Rare variety - bright yellow flowers. Sometimes this species is called Holmskioldia sanguinea Mandarin. Unique flowers are the main interest of this scrambling shrub: each is a narrow, tube backed by a broad, circular calyx.
See picture of actual plants for sale - in full bloom! (Dec 2012)

Chinese hat, Cup and Saucer, Parasol Flower, Mandarins hat. Unique flowers are the main interest of this scrambling shrub: each is a narrow, orange-scarlet tube backed by a broad, circular calyx.

Purrple Haze, Ribbon Bush. Purples and blues are colors that can be hard to obtain in the southern garden. Showy lavender flowers cover this plant abundantly, blooming from fall through winter, and then on and off during the rest of the year. The flowers have two lips; the upper lip is darker purple with white markings. Leaves are tough, succulent-like to touch, but wide and green. The plant looks very ornamental. Water occasionally. Great butterfly attractor! Does not require much watering, good border plant.