WINTER BLOOMING PLANTS

This Dwarf Miniature Creeping Gardenia offers nearly all the beloved traits of larger gardenias - lush evergreen foliage, heavenly fragrance, and elegant white blooms - in a compact, manageable form. Its modest size, spreading habit, and relative tolerance make it an excellent choice for container gardening, small landscapes, or even bonsai enthusiasts. With attention to soil acidity, drainage, and consistent moisture, this little plant can deliver big delight.
See page about gardenias, their cultivation and varieties

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 trained into a showy standard.

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.

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)

Africa's other Musk: less hype, more healing. It won't buy Twitter, but it might cure your cough!
Musk Bush, Misty Plume Bush, Ginger Bush - a highly aromatic shrub with ginger-scented velvet leaves and showy white flowers, used medicinally: for respiratory (inhalations), and as relaxant (especially with Psychotria viridis). Easy to grow, wonderful fragrance! This fragrant African healer has soft, velvety leaves and a sweet ginger-musk scent. Traditionally used by the Zulu people for respiratory relief, relaxation, headaches, and stomach issues, it's a powerful plant with real medicinal value. Fast-growing and easy to care for, it produces showy white to lilac flower spikes and thrives in sun or partial shade. Drought-tolerant once established, it does well in pots and should be pruned after blooming to keep it bushy and blooming. A true healing Musk - from Africa, like Elon!

The ESALQ Red Jaboticaba is a rare and exotic fruit tree originating from Brazil, named after the prestigious Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), University of Sao Paulo. This tropical fruit tree was extensively studied by the renowned botanist Joao Rodrigues de Mattos in the 1970s, and it is recognized for its large, and exceptionally sweet, flavorful fruit. It begins to bear fruit within 4 to 5 years.

Grimal Jaboticaba - Peluda de Alagoas. Rare Jaboticaba introduced by Adolf Grimal. Sometimes known as the Giant Jaboticaba, it bears fruits that are larger than many Jaboticaba varieties. Has larger fruits with thick pulp and small seeds. Also notable that the fruits are mildly hairy and foliage may show a similar appearance. The trees are heavy producers, and will begin fruiting in 5 years. The tree fruits year round producing a lot of fruit.
See video about a mail ordered Jaboticaba tree.

Jaboticaba. One of the most popular native fruit of Brazil. Grape-like purple fruit with a thick skin and delicious melting pulp somewhat resembling Northern Black Currant in flavor. Small white flowers grow right on the trunk ("cauliflora" means "flowers growing on trunk). Trees grow very slowly and due to small leaves and dwarfish growth habit are often used as bonsai. Some old bonsai specimens can fruit.
See video about a mail ordered Jaboticaba tree.

Jaboticaba. Slow growing plant. The trees are large, bushy and mature (7 years old and older).

This rare variety of Jaboticaba is used for production of Hawaiian wine Volcano Red. Hawaiians have long honored Pele, the fiery goddess of the volcano and created a wine to honor her tempestuous, passionate spirit. Volcano Red is a medium bodied red wine that blends both red and white grapes with the island's exotic jaboticaba berries.
Red Jaboticaba Vine is also popular in Brazil as La Vinotinto.
This variety is more vigorous and faster growing than regular Jaboticaba. Leaves are slightly bigger. The plant can take light freeze once established, and short periods of waterlogging.

Peregrina is an evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy leaves and clusters of star shaped bright scarlet flowers about 1 in across that are borne in multi-flowered terminal clusters almost all year round. Compacta is a smaller, more compact cultivar. Peregrina is tolerant of a wide variety of soils as long as they are well drained. Blooms on the current year's growth so it can be pruned at any time of the year.

Mansoa alliacea (Cydista aequinoctialis) - Garlic Vine. This is one of the most rewarding flowering vines that you can grow, unless that you are a vampire. Interestingly enough crushed leaves smell like garlic. It is one of the most wanted winter-flowering vines. When in full bloom, it looks like a cascade of blue-purple over a fence or trellis. Deep lavender flowers with white throat fading to a paler lavender within a few days, and you can see all three colors on the plant at the same time. Winter-Spring bloomer, it will also have some flowers on and off throughout the year. The vine has moderate growth rate and can stay compact in a pot as a specimen, and even can be grown as a house plant. It can tolerate some light frost.
Read Article about Garlic vine.
Watch video: Garlic vine keeps away the vampires!.

Beautiful white hybrid of Mussaenda - Dona Aurora. Medium size shrub with lush soft foliage and bright orange star-like flowers, surrounded by large white bracts. The plant is sensitive to freeze. Can be grown in container. Requires good drainage and prefers to be on a dry side.

Iris Regina. This variety was discovered in Brazil near the ocean in shady sandy soil, introduced by Sid Gardino, and named after his wife, Regina.
The plant is salt tolerant. Plants mature to flowering size from seed in less than a year. Cold hardy only to about 30F.

Petrea volubilis - Queen's wreath, Sandpaper vine. A twining vine with rough green leaves and spectacular tall clusters of purple flowers. It likes warm and humid conditions. The flowers come in raceme reaching over 1 foot long, the flowers lasts a couple of days but the blue calices remain much longer, slowly turning gray.

Dwarf Pomegranate - compact fruiting shrub that is often used for bonsai. Fruit are smaller than regular pomegranate, but also edible, although somewhat acid. Mostly used as cute ornamental specimen.
See Article about Pomegranate.

Chocolate Raspberry, Pseuderanthemum Iguana Mia. Tri-color hybrid of Black Varnish that has an amazing combination of purple, dark green, and black colors of the leaves. Leaves change color as they mature and also depending on light and season. Spikes of spectacular deep mauve flowers sprinkled with pink from Winter to Spring. The plant may flower several times a year. If grown in filtered light, leaves get larger and darker. A must for every tropical plant collection, it can be easily grown as a house plant.

Shaving Brush Tree. One of the coolest looking flowering trees, this fast-growing tree bears spectacular showy staminate flowers in the spring. It usually has no leaves at that time, which serves to show off the large and striking blooms.

Shaving Brush Tree - Bonsai Starter, 3 year old very cute looking plant with large caudex. This is one of the best candidates in existence for large bonsai! Although this plant can grow into a giant tree, but it can also be kept contained in a pot: this causes it to grow a massive caudex that resembles a tortoise shell! It is a unique choice for bonsai due to its striking flowers and distinctive trunk. As a bonsai, it features a swollen base (caudex) that gives it a sturdy and aged look, even when young. Huge, brush-like white flowers that look like shaving brushes emerge after winter dormancy, before foliage. It's a beautiful and exotic option for bonsai enthusiasts.

Dwarf Tree Jasmine. A very rare small Thai tree with extremely fragrant flowers. The scent resembles roses, juicy fruit, candies, fine cologne all together and can be smelled from many yards away. Leaves are very ornamental and have a fountain-like architecture. In Thailand, the tree symbolizes simplicity, endurance, advancement, and peacefulness. Extract from these flowers is used in village pharmacy as relaxant and aphrodisiac.

Blackberry jam fruit, Jasmin de rosa - fragrant white flowers and edible fruit that tastes like blackberry jam! Rare exotic that will fruit in a container. Kids love the fruit!
This unique compact plant, perfect for container culture, combines features of a fragrant flower and tasty desert fruit. Originally from Central and South America, this rare tropical small evergreen tree bears fruit which tastes like fresh Blackberry jam. Many claim that it is even better than preserves. Closely related to the gardenia, its flowers are sweetly fragrant. This relatively hardy tropical has attractive foliage and can be grown in a container as well as in the ground. Produces as many as 25 to 30 fruits at a time. Since it blooms for a few months in the fall and winter, fruiting and flowering can be enjoyed when many other plants are dormant. Large tubular white flowers that attract nocturnal moths.
variety.
See Article about Randia formosa.

Royal poinciana - one of the most popular tropical trees covered with bright red orchid-like flowers from late winter through early summer. A must for any tropical garden, this tree however requires space since it spreads its branches 30-40 ft wide or more.
"The Royal Poinciana is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)
Watch video about this tree.

Royal poinciana - one of the most popular tropical trees covered with bright red orchid-like flowers from late winter through early summer. A must for any tropical garden, this tree however requires space since it spreads its branches 30-40 ft wide or more.
"The Royal Poinciana is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)
Watch video about this tree.