🍍Pineapple is a tropical favorite that's incredibly easy to grow, making it a perfect choice for beginners. With minimal care, Pineapples don't take mush space, you can grown them underneath other fruit trees. Plant good varieties, and when you get your crop, plant the tops and you will have your little Pineapple plantation in no time: you'll enjoy sweet, juicy fruit from those little babies in about 18-24 months. Freshly harvested pineapples are delightful in smoothies, salads, or grilled, adding a tropical flair to your garden.
🥭 Mango trees are not only a staple in tropical gardens but are also easy to cultivate. They flourish in sunny spots and well-drained soil, requiring little maintenance once established. These vigorous trees can yield an abundance of juicy, flavorful fruit in just a few years. They are perfect for fresh eating or adding to salsas and chutneys. Condo varieties are dwarf trees and can be grown in containers.
Avocado trees are fun to grow and add both beauty and nutrition to tropical gardens. Grafted cultivars start yielding fruit within a few months with proper care. The rich, creamy avocados are a culinary favorite, perfect for salads, spreads, and smoothies. With their lush foliage and bountiful harvests, avocado trees are a fantastic choice for gardeners looking for ease and abundance.
Can Frangipani be a vine? How to bring fragrance into your garden
Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine
Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine
Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine
💮 Can Frangipani be a vine? How to bring fragrance into your garden.
Chonemorpha fragrans, or Frangipani vine, is a large woody tropical liana with clusters of large, perfume-fragrant flowers and lush green foliage. It is close related to perfumed Plumeria - Frangipani.
🌸 Chonemorpha's intoxicating scent fills the air, creating a sensory delight for all nearby.
🌸 Leaves reaching up to 12 (!) inches add to its allure.
🌸 Being a large woody vine, Frangipani vine requires sturdy support, making it a majestic addition to any garden or indoor space.
🌸 Takes both sun or shade. Full sun is essential for profuse blooming.
Winter can be tough on plants, especially on tropical varieties. But with a little preparation, you can protect your garden and keep your plants safe from the cold. Here's how:
Winter Care Tips for Tropical Plants
Cut watering: Reduce watering to prevent root rot. Cold + wet = dead roots.
Water before frost: Thirsty plants are more vulnerable. Water them before a cold night to prevent damage.
Wind protection: Wind is more harmful than temperature drops. Plant near structures like houses or trees for shelter.
Prepare for long cold periods: If cold weather lasts for hours, use all available protection, including Christmas lights and propane heaters.
Don't use dry fertilizer in winter: Heavy fertilizing encourages tender growth, which is more susceptible to cold damage. Sunshine Boosters liquid fertilizers are safe to use year around as their intake is controlled by reduced watering. Use fabric covers, not plastic: Plastic can cook plants in the sun, while fabric allows better ventilation.
Photo above: we cover our plants in the nursery with a thin synthetic fabric (sintepon) called "frost cloth" or "strawberry cloth". It is light, breathable and allows light and water to go through unlike plastic that creates heavy water pockets.
Prepare for Cold Nights
Wrap plants: On cold nights, cover individual plants or trees with sheets or blankets to shield them from wind chill.
Use Christmas lights: A simple string of lights can add extra warmth, protecting your plants during frosty nights.
Use propane heaters: For added warmth in a larger area, place a propane heater near your plants. Make sure to follow safety guidelines and keep the heater at a safe distance from flammable materials. This can help maintain a few extra degrees of warmth, especially in more open garden spaces or temporary greenhouses. Always ensure proper ventilation to avoid harmful gas buildup.
Photo above: we use both propane and kerosene heaters at the nursery
Large Collections? Build a Temporary Greenhouse
Affordable winter greenhouse: For large plant collections, you don't need an expensive greenhouse. A mobile carport with plastic or fabric covering, costing around $200, can house up to 100 plants!
Photo above: Temporary wrapping around plant collection with a plastic or frost cloth protects from a windchill. It may also win you a few degrees even without a heater. In this particular case, according to our temp sensors, with 30F outside, it was 41F inside this "dome", no heaters used.
Southern Exposure and Garage Storage
Southern windowsills: Compact tropicals can thrive on southern-facing windowsills, getting plenty of sunlight during the day.
Move plants inside: If you have larger collections, move them into a well-lit garage for the colder nights or longer periods.
Photo above: using Christmas lights around plants while wrapping with frost cloth.
Key Factors for Survival
Cold duration: Tropical plants can survive brief cold spells but long durations, even above freezing, can be deadly.
Wind-chill: Wind chill can be harsher than the temperature itself.
Exposure: Southern-facing slopes hold heat longer, making them ideal for your plants.
Humidity: Proximity to lakes or oceans can create a milder micro-climate.
Gradual temperature Drops are safer. Plants adjust better to slow temperature changes than sudden cold blasts. Gradual cooling allows plants to prepare, reducing the risk of damage.
Strengthen Plant Hardiness
Health and maturity: Well-established, healthy plants are more cold-hardy. Boost plant immunity: Use products like SUNSHINE-Epi to improve cold resistance. Apply it before and during cold snaps to protect your plants. Healthy plant is hardy. Make sure to fertilize your plants on regular basis - healthier and stronger plants are more cold hardy.
With these steps, you can protect your plants and help them survive the winter months. Stay
warm and keep your garden thriving!
Podcast with Horticulturist Mark Hooten:
How to Protect Tropical Plants in Winter
🌞 The solution to eliminate weeds finally found! Yet it has beautiful sunny flowers!
🟡 Imagine a plant that grows fast, stays in bloom almost year-round, and covers your garden with lush, vibrant greenery with sunny, candle-like flowers. That's the Senna (Cassia) alata – Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant.
🟡 This garden wonder lights up your space with golden, candle-like flowers, while its huge leaves provide cool shade and keep weeds at bay! Weeds 🌱 just don't have a chance to grow under its canopy!
🟡 In just one or two seasons, it can grow up to 10 feet wide and 6-8 feet tall, creating a natural masterpiece of beauty.
🟡 Butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees flock to its bright yellow flowers, which are followed by intriguing, rattling seed pods 🐝
🟡 The Empress Candle isn't just a plant - it's a stunning, must-have addition that transforms any garden into a living work of art.
Strobilanthes cusia (flaccidifolius) - Chinese Rain Bell
🔔 Why you need these pretty bells in your garden
💕 Strobilanthes cusia (flaccidifolius) - Chinese Rain Bell - Very showy, charming little shrub that will bring a touch of elegance and color to your garden.
💕 Impressively statured herbaceous shrub with graceful, arching branches and lovely pink, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from fall to spring, like a natural fountain of beauty.
💕 Not only is it eye-catching, but it also has a fascinating history - used to make the famous Assam Indigo dye and even for treating common ailments in traditional medicine.
💕 This fast-growing, cold-hardy plant is also great for containers
💕 Those delicate bells will attract butterflies. Add some charm and whimsy to your outdoor space!
