Fragrant Gold Leaf Orchid Vine

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I am absolutely thrilled to see you have this vine. I've tried for years to get this plant! It is so, so rare. It just seemed impossible to find in this country. How do I make it thrive? I am ordering two.

A: We are happy to confirm that indeed we do have this rare vine!
Bauhinia aureifolia - Gold Leaf Orchid Vine - was discovered in Thailand in 1983. It is endemic to Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala in Southern Thailand. Danish botanist Kai Larsen named this plant and hailed it as one of the rarest plant species of the world when it was discovered in the eighties.
The Thai people call this vine Bai Mai Si Thong. It is a beautiful climber with large, bi-loped leaves (7 inches or more!) and good branching.
Young leaves are a stunning burnt orange to terracotta color for about a week and as they reach full size, they turn green over a couple of days. This is a very rare color for Bauhinia. It produces leaves all the time and this means this vine is always full of beautiful color. With its golden leaves, it sure is reminiscent of Autumn.
This vine blooms from May to November. It bears bunches of small flowers that are delicately fragrant in the evenings. The cultivated plants range flower color from pure white to purple and pink, while the wild ones have often white petals with pinkish patches.
Bauhinia aureifolia needs well-drained soil, full light and good humidity to thrive. It will tolerate a light freeze once established and it is very important to protect young plants.
Gold Leaf Orchid Vine also makes a wonderful container plant with staking or support. It is a must for every rare plant collection!

Date: 9 Jul 2019

Growing desert roses

Q: I purchased a Desert Rose and planted it in Adenium mix. I keep it in full sun with once a week watering assuming this is a desert plant that likes lots of sun. Some leaves turned yellow and now I am not sure should I move it into shade or need to water more? Or maybe fertilize with something?

A: Desert Rose - Adenium, unlike cacti and other succulents, prefers filtered light. It can grow in full sun but leaves look healthier in light shade. Watering must be very moderate, however don't let soil harden like a rock: water again right after the soil gets dry. We suggest to use special Adenium Mix. Cactus mix may work well, as well as regular potting mix, in which case it is recommended to add a bit of limestone (we simply put sea shells on top of the pot - it looks very pretty!) - because adeniums prefer slightly alkaline soil (while most of tropical plants like acidic soils). If leaves turn yellow, this may be a sign of underwatering. Use water soluable fertilizer with high phosphate as foliage spray, and only on healthy plants, according to label dosage. It helps both caudex growth and flowering. Make sure to avoid fertilizer contact with a caudex.

Read more about growing Adeniums:
What you need for successful growing Adeniums
Growing Exotic Adeniums

Date: 25 Jun 2019

How soon will Guava tree fruit?

Q: Can you tell me how your Guava trees are propagated? Grown from seed vs. air grafted, etc.? I'm interested especially in the Barbie variety. In particular, I'd like to know how long it takes them to bear fruit - I live in Southern California zone 10b, with good sunlight.

A: Guavas can be propagated by seed, air layers, or grafting. Propagation method depends on the species.
Cattley guavas - Psidium littorale - are usually grown from seeds and start flowering and producing as early as in 2-3 years from seed. Tropical guavas, Psidium guajava - especially named varieties, are propagated usually by air layers, and the rarest varieties like Variegated Honey Moon are often grafted, although they will come true from seed (it's just takes them longer to fruit). Both air-layered and grafted plants start producing right away, usually on the same year of planting or next year, depending on growing conditions.
Barbie Pink is a superior variety, very popular among fruit lovers. It produces large aromatic fruit with a bright pink pulp and very few seeds. This variety is air-layered; in our nursery, these plants start flowering and setting fruit in 3 gal containers.
Plant this tree in full sun and provide regular watering, guavas don't like to dry out. Use fertile soil, with at least 50% of compost, and add some soil conditioning components for better drainage: bark, sand, perlite, etc. Mulch well, just make sure to keep mulch 2-3"away from the trunk. Follow our detailed planting instructions that come with every plant, and you are good to go!

Recommended fertilizers:

Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster

Date: 17 Apr 2019

Mulberries - biggest, sweetest, and compact...

Q: What is the difference between Pakistani and Australian Mulberry plants? Would one be better suited for South Florida backyard? Can one be maintained/pruned to be a tall shrub vs a large tree? Which one has the sweetest fruit? Thank you for the previous plants we've purchased from you. They're all doing great.!

A: These two varieties are very similar indeed. Both fruit are very large. Var. Pakistani fruit is a little longer than var. Australia and the tree is a more vigorous grower, but they both are very sweet, even before the fruit fully ripen. Both trees are a good choice and start fruiting at a young age.
We've had Australia in the ground in our garden for 4 years by now and for some reason, it has been very slow growing which is normally not the case with Mulberries. Maybe it is not fully happy with FL humid conditions.
There are two Mulberry varieties that can be maintained as bushes: Issai and Dwarf Everbearing. However, even vigorous Mulberry trees respond well to pruning and can be kept compact for easy harvesting. Just make sure to prune before the flowering season starts; here in S Florida Mulberries start flowering in March, and fruit start ripening during April-May.

Check out our Mulberry trees.

Date: 18 Mar 2019

Cocoa plant after winter

Q: I purchased the Theobroma cacao

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