Date: 12 Apr 2019
Dwarf Red Ginger - more than just a pretty face
Q: I've just recently moved to Florida from North Carolina. I don't know much about tropical plants. Can you perhaps suggest an easy and pretty flowering plant for a beginner which I can plant around my garden pond for a tropical feeling?
A: For adding that tropical look to your garden, few plants beat
beautiful ginger! Alpinia purpurata, the Dwarf Red Cone Ginger with its bright red floral
spikes and lush, lance-shaped foliage is no exception. This striking
perennial will add a tropical effect to your garden that will definitely take your
breath away.
The Dwarf Red Cone grows between 3 and 4 feet tall and blooms 8-9
months of the year! The blooms will hold on the plant for up to 3 weeks! It makes
a very attractive and distinctive backdrop for other plants.
Red Cone Ginger likes partial shade and moist, humid conditions, but
will tolerate full sun. It is fast growing, easy to grow and resistant to
disease, heat, and insects. The plant is a wonderful accent in a garden and works
well as a focal point specimen, show-stopping when planted around garden
ponds or near entryways. This ginger also works very well in containers and
planters. Either in mass plantings or smaller groups, all gingers add tropical flair which never disappoints.
In addition, the beautiful flower spikes make for great, long-lasting
cut flowers and is an interesting addition to bouquets.
An added bonus? Dwarf Red Ginger is super easy to propagate. If stems
are cut at the base and placed in water, they will generally root within a few
weeks. Eventually, you can make a whole flowering hedge just from one
plant!
Who does not like a plant that is non-fussy and not only beautiful but easy to grow? Dwarf Red Ginger is more than just a pretty face!
To keep this plant happy and blooming, give it some food: Broad Leaf Plus - Ginger-Heliconia-Banana Booster
Date: 1 Jan 2022
Easy Sunday Morning Deals: Five Tropical Garden favorites for 2022
Saving on your favorite plants is Easy. Easy like Sunday Morning...
"...The ticking of the hands of your watch are telling you how time is passing away, never to return. Listen to it..."
Ryan Holiday, Daily Stoic
Tropical Colors for the New Year
This New Year, resolve to add color into your garden and into your life.
Today we feature five Tropical Garden favorites for 2022.
1. Bolivian Sunset
Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset. Low growing perennial that will always surprise you with a sudden burst of scarlet blooms in Fall-Winter.
2. Dwarf Tibouchina
Tibouchina lepidota - Jules Dwarf. So much purple for such a small compact plant! Relatively cold tolerant.
3. Tropical Hydrangea
Dombeya seminole - Tropical Rose Hydrangea. All time favorite that blooms for several months from Fall through Winter.
4. Cranberry Hibiscus
Hibiscus acetosella - African Cranberry Hibiscus. Super fast growing colorful shrub with beautiful flowers and edible leaves.
5. Burgundy Thread
Alternanthera dentata - Red Thread Burgundy. Ultimate fast growing groundcover for sun or shade, any soil and any water, any size of garden, cold- and heat-tolerant.
The Easy New Year Deal expires at midnight Sunday,
January 2nd, 2022.
Enjoy your Hot Deal!
Date: 21 Aug 2025
🍒 Tropical Cherries – Eugenias
Tropical Tea Time with Grumichama
Eugenias have earned a spot in many Southern gardens because they’re easy, dependable, and surprisingly versatile. These small trees and shrubs grow well in the ground or in containers, and they don’t waste time before setting fruit.
15% Off Eugenias – Limited Time
Use code EUGENIA15 at checkout.
Excluding S/H. Offer expires 08/28/2025
👍 Popular Choices:
What Makes Eugenia Cherries Stand Out
- Start producing fruit in just a couple of years
- Compact size — easy to keep 6–12 ft tall, smaller in pots
- Low-care — tolerant of most soils and resistant to common pests
- Strong in hot weather, yet can handle a light frost down to the mid-20s °F
- Plenty of fruit for people and birds alike
Grumichama Tree in Bloom – Eugenia brasiliensis
Growing & Care
Outdoors
- Best in USDA Zones 9–11
- Sun or partial shade; more sun usually means sweeter fruit
- Plant in well-drained soil; avoid heavy, wet spots
- Withstands summer heat and humidity, and can take a light freeze
Container / Indoor
- Do well in 5–10 gallon pots on patios or balconies
- Need bright light indoors — a sunny window or grow lights
- Can flower and fruit in containers if kept warm and well lit
- In cooler zones, bring plants indoors for winter and back out in spring
General Care
- Water: Keep soil evenly moist; drought-tolerant once established but best yields with regular watering
- Soil: Use good potting mix - LINK TO SOIL
- Fertilizer: Balanced slow-release LINKL TO FERTILIZER Sunshine Boosters
- Pruning: Light trimming keeps plants bushy and productive
- Pollination: Self-fertile; one plant will fruit on its own
Read Garden Blog about Tropical Cherries
Date: 5 Oct 2022
Re-Leaf discount extended!
The prettiest plants of the month
Aphelandra sinclairiana - Panama Queen
We thank everyone who made a purchase in the past few days, you made a big difference! We continue clearing debris and rebuilding our greenhouses. Thanks to your support, we will be able to get our plants ready for winter! This is what we are doing this month:
rebuilding woodframes for greenhouses
installing new shade cloth and plastic
cutting fallen trees
getting new equipment that suffered from flood
adding rock in the nursery to be ready for the Fall Festival
You help us - we help you!
Ask for more RE-LEAF specials when you visit our Garden Center!
Hurricane Ian re-leaf discount extended
For 10% off your entire order, use this code:
IANRELEAF
Use this code on top of our fantastic deals and make it a
super deal:
As low as $5
sale of selected items
Secret
Garden - 50% off
Min order $100. Exp. 10-08-22.
Date: 4 Jun 2021
Tahitian Gardenia
Q: I am interested in your Tahitian Gardenia and I would love to try and grow this plant in a large container/fabric pot. The soil here where I live is terrible as it's hard rock, clay, and sand! So I'm not sure if amending the soil would help to plant in the ground? Can you tell me if this will do okay in a container or best in ground? I live here in Las Vegas, NV (zone 9a). Any information would be great to help me make a this decision, I love the selection of cool tropical plants you offer! Also my daughter does Tahitian/Polynesian dance and this would be a cool "topping on the cake" if she could have a live Tiare flower in her performances.
A: Tahitian Gardenia will be doing best if grown in container in your
area. In its natural habitat, it grows full sun but also it enjoys mild weather
conditions and high air humidity. All gardenias prefer acidic soils. In your
area, if planted in the ground, it may be exposed to some harsh conditions:
too high temperatures, too hot sun, dry air, and as you mentioned - heavy clay
and sandy soil. You can enjoy this plant grown in container, which can be
moved as needed away from too much sun during summer months. Use well-drained potting mix. Use plastic pot, do not use fabric or clay
pots - soil will dry out too quickly.
Also remember to fertilize this plant on regular basis with a liquid
fertilizer SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster.
Grow gardenia in full sun or semi-shade during the hottest months. You may
spray it with pure water if the air too dry and hot. Enjoy your Tropical
Beauty and good luck!
