Date: 30 May 2019
Selecting the right jasmine
Q: Would you please help me select the right jasmine? I want to find a jasmine that smells like lily of the valley or honeysuckle or roses, not the one that smells like gardenia. I'm in Missouri, zone 6, so I want a jasmine for my deck for the summer, so I want it to bloom this season.
A: There are 3 major types of tropical flower fragrances - Sweet, Fresh, and Fruity (including Lemony). Below are the most interesting fragrant tropical flowers, excluding Gardenias (which are sweet type). These are all same-year bloomers, so you can enjoy the fragrance this year assuming proper care and bloom booster feeding.
* - The fastest growers that can be treated as annuals. Others can be grown in a pot and brought inside for winter, and be enjoyed every year.
Sweet
*
Aloysia virgata - Almond Bush
*
Cestrum diurnum - White Chocolate Jasmine, Day Blooming Jasmine
*
Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine
*
Heliotropium peruviana - Turnsole, Cherry Pie
Portlandia Cubanola domingensis - Cubanola (Warm white Chocolate)
Portlandia grandiflora - Glorious Flower of Cuba (Warm white Chocolate)
Fresh
Beaumontia grandiflora - Easter Lily Vine
*
Brugmansia Jean Pasco - Yellow Angels Trumpet
*
Brugmansia Variegated Orange Angel Trumpet
*
Brunfelsia americana - Lady of the night
*
Brunfelsia lactea - Lady of the night
*
Brunfelsia nitida - Lady of the night
Crinum Queen Emma - Spider lily
*
Eucharis grandiflora - Amazon Lily
*
Hedychium coronarium - Butterfly Ginger
Hiptage benghalensis - Helicopter Flower
Hoya odorata - Fragrant Hoya
Ixora hybrid Sea Green
Ixora odorata - Fragrant Ixora
*
Jasminum azoricum - River Jasmine
*
Jasminum Molle - Indian Jui
Jasminum nitidum - Star Jasmine
*
Jasminum officinale Flore Pleno - French Perfume Jasmine
*
Jasminum polyanthum - Pink Winter Jasmine
*
Jasminum sambac Belle of India
*
Jasminum sambac Grand Duke
*
Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans
*
Polianthes tuberosa - Tuberose
*Sclerochiton harveyanus - Blue Lips, Mazabuka (Lavender-violet-like)
Fruity
Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant (Lemony)
Artabotrys siamensis - Climbing Ylang-Ylang (Lemony)
Cananga fruticosa - Dwarf Ylang-Ylang
Carissa grandiflora - Natal Plum
Cerbera x manghas hybrid - Enchanted Incense
*
Jasminum dichotomum - Rose Bud Jasmine
*
Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle
Magnolia figo - Banana Magnolia (Banana-like)
Magnolia x Alba grafted (Bubble-gum-like)
*
Mirabilis jalapa - Four oclock plant
Oxyceros horridus, Randia siamensis
*
Quisqualis - Rangoon Creeper
*
Radermachera Kunming - Dwarf Tree Jasmine
*
Stephanotis floribunda - Bridal Bouquet
Strophanthus gratus - Climbing Oleander
Telosoma cordata - Pakalana vine (Lemony)
Fertilizers for profuse flowering:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster
SUNSHINE-Superfood micro-elements
Date: 21 May 2019
Perfecting a Mango Tree
Q: I recently purchased a Mangifera indica - Coconut Cream Mango from you and would like to know if it is possible
to keep this in a large pot rather than putting it in the ground. If so, I
have a few questions:
1. How large would you expect this variety to get?
2. What are the ideal growing conditions? Full sun, partial sun,
etc...?
3. What is the ideal soil?
4. Any specific watering directions for ideal growth?
A: Coconut Cream mango tree has a moderate growth. We've planted
one in our garden 4 years ago and it is still under 10 ft tall. This variety
should be well suitable for container culture.
1. Keep the branches trimmed after fruiting is over. Mango trees can be
grown in 15 to 25 gal containers and can be trimmed under 7-8 ft high.
2. All mango trees need full sun, the more sun the better.
3. Mango needs very well draining soil, ideally with lots of bark and
perlite. We recommend our professional soilless mix or a similar formula.
4. Mango trees hate wet feet, and prefer to stay on a dry side: make
sure soil in a pot doesn't stay wet; allow it to dry a little between the
waterings.
Remember to apply Mango Food fertilizer during warm season for vigorous growth and heavy
crop!
Date: 20 Apr 2019
More about Mulberries
Customer comment on our Mulberry column in the previous newsletter:
...I planted a Himalayan mulberry, Morus macroura, about six years ago.
For several maddening years, it shot only very long, un-branching tentacles
out there, and it resisted my efforts to force some branching by pruning. It
would send another long, reaching shoot from the tip of the pruned branch,
with NO laterals. Several times, it did this. Finally, two years ago, it broke
buds that looked like they meant it all along those long branches, and in one
season, it fluffed out. The next season it elaborated on this, acting much
more like a proper tree. The fruit is fabulous, three or more inches long, very
sweet, with a rich berry flavor that's more raspberry than mulberry. I
guess it just needed more time. My understanding is that mulberries don't
really like to be pruned, but it needed to happen in this case, along a driveway,
so I reigned it in, and now it's a treasure. Be patient.
Cheers, your admirer, C
Check out our Mulberry trees.
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: 12 Dec 2018
Six ideas for the best Christmas gift plants
It's this time of the year again when a million dollar question arises: "What do I get them for Christmas?" It's an easy task to buy a gift for a gardener - because we always have a long wish-list! But what to get for everybody else? The answer a simple - buy a live plant... that can bring: Surprise, Love, Joy, Meaning, Convenience, and an Action into their lives! Below are a few wise suggestions.
1. Surprise for Tradition. Everybody knows Ponsettia. Everybody buys it. Every house has it... Red, yellow, white,
and even purple... unusual? No, simply dyed with a paint. Ahh. Go RARE!
Ponsettia is Euphorbia, get a rare Euphorbia. It has indestructible nature,
almosts zero maintenance, and FREE shipping!
Euphorbia leucocephala - Snows of Kilimanjaro
Euphorbia
geroldii - Thornless Crown of Thorns
Euphorbia Exotic Thai Candyland, variegated leaves
Euphorbia Pink Cadillac
2. Love. Gardenia Aimee Yoshioka First Love. With a dramatic history behind this cultivar, it is a perfect expression of Love that one can bring to another for Christmas...
3. Joy of Miracle. Miracle fruit. It speaks for itself and is one of the greatest container plants.
4. Meaning. Symbol of Long Life! Adansonia digitata - Baobab, also called the Tree of Longivity, can live for 5000 years. Pass this remarkable plant in your family from generation to generation! Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, the Baobab tree is steeped in a wealth of mystique, legend and superstition wherever it occurs in Africa, being a tree that can provide food, water, shelter and relief from sickness. FREE shipping and easy to maintain bonsai.
5. Convenience. A gift card will give your loved ones a chance to browse amazing wonderland of Tropical Plant World, pick something they like and have it shipped to them weather permitting. The gift card (certificate) has no expiration date!
6. Action. Coffea arabica - Coffee. Want to give your kids a project to drag them away from their smartphones? Have them grow a Real Coffee tree. It is a rewarding plant that is happy indoors and gives you a feeling of Creator - for your care, it will bloom for you with fragrant flowers and fruit for you with real coffee beans!
Check out the full list of plants that are great gifts!
If you need further advice on great looking gift plants for Christmas, contact us!