A flying bat with whiskers. Tacca. It's rare. It's weird.

Tacca Lily - also known as the Black Bat Flower or Devil Flower, looks like something brewed up in a witch's greenhouse.

The flower isn't really a single flower - it's a full-on performance. Giant black-maroon "wings" stretch out like a bat in flight, while long, drooping filaments dangle like eerie whiskers or jungle jewelry. Some can reach over a foot long!

Those weird, wild filaments? They're not just for show - they are believed to help mimic the look of decaying matter to attract pollinators like flies. Creepy? Yes. Clever? Absolutely.

The plant blooms best when it feels pampered - think filtered light, tropical vibes, and spa-level humidity. A smart indoor exotic for a bathroom with a skylight!

It grows from a rhizome, and while the Black Tacca (T. chantrieri) is prized for its spooky looks, its Green cousin (T. leontopetaloides) is actually used to make a type of tropical arrowroot starch.

Some gardeners say it takes a while to bloom (maybe a few months) - but once it does, it becomes the crown jewel of the greenhouse. People will ask if it's real. You'll say, "Yes, and it lives here!"

Tacca comes in different species/colors: Black, White, Green:
Tacca nivea - White Tacca
Tacca chantrieri - Black Tacca
Tacca leontopetaloides - Green Tacca

📚 Learn more:

The rarest Green Tacca - Tacca leontopetaloides
When Bat Head Devil Flower is in bloom
Bat Head - Devil Flower

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💃 Get the Red Jade look without the fuss: cold-hardy Dwarf Red Jade Vine

🔥 Love the stunning, fiery blooms of the famous Red Jade Vine (Mucuna benettii) but live outside the tropics?
Its cousin - Dwarf Red Jade Vine - is tougher, easier to grow, and just as jaw-dropping, and delivers the same dazzling display of blazing red flower chains - without the high-maintenance, ultra-tropical demands.

🔥 Camptosema grandiflora - Dwarf Red Jade Vine, Cuitelo, or Rooster's Crest - this Brazilian superstar brings cascading chains of bright red blooms that look like flames frozen in mid-air.

🔥 Unlike the ultra-tropical and finicky Mucuna benettii, this cousin is tougher, easier to grow, and just as jaw-dropping. It thrives in full to partial sun, forgives a little drought, and even shrugs off light frost. Blooming in fall and winter, it gives your garden a fiery finale when everything else starts to fade.

🔥 Got a pergola or arbor? Perfect. The hanging flower clusters will light up the space like a botanical chandelier. Just prune it hard in spring and feed it well, and it will thank you with a blooming spectacle year after year.

🔥 If you've been dreaming of the iconic Red Jade Vine but thought it was out of reach - this is your sign.

🛒 Get all the wow of Red Jade Vine - without the worry

📚 Learn more:

Camptosema grandiflora, Dwarf Red Jade Vine - my favorite plant

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💐 Plumeria pudica: the evergreen plumeria that never stops blooming

🌸 Also known as Bridal Bouquet, Plumeria pudica stands out from the rest with its lush, fiddle-shaped leaves that stay green year-round. Unlike typical plumerias that go bare in winter, this variety keeps its tropical charm in every season.

🌸 It produces constant clusters of crisp white flowers with yellow centers - each about 3 inches across - giving the look of a fresh bouquet right on the plant. Whether in bloom or not, it's always ornamental.

🌸 Its growth habit is just as versatile. Plumeria pudica can be shaped into a small tree or kept as a dense, clumping bush - ideal for patios, tight spaces, or tropical accents in the landscape.

🌸 And the best part? It's low-maintenance. Fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and naturally resistant to pests and disease, this plumeria asks for very little and gives back a lot.

🌸 We have in our collection very interesting variety of Plumeria pudica from Thailand. It has variegated leaves! Plumeria pudica variegata - Snow Bridal Bouquet, or White Arrow Leaf - has variegated leaf margins. Like regular Plumeria pudica, it is evergreen, never drops leaves, and grows into a beautiful, dense multi-stem bush. Great for container culture.

🛒 Add nonstop blooms and evergreen beauty to your garden

📚 Learn more:
Have you ever seen a Bridal Bouquet Plumeria this size?

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♨️ Turn up the color in your garden with the bold everblooming Brazilian plume

❣️Looking to add nonstop color, tropical flair for shade or sun, and pollinator appeal to your garden?
Megaskepasma erythrochlamys - Brazilian plume or Red Cloak, is the ultimate show-stopper shrub that takes both sun or shade.

❣️ With its big, bold leaves and eye-catching crimson-to-mauve flower spikes, this plant brings exotic beauty - without the need for a steamy jungle.

❣️The best part? It's surprisingly cold hardy. This lush-looking tropical can handle brief dips into the 30s (F), making it a top pick for USDA zones 9-11. Plant it in full sun or partial shade, and with regular watering, it rewards you with a steady burst of blooms that butterflies and hummingbirds can't resist.

❣️Reaching 5-7 ft tall in the ground, it fills out beautifully to anchor beds or soften fences. In colder regions, it can still thrive in large pots - just give it a sheltered spot, bring it indoors when temperatures drop, and enjoy its vivid flower show all winter long.

❣️If you want a garden that doesn’t fade with the season, the Brazilian plume delivers color, volume, and wildlife appeal - all year round.

🛒 Make your garden pop with color of Brazilian plume

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🌸 Napoleons Plume - Orchid Tree that blooms in a pot

Bauhinia monandra - Napoleons Plume Orchid Tree - is a breathtaking tropical tree with flowers that truly resemble delicate orchids, and leaves folding like butterfly wings. It is one of he most impressive varieties of orchid trees.

Each blossom starts off pale yellow and transforms to soft pink by the next day, with the center petal beautifully streaked in magenta - a unique color shift that makes the tree look like it's blooming in multiple shades at once. When in bloom, it's covered in these showy flowers, creating a dazzling display.

Despite its exotic look, this tree is surprisingly well-suited for containers. It can be easily kept trimmed and compact, with seedlings often blooming when just 2 feet tall. While it's sensitive to cold, growing it in a container makes it easy to move indoors during chilly weather. This makes Bauhinia monandra the perfect choice for gardeners who want a tropical tree that delivers nonstop visual impact in a manageable size.

How to enjoy the orchid flowers and butterfly foliage of Bauhinia right on your patio or balcony? Choose the right variety. More bauhinia species suitable for containers: B. galpinii, B. madagascariensis, B. monandra, B. alba (candida), B. acuminata, B. bidentata, B. blakeana, B. grandidieri and many others.

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📚 Learn more about Orchid trees:

How to grow Orchid Trees in pots
Bauhinias: trees with Orchid Flowers and Butterfly Wings
Why Bauhinias are called Orchid Trees: orchid flowers with butterfly wings...
Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree
Bauhinia galpinii (punctata) - Pride of De Kaap or Nasturtium Bauhinia

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