Date: 6 Jan 2020
Ever heard of Chupa-Chupa?
By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
...I wonder how many knowledgeable people here have even heard of the
national fruit of Brazil? Ever heard of the chupa-chupa tree? Almost no-one in this country has, unless they are
either Brazilian by birth, or perhaps visit there regularly, exploring the
abundant fresh-fruit markets. It is a magnificent fruit tree, and deserves to be
better known here...
The flesh inside is bright orange, very sweet, and especially juicy!
...Something you might imagine as an unlikely cross of cantaloupe and pineapple,
and that it is especially juicy similar to a good pineapple...
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Date: 11 Dec 2019
Pavonia for hummingbirds - a cinch to grow!
by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
...Flowers of the Brazilian candle - Pavonia multiflora are designed to be visited and pollinated strictly by hummingbirds. The narrow, upright, barely opening tubular flowers present a display any hummingbird can truly appreciate. While our eyes simply see a dazzling combination of reds, violet, and blue, the super-vision of those tiniest of birds perceive several more colors in the infra-red and ultra-violet spectrum, visible only to them and certain insects! Sort-of like electric lights along Times Square flashing "HERE I AM"! ...
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Date: 6 Dec 2019
Chestnut vine - perfect plant for home and office
by Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist
Q: I was visiting Ford Myers recently and attended the Edison Ford Winter Estate Garden Festival. I could not help but notice two stunningly beautiful Chestnut vines on your stand at the event. I have never seen this plant anywhere before. I was told they make a great indoor plant. I was also told your company ships to all 50 states. I have been looking for something unusual to grow in my office and this may be just the plant! How do I take care of it indoors?
A: If you want to bring a little bit of the tropics into your office, you have chosen the perfect plant. Tetrastigma voinierianum - Chestnut vine - is a long-lived perennial plant that will stay green all year long. It is a native of Laos and a member of the grape (Vitaceae) family. This is a truly striking vine with beautiful lush and large leaves. It is a vigorous climber with 8 inch or longer tendrils for climbing purposes. The underside of the leaves has clear pearl-like bumps, which are actually plant secretions that are used by ant colonies when growing in its wild habitat...
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Date: 27 Nov 2019
The Florida Native Banyan
by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
...The most impressive plant-life for me was a single native tree growing near a parking area along the Bay. It was the largest, oldest, "Shortleaf fig" I have ever seen. It was growing on a mass of bare exposed karst limestone and bore a small plaque describing it as being the largest Ficus citrifolia in the National Park. As it was dropping some of its little fruits at the time, I ended up taking a couple home for cultivation...
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Date: 21 Nov 2019
Manifestation of the Ghost Trees
by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
...What makes these rare beauties so wonderful is not only the very nice white Hydrangea-like flowers on the ends of the branches, but also the slowly unfolding new leaves. A number of times a year, they develop little bracts on the ends of their branches which then erupt into stunning cascades of long, weeping ivory-pink new leaves. Most notably, in the more horizontal light of morning or evening, against the deep bottle-green of older leaves, these new hanging growths create the impression of being nearly incarnate apparitions floating in mid-air. I am sure this is the reason for its scientific name Maniltoa, deriving from the New Guinea name for the tree, Manilto - which means "ghost" or "manifestation"...
