Macaranga grandifolia – the Elephant Ear Tree - came from Hawaii. It has leaves so huge, they look like elephant ears or jungle umbrellas! Each one can grow over a foot wide, with a glossy, rounded shape that's pure eye candy.
🐘 Macaranga is easy to grow - perfect for a frost-free garden or in a big pot.
🐘 Macaranga is a real conversation starter. It looks like something straight out of a rainforest dream. Big, bold, and totally tropical! Fast-growing, it brings that lush, exotic vibe instantly to your garden.
🐘 Hard to find, super cool, and ridiculously showy - you’ll want this beauty front and center. Once you see it, you have to have it!
The truth about bananas is - Bananas are everyone's favorite snack. Sweet, nutritious, and loaded with potassium. They're great for muscle cramps, post-workout recovery, and quick energy. But did you know you can grow your own bananas, even in a small backyard or container?
🟡Beautiful and tropical-looking with their big, tropical leaves and showy, exotic flowers
🍌Dwarf varieties fit in tight spaces, and rare types like Red Bananas or the creamy Banana Ice Cream bring flavors you’ll never find at the grocery store. Plus, your own bananas are organic, fresh, and way tastier.
🍌 Start your banana patch today - and enjoy your own homegrown fruit all year long!
A:Companion planting is a gardening
technique that involves planting different crops or types of plants together in a
way that benefits all plants. This practice has been used for centuries, and
it can be especially useful in tropical gardens where there is a diversity of
plant life:
trees,
shrubs, vines and
climbers, ground
covers, fruit
and edibles, and
different flowering ornamentals. It is a great way to improve the health and
yield of fruit tree crops while reducing the need for fertilizers and
pesticides. By choosing the right companion plants and planning your garden layout
carefully, you can create a vibrant and diverse ecosystem that will benefit
both your plants and the environment.
Companion planting involves:
Planting different crops together to repel insects: adding such
plants as
Lemon grass, Patchouli leaf, or Moujean Tea near your vegetables can deter aphids and other pests.
Attracting pollinators - Butterfly plants. Many tropical crops, such as passion fruit, papaya,
mango, and
avocado, rely on pollinators to produce fruit. Companion planting can help to
attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your
garden.
Providing nutrients to the soil, adding mulch and low growing plants (ground
covers) to preserve moisture.
Planting a variety of different types of plants together in order
to create a more resilient ecosystem that is less susceptible to pests and
diseases.
To get started, plan your garden layout and choose companion plants with
similar water and light requirements.
For example, plant in the same group lush foliage plants, gingers, and flowering brunfelsias in shady areas; plant jasmines and gardenias in full sun and very well-drained spots.
Rotate annual crops regularly and experiment with combinations to find what
works best. By doing this, you can create a thriving ecosystem that benefits
both your plants and the environment, reducing the need for harmful
chemicals.
I got an Akee tree from you last year for my tropical fruit garden
collection and honestly didn't know much about what it was. This year it started
growing real fast and branched out. In spring it was flowering like crazy and now I have about 20 bright coral fruit hanging off the tree that look like Christmas decorations. They are extremely
showy and can be seen from far away, I have neighbors stopping by asking what
kind of tree it is. I finally did more research on it and found a recipe how to cook the fruit. Only a few had ripened and
opened so far, but I already had a chance to try the meal. Cooked the arils and fried in a pan
with some butter. What a delicious surprise! To my taste, it is like a mix
of potatoes and eggs. Just through in some bacon and it will make a complete
breakfast! One of the coolest fruit I've tasted. Just wanted to share this with you.
About Akee (Blighia
sapida)
This showy fruit, a close relative of Lychee, Longan, and Rambutan, is a
National fruit of Jamaica. It is indeed very exciting one, and what is also
important, the tree is easy in cultivation, fast growing and can be maintained compact. I it is
not bugsy or picky about soil/water conditions, and is relatively cold tolerant for
being a tropical tree. You can find delicious akee meals only in Jamaican restaurants. But no
need to search for it - grow your own tree, it can't be easier. It will start
fruiting for you the next season, you don't have to wait long. Sometimes it
fruits twice a year! However, remember, the fruit is used as a vegetable, and is not eaten raw. It must be
picked after the fruit has opened naturally so the flesh is fully exposed to
light. When the fruit has "yawned", discard the seeds (or better plant them to
grow more trees - to share with your friends!). The arils, while still fresh
and firm, are best parboiled in salted water or milk and then lightly fried in
butter. Then they are really delicious! Read
more about this tree...
...Black Surinam Cherry - tropical cherry variety Lolita, very
hard-to-find. The fruit starts as red and turns black as it ripens. It has an
exceptional flavor. The fruit is very sweet, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch,
very juicy. Reliable producer. The tree is upright, freely branching. Seedlings
come true to seed. These cherry trees are relatively cold hardy and can take
light frost. Once established, the plant can withstand upper 20's without
damage....
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