🌳 Why young trees need staking?

Staking a young tree is simple but important. The goal is to attach a bamboo stake to support the trunk, encourage straight growth, and-most importantly-prevent the stem from wiggling.

Young trees grow fast and vigorously, but their trunks are often much taller and heavier than their root systems can support. At the same time, those trunks are still thin and flexible. Even light wind can cause the tree to rock back and forth. This movement disturbs developing roots and slows establishment.

❗️ Without proper support:

• 🔹 The trunk can break in strong wind.
• 🔹 Roots loosen instead of anchoring.
• 🔹 The trunk may grow crooked.
• 🔹 The tree becomes uneven and less stable long-term.

🌳 How to stake correctly

🌳 Small trees

• 🔹 Create an A-frame with one bamboo stake.
• 🔹 Attach near the top, forming a triangle.
• 🔹 Do not push the stake right next to the trunk. It may look neat, but it can damage roots and will not provide proper stability.

🌳 Medium trees

• 🔹 Use 2-3 tie points along the trunk.
• 🔹 Use soft green garden tape, 1/2" wide.
• 🔹 Secure firmly but allow slight movement.

🌳 Tall or heavy trees

• 🔹 Use a strong support such as a metal pipe. We use 1" aluminum electrical conduit.
• 🔹 Attach with wider green tape, about 1" to protect the bark.
• 🔹 Build tripods around larger trees.

❗️ Important maintenance tips:

• 🔸 Check ties and tape often-every few weeks to once a month.
• 🔸 As the tree grows, re-adjust the tape so it does not cut into the trunk as it thickens and doesn't cause any rot.
• 🔸 Re-position bamboo stakes as needed, and be ready to replace them with a larger, stronger stake as the tree grows.

These rules apply to both potted trees and trees planted in the ground. Proper staking early on helps your tree establish faster, grow straighter, and develop a strong, stable root system for the future.

📸 Mango trees in 7 gal pots with "nursery-style" bamboo stakes that create a neat "standard". When stepping up or planting in the ground, attach a new stake and keep it away from the trunk.

🛒 Explore fruit trees and flowering trees

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🗿 Center of the world tree that stops traffic in Florida - now fits in a pot

🎥 Ceiba Dwarf Pink Princess

• 🌸 If you’ve ever visited Florida in winter, you’ve probably seen those unbelievable pink trees in full bloom - that’s a Ceiba (Chorisia) speciosa, also known as the Kapok or Pink Silk Floss tree, famous for its hibiscus-like flowers and fluffy silk pods.
• 🌸 The problem? The classic Ceiba can grow 40 feet tall.
This one doesn’t! Ceiba hybrid Dwarf Pink Princess stays compact - about 8-12 feet in the ground and even smaller in a pot.
And unlike seed-grown trees, this one blooms right away because it’s grafted! No long wait.
• 🌸 In winter, it drops most of its leaves and explodes into thousands of soft pink flowers. Same wow factor. Just a fraction of the size.
Perfect for small yards, patios, balconies, or anyone who wants a show-stopping winter tree without committing to a giant.
• 🌸 #Fun_facts: the ancient Maya believed the Ceiba was the sacred tree at the center of the world, connecting earth to the sky.
• 🌸 So yes… You can officially say you’re growing the center of the world in your backyard.

🛒 Plant it now - it fits any garden

📚 Learn more:

• Ceiba (chorisia) speciosa in Plant Encyclopedia
• How this breath-taking flowering tree stays so compact

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💐 Eight best winter blooming trees

🛒 Explore Winter bloomers

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🆘 SOS! Why is my Champaka Tree dropping leaves?

• ✔️ Magnolia champaca, the Joy Perfume Tree, can look a little rough in Winter through early Spring. The leaves may yellow, drop, and make the whole tree look tired. Many gardeners think something went wrong, but this is completely normal. Champaka is semi-deciduous, which means it sheds leaves for a short period during cooler months, even in warm climates.
• ✔️ This is also the time when the tree sets its seeds for spring. As long as you keep your regular watering routine and don’t overreact with extra fertilizer or pruning, the tree rebounds in Spring. Within a few weeks it pushes fresh new foliage and starts blooming again, filling the air with that unmistakable sweet fragrance.
• ✔️ Champaka isn’t declining - it’s just taking a winter nap!

🛒 We always have them for you: Joy Perfume Champaka trees

📚 Learn more:

• 🟡Which Champaka tree is better - White or Golden?
• 🟡Golden and White Champaka side-by-side
• 🟡What does Joy Perfume flower smell like?
• 🟡What does a mature Champaka Tree look like? Practical Growing Guide
• 🟡How to grow Magnolia champaca and get some Joy
• 🟡When does Champaka tree start blooming?
• 🟡Why Champaka is such a popular perfume tree
• 🟡Flower of the most expensive perfume
• 🟡White Champaka
• 🟡Article about Champaka

📱

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🍌 It smells like bananas… but it’s a magnolia!

• 🌸 Magnolia figo, or Banana Magnolia - is in bloom! It is now filling the air with its unbelievably sweet fragrance! Its creamy, cup-shaped flowers smell like fresh bananas mixed with fine perfume - you have to smell it to believe it.
• 🌸 This compact evergreen shrub grows only about 5-6 ft in a container, making it perfect for small gardens, patios, or even near an entryway where you can enjoy the scent up close. Glossy green leaves, elegant shape, and that irresistible aroma - it’s pure charm in a pot.
• 🌸 Cold tolerant, heat tolerant, sun or shade - this little magnolia doesn’t ask for much but gives so much back.

🛒 Plant Banana Magnolia

📚 Learn more:

• Why this flower smells like banana?
• How can Banana be a flower?

#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden #Trees

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🌺 Winter flowering trees and shrubs - all you need for winter color in your garden.

Many snowbirds ask what to plant when they’re here just for the season. The answer is simple: go for trees and shrubs that bloom in winter. Fall is the perfect time to plant them, so your garden bursts with flowers once the cool season arrives.

📱 We put everything in one place for you!

Check out this single YouTube Post with all our favorite winter-blooming trees and shrubs - your shortcut to a colorful garden this season:
http://youtube.com/post/UgkxRWCHqNDqrRIIwK_BAeWjfi3spnZK0EbA?si=LbNv_RhkKGkc0rxv
Save it for later and share it with your garden friends.

🌸 Videos on Winter flowering trees and shrubs:

• Eight best winter blooming trees
• Ten shrubs you need to have for winter colors

👉 See more...

🛒 Want to grow your own winter color garden?

• 👉 Find all these flowering trees and shrubs here

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🌈 Compact Bauhinias - everblooming container trees

📸 Pictures for the previous post, Bauhinias:

• Bauhinia madagascariensis - Red Dwarf Orchid Tree. Blooms from winter through fall, up to 10 months a year. The most cold-hardy of all.
• Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree. A large tree in the ground, but compact in pots if trimmed. Grafted trees flower right away. Winter bloomer, cold hardy to light frost.
• Bauhinia tomentosa - Yellow Orchid Tree. Flowers from Winter through Summer, cold hardy to light frost.
• Bauhinia monandra - Napoleon's Plume Orchid Tree. Almost everblooming with the longest flowering period (less cold hardy than the first three).
• Bauhinia acuminata - Dwarf White Orchid Tree. Blooms from summer through winter (also less cold hardy than the first three).

🛒 Explore Bauhinias (Orchid Trees)

#Container_Garden #Trees

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🌈 Cassias - colorful flowering trees

📸 Pictures for the previous post, Cassias:

Cassia bicapsularis - Butterfly Bush
Cassia x natalensis - Rainbow Cassia
Cassia grandis- Red Cassia
Cassia didymobotrya- Popcorn Cassia, similar to Senna alata - Empress Candles
Cassia x nodosa - Pink Shower
Cassia roxburghii - Ceylon Senna
Cassia fistula - Golden Shower
Cassia javanica - Apple Blossom Tree

🛒 Explore Cassia trees

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🌈 Cassia vs Bauhinia: which is better as an everblooming container tree?

• 🌸 Cassia (Senna) trees are very popular flowering trees - fast growing, free-flowering, relatively cold hardy, and they love the summer heat. Cassias come in several colors: yellow, orange, pink, red, and rainbow. Rainbow varieties (which are hybrids between yellow and pink cassias) are the most popular thanks to their multicolor blooms with swirls of yellow, pink, red, and orange. But while Rainbow Cassia is a spectacular flowering tree for southern gardens, is it a good choice for a container when you want color on your patio or pool deck?
• 🌸 Some yellow-flowering cassias make attractive bushes that bloom most of the year and stay compact, so they can be grown as container specimens:
Cassia didymobotrya- Popcorn Cassia
Senna alata - Empress Candles
Cassia fistula - Golden Shower (a compact size winter blooming tree)
• 🌸 When it comes to Rainbow or pink cassias such as Cassia javanica - Apple Blossom Tree or Cassia grandis- Red Cassia and other species and hybrids (Cassia marginata - Rainbow Shower Tree, Cassia roxburghii - Ceylon Senna, Cassia x nodosa - Pink Shower), these are usually more vigorous trees that may take several years to bloom. Their flowering season lasts from a few weeks to a couple of months. These trees grow moderately fast but typically need to reach about 10 feet before they start flowering.
• 🌸 So, the answer is: if you want rich, deep color year-round from a container tree, go with Bauhinias - Orchid Trees. Most varieties grow well in pots, stay compact, and reach blooming maturity within just one season. The following varieties are everblooming and can produce flowers for up to 10 months of the year:

• Bauhinia madagascariensis - Red Dwarf Orchid Tree. Blooms from winter through fall, up to 10 months a year. The most cold-hardy of all.
• Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree. A large tree in the ground, but compact in pots if trimmed. Grafted trees flower right away. Winter bloomer, cold hardy to light frost.
• Bauhinia tomentosa - Yellow Orchid Tree. Flowers from Winter through Summer, cold hardy to light frost.
• Bauhiniamonandra - Napoleon's Plume Orchid Tree. Almost everblooming with the longest flowering period (less cold hardy than the first three).
• Bauhinia acuminata - Dwarf White Orchid Tree. Blooms from summer through winter (also less cold hardy than the first three).

🛒 Explore Cassia trees and Bauhinias (Orchid Trees)

📚 Learn more:

• ✦ How to add color to your yard with Cassias
• ✦ Rainbow Cassias and Why they are called "Rainbow"
• ✦ Napoleons Plume - Orchid Tree that blooms in a pot
• ✦ Bauhinia madagascariensis, or Red Butterfly Orchid Tree that NEVER Stops Blooming
• ✦ Rare Red Orchid Tree you may never find again but everyone wants
• ✦ Bauhinia acuminata, Dwarf Orchid tree - white and elegant
• ✦ 5 small tropical trees that bloom all summer or year around
• ✦ How to grow Orchid Trees in pots

#Container_Garden #Trees #How_to

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🌹 The tree that smells like roses and candy

• 
  🌹 Radermachera Kunming - Dwarf Tree Jasmine. This rare Thai beauty is small but mighty. Its creamy-pinkish blooms release a powerful scent that mixes roses, candy, and fine perfume - you can smell it from yards away!
• 
  🌹 The leaves have a graceful, fountain-like shape, and the plant stays compact and full, perfect for pots or small gardens. Relatively cold hardy, everbloomer.
• 
  🌹 In Thailand, it’s a symbol of peace and progress, and locals even use the flowers in traditional remedies as a natural relaxant and aphrodisiac. A true gem for anyone who loves fragrance and charm in one small tree.

🛒 Get your own Sacred Tree Jasmine for Peace and Love

📚 Learn more:

Smells like roses, but not a rose

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