Viewing comments posted by terrafirma

I'm finding this plant to be completely amazing. After 2 years of doing pretty much nothing, it bloomed for me the end of April 2023. Today is August 1st, 2023, and the bloom is still strong! Looking nearly as beautiful as when it first bloomed for me in April. I had no clue that these flowers would have this kind of lasting power!

This small tree has been a huge hit for not only bees while in flower, but also birds. Once the berries have ripened, our Mockingbirds, and Cardinals have flocked to, and devoured the fruit. So fun to watch.

The only way to get rid of this horrid vine is to dig out the tubers. There is no "weed killer" that will eradicate this monster. Vigilance in pulling the tuber every time you see them popping up is the only control.
Please do not purposely plant this vine. You will regret it.

The Sweet Almond bush has the most amazing vanilla/almond fragrance. No matter the time of day, I go out to the yard and a waft of fragrance surrounds me. Ours has been in the ground about 2 years now. It has reached a height of about 12 feet, with a width that I'd estimate to be about 8 feet. The more room you can give it, the better. As has been said earlier, the bees adore this plant.
I would love to hear whether you have had experience with limbing this up, and creating a tree.

This morning I discovered that nearly half of my Datura had been defoliated overnight. The culprit had not only eaten the leaves, but also some seed pods. Upon closer inspection, I found the hungry varmint: a Tomato Hornworm. This Datura especially seems to be a delightful treat to the Hornworm.

I've been quite surprised by this variety. Even as some pods have gotten very large, or larger than usually optimal, they have maintained the excellent flavor and tenderness.
I will certainly be growing this one again.

The stems of the K. 'beharensis' are usually unbranched, to about 4-5 feet, possibly as much as 10 feet. The leaves are triangular to lance shaped, covered with a dense felt-like coat of white to brown hairs. Each leaf is 4-8 inches long, and half as wide. The hybrids between this and other species differ in leaf size, color, degree of felting, and scalloping. The flowers are not generally showy. They are very hardy in the tropical south, but are grown mainly as houseplants.

I have been experiencing browning of the tips in excess with this plant. A possible susceptibility to the chlorine, fluorides, etc., in regular tap water if not allowed to sit overnight, or 24 hours. Seems to prefer purified (not distilled) water.

The Crested Floating Heart has small heart-shaped leaves and floats on the water, but is rooted in the soil. It was introduced from Asia in the aquatic plant trade, and it has become naturalized, displacing the native species. Stalks with white flowers have five petals, and a distinctive white ruffle running along the middle of the petal, which is a key to distinguishing it from the native species.

This was introduced into the U.S. from China in 1852. By 1932 it had been so widely planted throughout the southeast that it was considered naturalized. They can reach 10 - 20 feet, but in the landscape, they are frequently sheared into hedges. The leaves are small, less than 2 inches in length, and can be solid green or variegated in color. White flowers in the spring, followed by small blue oval fruit.

This plant has now been added to the noxious weeds list, making it illegal to cultivate, introduce, possess, move, or release without a state or federal permit.

This is one of the most popular lawn grasses in the south. It is tough, drought tolerant, and pest resistant, and it stands up well to foot traffic. It is green in the summer and goes straw/brown in winter. It can be started from sod or plugs. We used plugs, and it grew very rapidly. It is so dense that it does a great job of choking out weeds. Grows much slower than a lot of southern grasses, so we find that we don't have to mow as often. Mow at 1- 2 inches. Thrives in the sun, with regular watering, and will tolerate some shade.

Dusty Miller has done extremely well for me in soil that tends to be more on the sandy side, and it really performs best with full sun and very little water. In fact, i've been noticing that after it receives a good thorough soaking, it seems to pout. The tops tend to get quite limp, and it doesn't rebound until it's had time to really dry out again. A big plus if you want some pretty silver foliage, with beautiful clusters of yellow flowers, without the hassle of constant watering.

Most commonly called Moth Orchid. An epiphytic orchid that has thick, leathery leaves, rather flat and extending about 1 foot, and no pseudobulbs. The beautiful spray of flowers can reach about 3 ft., in colors from white, yellow, and lavender to pink and purple. It blooms in the spring for me. There is a very wide array of colors, and some are spotted or barred, or even have contrasting lips. These do well in warmer growing conditions -- 60F - 70F at night and 70F - 85F during the day -- but mine seem to be doing extremely well outside, with our days hitting as high as 97F this summer. They will not tolerate the sun. Light must be filtered and they don't like to dry out either. Moisture, higher humidity, is a must. I find that I spray/mist them about every couple of days.

This has become one of my favorite plants on my covered deck. The unusual coloration makes this a real standout! Here in NE Florida, I thought that maybe it would do well in a shade garden, but after one year it started looking rather tattered, and I soon realized it is much happier in a container. Outdoors in tropical zones, they can reach heights of 6 - 8 feet, but so far, in a container I've only seen about 4 feet. They definitely are not cold hardy, needing protection at about 40F- 45F. Can be grown quite nicely as a houseplant.

These resemble cacti, with clumps of four-sided spineless stems, but they actually are perennial succulents. The flowers appear in summer, and are large, very fleshy, and shaped like a five-pointed star. I've heard it said that they smell like carrion, yet I've not found it to be so overpowering that it is offensive. They need a cool dry period in the winter months, when they should be protected from frost. They tolerate extreme heat very well.

An evergreen vine that must have a very rich, loose, well-drained soil. It has thick waxy leaves and tight clusters of small waxy flowers. Seems to bloom best when pot-bound. Don't prune out flowering wood. New blossom clusters appear from stumps of old ones.

A wonderful Coleus that has been very easy for me to overwinter. It did very well on a sunny window sill in the winter. In the spring and summer, it's out on the porch. I find that its colors really pop if given a bit of morning sun. It really begins to show pretty red-burgundy edges. If it receives nothing but shade, then it will maintain just a pretty lime-green.

A beautiful little herbaceous wildflower. A native annual, to 24 inches in height, with linear leaves. The flower is blue, 1/2 inch, 2 lipped. The upper lip is 2 lobed, while the lower is 3. It grows in open ruderal, and is not picky about the soil moisture. Will grow in moist or dry sandy soils.

This is a beautiful vine that is a host plant for butterflies. Arrives in the spring and is in full bloom by the beginning to middle of our summer. Most commonly in my yard, it is the Gulf Fritillary that will drink of the nectar and lay the eggs. The caterpillars will totally devour this vine by the end of July or the beginning of August. I enjoy this plant, but my main purpose for growing it is for the butterflies. It does have a very light fragrance and produces substantial amounts of small fruits.

Beware, this plant will pop up everywhere, even in a nearby lawn. But pulling the unwanted plants is quite easy, and the multitude of visitors to enjoy it is well worth it in my estimation.

This is an evergreen vining shrub in most protected spots in the south. It can be used as a indoor/outdoor container plant elsewhere. The leaves are distinctly ribbed, oval in shape, about 4 - 7 inches in length. Flat clusters of scarlet-red, inch-size "tubes" surrounded by white calyxes to about 5 inches wide, bloom in the late summer to fall. It needs a support for twining, and it can reach a height of about 6 - 8 ft. if not trimmed. It does best in a rich, well draining soil, in partial shade, and will take well to pruning immediately after flowering.

Native to West Africa