Coastal and Tropical South
August, 2007
Regional Report
Web Finds
Banana.com
Where else can you learn that Alexander the Great first ate bananas in India in 327 B.C.? Other facts about the fruit's history and appeal around the world are plentiful at Banana.com. Growing tips, recipes, and a guide to buying them are also in the bunch. The banana bread recipe alone is worth the visit. It features toasted nuts and yogurt ... yum!
Favorite or New Plant
Strawberry Tree
Reading garden writer Charles Reynolds' Lakeland, Florida, column, I was reminded of a tree I have long admired but never written about: the strawberry tree (Muntingia calabura). The white flowers on this 20-foot tree are followed by small, sweet fruit most of the year. Fast-growing, the strawberry tree can be pruned anytime it gets too tall or beat up by the wind. It's a sweet tree, literally.
