Enter the dragon tree

Perhaps one of America’s favorite house plants, which sometimes even ends up out in our landscapes, is the dragon tree.  This exotic-looking plant sports wiry branches which end in clusters of ribbon-like leaves.  A member of the agave family native to Madagascar, this abstract plant is beautiful in a variety of settings.

You have probably seen the dragon tree in either a dish garden, as a floor plant, in an outdoor planter or maybe even in the landscape.  This plant grows as series of cane-like stems topped with a rosette of leathery, eighteen-inch  leaves.  The curvy, gray stems can grow up to fifteen feet tall and are adorned with diamond-shaped leaf scars giving the stems a textured appearance. 

Dragon plants are excellent low-maintenance houseplants that will thrive in full sun to shade.  As young specimens grow, they lose their bottom leaves and develop an attractive stem which adds to the eye-appeal of the plant.  Large specimens which have become tall, out-of-bounds and lanky, can be cut back.   Once a stem is cut, new shoots develop below the cut end and produce a bushier plant.  The cuttings can also be rooted to make additional plants. 

The species Dracaena mariginata has green, strap-like leaves with a red-marginal edge.  There is also a cultivar with a more exotic color combination of red, cream and green stripes called ‘Tricolor’.   While very drought tolerant once established, the dragon tree has poor salt tolerance so keep this in mind.  Dragon trees can adapt to outdoor settings especially in protected sites, but if we have a frost or freeze, bring the containerized plants in or cover landscape specimens for protection.  Technically hardy from zones 10 B to 11, environments closer to the water can offer temperature moderation and protection.  Microclimates near a building or in some type of a protected spot are better overall for survival outside. 

In addition to taking cut stems and rooting them, dragon trees can be propagated via air layering or simply taking two to four inch-long cane sections placed horizontally in potting medium.  New shoots will emerge from nodes located along the stem sections.

The Madagascar Dragon Tree is one of many other interesting and colorful Dracaenas available.  The dragon tree  is also noted as a plant that can improve the air quality indoors – a great added feature!  For more information on all types of house plants suitable for containers and maybe outdoors,  please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Dracaena mariginata Red-edged Dracaena, Madagascar Dragon Tree.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS. 

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Dracaena mariginata ‘Tricolor’ Three-Color Madagascar Dragon Tree.  Madagascar Dragon Tree.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS. 

Nelson, J. (2009) Dracaena. University of Illinois Extension Service. 

Harper, E. (2016) Interior Plants Improving Air Quality.  University of Georgia Extension Service.  

Tapioca in the garden

In some old landscapes in Charlotte county you may find a shrub-like plant called cassava or yuca which is the source of tapioca and other starch products.  As recently as 1984, there were about eight-hundred acres of this crop grown in Miami-Dade County.  Once somewhat common in Florida backyard gardens, this plant produces swollen, edible roots which are an important source of food in many tropical countries.  When properly selected, grown and prepared, it is a delicious starchy root crop  and an interesting landscape subject.  Can you grow some tapioca in your own garden?

Cassava  is a shrub-like plant from South America which is now grown around the world.  Attractive, palmate leaves grow from cane-like branches growing upwards to ten feet tall in our area.  Unseen underground are enlarged roots up to thirty inches long and three to four  inches wide packed with carbohydrates.  Older varieties  called “bitter” cassavas are toxic until extensively processed  to remove the poisonous cyanide.  Modern-day so-called “sweet” cassavas are fine to eat once peeled and boiled.  Growing in practically any soil type, cassava are easy to grow, but need  a minimum of eleven months of warm weather to develop roots large enough to eat.  One established, cassava are carefree and practically drought-proof.

To start a cassava plant all you need is a segment of the stem about ten inches long.  Bury the stem(right end up) about four inches deep directly in the ground where you want it to grow about four feet apart in rows four feet wide.  As mentioned above, segments set out in spring will take up to eleven months of warmth to produce useful roots.  In the meantime, while waiting for the roots, the tropical foliage and cane-like branches are attractive and interesting accents in your landscape.

While I have seen cassava cane section cuttings for sale on-line, I have never seen edible cassava plants for sale at local nurseries.  However, I have seen on occasion a beautiful variegated variety (not sure of its edibility) which has yellow, cream and green variegation with red leaf stems.  You may even have seen this more common cultivar in local landscapes and wondered what it was.  To find edible cultivars locally such as one that I have tried called ‘Jamaican Sweet’, try a place like ECHO - http://echonet.org/ in North Ft. Myers.  They have a nursery with a great diversity of tropical/subtropical fruits and vegetables.  You may even have a neighbor with a sweet cassava plant who can give you a cutting or two to start a new planting.

The cassava is an interesting plant to grow, if not for the roots, just for the tropical beauty of its leaves and as a conversation piece!  For more information on all types of tropical plants that can be grown in our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

  

Resources:

 Stephens, J. M. (2015) Cassava – Manihot esculenta  Crantz.  The University of Florida, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2005) Manihot esculenta .  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, FL.

2016 LANDSCAPE GARDENING SERIES

Fireworks in the landscape

The firecracker plant is a weeping shrub with a very unique look.  The lanky, multi-stemmed, four-foot long  branches are often covered in bright red tubular flowers from spring through early winter.  Maybe you have a firecracker plant already, or maybe this article will inspire you to get one.  Also known as coral plant, coralblow and fountain plant, the firecracker plant is a landscape favorite. 

We can check off many of the “good” boxes for the firecracker plant right from the get-go.  This plant is hardy in our zone, it is drought tolerant once established and is considered a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant with good salt tolerance.  And while it can be a bit of an aggressive plant noted for spreading, it generally does not get way out of bounds and is not officially considered  “invasive”.  The firecracker plant is also very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.  Originally from Mexico, this rush-like shrub can grow up to four foot high and six or more feet wide with leafless stems adorned with bracts instead leaves.  While often just used as a specimen plant, the firecracker can be situated for a mass planting or used as a border to higher plants.  If planted in mass, set plants at least thirty-six inches apart as each individual plant will soon fill in the spaces.  The firecracker plant may be at its best when installed so that it cascades down a wall.  It has also been used in large hanging baskets to take advantage of the arching nature of its branches.

While you may normally only see red firecracker plants in local garden centers, on occasion you will also find a yellow cultivar known as ‘Aureus’.  This pale yellow cultivar is an interesting change of color with the same plant characteristics.  Now, you may even be able to find one additional cultivar called ‘Night Lights™ Tangerine’ which has a tangerine-orange colored flower.  Plant your firecracker plants in full sun for best flowering results. 

If the firecracker plant is new to you, why not add one to your landscape!  If you have a red one already, try a yellow or tangerine color to jazz up your landscape!  In any case, for more information on all types of colorful flowering shrubs suitable for our area,  please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Gilman, E. F. ( 2006) Firecracker - Russelia equisetiformis.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2004) Russelia equisetiformis.  Floridata.com. Tallahassee, FL.

Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Plant City Teaching Garden (2015) Tangerine Firecracker Plant Russelia equisetiformis ‘Night Lights ™ Tangerine’.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Plant City Teaching Garden (2015) Yellow Firecracker Plant Russelia equisetiformis ‘Aureus’. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design, 1st ed. (2010).  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s 2015 List of Invasive (2015) http://www.fleppc.org/list/2015FLEPPCLIST-LARGEFORMAT-FINAL.pdf.

Truly muhly

Fall and early winter bring their own colors here in the Southwest Florida landscape.  One such eye-catching plant with fluffy, purple-pink flower heads is called muhly grass.  A native plant with wonderful ornamental characteristics, muhly grass is now a standard in many planting beds.  While the grassy foliage may blend into the background the rest of the year, muhly grass flower heads explode with color now.

As mentioned, muhly grass is native to our area as well as up the east coast to Massachusetts and west and south into Texas and Mexico.  Very resilient in the many habitats from marshy to well-drained, this ornamental grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, is just one species of many muhly grasses.  Noted for its two to three-foot long , thin blades arranged in a large clump with fall/winter hazy purple-pink flower heads, the pink muhly grass is a natural for a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ yard.  For a different look, there is a white flower-head cultivar called ‘White Cloud’ -  identical in all the features to the pink version.  Planted in mass beds, the wind moves the delicate flower heads in sweeping drifts of color.  Highly drought-tolerant once established, this grass has moderate salt tolerance and can be used in coastal landscapes. 

In the spring, cut back any old winter foliage to rejuvenate the appearance of the clump.  Propagation is as simple as dividing old clumps into multiple sections and resetting these pieces back into the landscape. 

For a different type of muhly grass, try another species called bamboo muhly grass.  Bamboo muhly grass is very different in appearance and is grown for its resemblance to a miniature clump of bamboo.  Growing upwards to four to six feet tall, this muhly grass does not have the pinkish-purple flower heads, but instead sports whimsical, airy branches that arch to the ground.  Bamboo muhly grass makes a nice companion when planted with other ornamental grasses.   It grows slowly into a five-foot wide, easy to control, clump. 

Over the years muhly grass has become a standard bread and butter item in many of our landscapes.   There is a reason for its popularity and success – it is beautiful!  For more information on ornamental grasses suitable for area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Muhlenbergia capillaris, Muhly Grass.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Friday, T. (2007) Muhly grass puts on a show during the fall.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Santa Rosa County.

Christman, S. (2004) Muhlenbergia capillaris.  Floridata.com Tallahassee, FL.

White Muhly Grass Muhlenbergia capillaris ‘White Cloud’.  Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Plant City Teaching Garden, UF/IFAS.

Gardening Solutions (2015) Bamboo Muhly.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Sachson,  A. (2007) Ornamental Grasses are Right for this Place. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Okeechobee Extension

Friday, T. (2010) The 2010 Florida Plants of the Year. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Santa Rosa County.