Sing the praises of the ‘Song -of- India’

Former houseplants from the north can often find their way outside in our landscapes here in Southwest Florida.  Once of those is the Reflexed Dracaena which is considered an ornamental evergreen multi-stemmed shrub sometimes obtaining small tree size.  There are many cultivars of Reflexed Dracaena available, but perhaps one of the most eye-catching type is called ‘Song-of-India’.  This variety is beautifully variegated and brings a tropical flair to the landscape.

To start, the ‘Song-of-India’ is a bit cold sensitive and will not appreciate temperatures below thirty-four degrees Fahrenheit.  As such, it is best to grow this plant in the warmer areas of Charlotte County or in identified microclimates.  Otherwise,  be prepared to cover it for protection or have it in a container that can be moved under indoors when needed. It does make a great patio, lanai or indoor plant in a large container.   The ‘Song-of-India’ can grow unpruned to over eight feet tall with irregular, multi-stemmed branches and somewhat slow growth.  Each leaf is four to six inches long with interesting variegation.  Young leaves start out green with distinct yellow margins.  As the leaves age, the darker green portion becomes lighter  and the margins blend in with a creamy color and more stripes.  The leaves are arranged in an attractive spiral pattern up the stem.  As the leaves age out and drop, the stem is bare and patterned with the remains of the leaf scares.  At maturity, the ‘Song-of-India’ will actually produce a panicle of flowers consisting of small green to yellow, almost inconspicuous blossoms. For a slightly different color pattern, try ‘Song-of-Jamaica’, a cultivar with stripes of darker and lighter green variegation.

If used in a formal tropical landscape, select a site in a part-sun to bright filtered  light location not exposed to salty conditions – this plant is not salt-tolerant.  As a container grown plant, step it up into continuously larger pots as it grows using a sterile potting medium with good drainage.  Larger containers can even be put on platforms with wheels for easy moving. 

Propagation is very easy using cuttings.  Cuttings are a great way to share this plant with friends as a pass-along plant. The ‘Song-of-India’ can be considered pest-free and a very sustainable plant.   When you see one, you will want one!  For more information on all types of plants suitable for both landscapes and containers, 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:

Brown, S. H. ( 2013) Dracaena reflexa  ‘Song-of India’.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.

Gilman, E. F. ( 2014) Dracaena reflexa Reflexed Dracaena.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.

The queen’s wreath – an appropriate name

Plants that bear the name “Queen” or “King” are often appropriately labeled because of their royal nature.  None could be better named than the Queen’s Wreath or Petrea volubilis.  This magnificent flowering vine is in flower now.  If you have one, enjoy!  For the rest of us, why should we be envious?

The Queen’s Wreath is also called sandpaper vine due to its truly sandpapery leaves.  This evergreen to  deciduous vine is native to Mexico and south into tropical America and the Caribbean, and can grow up to forty feet tall unpruned.  Best maintained as a vine-like shrub, a vine trained on an arbor, or even a free-standing small tree, this plant will flower on and off from February to June.  We have one blooming right now in our Demonstration Garden off of Harbor View Road, and I see one in flower as well at the History Park in Punta Gorda.  The distinctive purple flowers are clustered on racemes up to fourteen inches long.  The individual flowers are made up of a center corolla nestled in a calyx.  Both are purple-blue in color and even after the center corolla falls off, the calyx remains and maintains its attractive appearance.  For something different, there is a rare white cultivar with the same growth habits called ‘Albiflora’.   The Queen’s Wreath is even listed as a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ recommended  plant.

While I have this vine for sale at the larger garden centers on occasion, you could also look for one at the local family-run garden centers.  Plan before you plant as you will want to decide how you will manage your Queen’s Wreath.  Our Extension specimen is supported on a wooden pergola which nicely displays its beauty.  Maintaining this plant as a shrub or small, multi-branched tree will require some pruning.  Also consider  using it along a fence, across a gate, in a large container, a gazebo, or even free-form up a tree.  No matter how you groom your sandpaper vine, plant it in full sun to part shade for best flowering.  Once established, consider this vine to be medium in drought tolerance, but otherwise very carefree and hardy for our area. 

Are you jealous yet?  This is a truly royal flowering vine!  Our Queen’s Wreath is so spectacular that I can even see it from the road! For more information on all types of flowering vines 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:

Brown, S. H. (2013) Petrea volubilis.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County

Gardening Solutions (2017) Queen’s Wreath.  The University of Florida Extension Service

Gilman, E. F. ( 1999) Petrea volubilis.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS

Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Plant City Teaching Garden. (2017)  Queen’s Wreath.  Petrea volubilis. 

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design (2010) The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS.  

Trumpet trees herald spring

The yellow flowers of late winter are in bloom across the county with eye-catching beauty that reinforces the appreciation for our subtropical climate.     What are these ornamental trees that explode with canary-yellow blossoms at this time?  They are one or more species of Tabebuia with names such as the Golden Trumpet tree, the Silver Trumpet tree, and the Yellow Trumpet tree.  All of these trees are small to medium in height and are putting on quite a show right now!

Tabebuia are flowering trees native to tropical America and are valued landscape ornamentals seen throughout South and Central Florida.  The one known as the Silver Trumpet tree is a bit cold tender and better adapted to the warmer parts (and microclimates) of Charlotte County and southward.  The Golden Trumpet tree and the Yellow Trumpet tree are better able to tolerate low winter temperatures here and further north.  The huge blossoms of each type are over three-inches long and about one-inch wide.  These flowers are funnel-like in shape and are arranged in clusters for maximum showiness.  Tabebuia trees are deciduous to semi-deciduous trees in nature making the flower show a pleasant surprise on an otherwise bare woody plant.  The yellow flowers are followed by long seed pods which also have some ornamental interest.  The Silver Trumpet tree has a natural asymmetrical trunk and light-colored, deeply furrowed bark adding to its attractive appearance.  The other two types are more open in growth and are upright in stature.  The leaves on all of these trees are palmate in shape with multiple leaflets. 

Locate trumpet trees in a full sun to part-shade area with well-drained, but moderately moist soil.  All the yellow Tabebuia tend to develop brittle wood as they age.  As such, wind damage can be an issue.  Proper pruning may help train a tree to be more wind-resistant over its lifetime.  Use Tabebuia as a specimen tree in a lawn area where it will best be seen and admired in season. 

Remember the Yellow Trumpet trees as you plan out your landscape – they are Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ recommended plants and real show-offs!  For more information on flowering ornamental trees 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:

Brown, S. H. (2015) Three Yellow Tabebuia Trees of South and Central Florida.  The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS – Lee County.

Gilman, E. F. & Watson, D. G. (2014) Tabebuia chrysotricha: Golden Trumpet Tree.  The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS. 

Gilman, E. F. & Watson, D. G. (2014) Tabebuia caraiba: Trumpet Tree.  The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS.

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design (2010) The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS.