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.  

Go subtropical with loquats

One really great subtropical fruit related to apples, pears, and peaches that grows well in our area is the loquat. Not to be mistaken for kumquats (a type of citrus) I see the tempting orange loquat fruit displayed at this time of year across Charlotte County landscapes. With a bit of a dry season this year, my loquats were a smaller, but extremely sweet!  Hardy, tropical-looking and an edible ornamental, the loquat should be a small tree in every yard. 

The loquat, also known as the Japanese plum or Japanese medlar, is really an underappreciated small tree. Originally grown in China for a thousand years, this handsome tree was introduced to Florida around 1879 where it is mainly a door yard fruit. While loquats are not a crop in Florida, California actually has some small-scale commercial loquat production. Loquats can grow up to 25 feet tall with long leaves (up to 12 inches) that are dark green and leathery to the touch. White fragrant flowers appear from October to February from the rounded canopy of this evergreen tree. Loquats make great trees where overhead space is limited or as a specimen tree or a patio shade tree. While able to tolerate partial shade, this tree will do best in full sun and accommodates nicely to our higher pH soils.

If ornamental foliage is your main goal, try a cultivar called 'Coppertone' which has copper-colored new foliage with pale pink flowers – a very different look!  Another interesting cultivar available is 'Variegata', which has white and green variegated leaves. I have only seen this cultivar in pictures, so it appears to be very rare.  There is another species of loquat called Eriobotrya deflexa or Bronze Loquat which has bright red-bronze or coppery color young foliage, but small inedible fruit.

If fruit is what you are looking for, there are several selected cultivars that provide superior tasting fruit. Keep in mind that loquats can be easily propagated by seed. However, these plants do not produce true from seed and may take up to six years to bear. Superior grafted varieties that produce ripe fruit in February/March include 'Champagne' with yellow skinned, white-fleshed, tart fruit; 'Emanuel' with mildly sweet, good flavored fruit and 'Wolfe' which is sweet-tart, with a good spicy flavor. These grafted loquats will begin to produce in 1-2 years. Loquat fruits are excellent eaten fresh or made into jelly, jam, preserves and pies. The oval/round to pear-shaped fruit grows in clusters of 4-30. The loquat peel is smooth to slightly fuzzy and light yellow to orange in color. The juicy flesh is white to orange and tastes sweet to sub-acid. The flavor and texture reminds me somewhat of an apricot. Watch out - there are 1-10 fairly large seeds in each of the 1-2 inch fruits. Fruit must be tree-ripened for the best flavor. A mature tree may bear from 35-300 pounds of fruit per tree per year.

While loquats are considered somewhat “short-lived” trees living only 20-30 years, I would recommend them for every landscape.  Late February and March starts the season for this fruit when few other fruits are readily available. Try this tree and its tasty fruit this year! For more information on all types of fruit trees and other gardening issues, 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. & Watson, D.G. (2016) Eriobaotrya japonica: Loquat, UF/IFAS Extension Service.

Gilman, E.F. & Watson, D.G. (2014) Eriobotrya deflexa: Bronze Loquat, UF/IFAS Extension Service.

Gilman, E.F. & Watson, D.G. (2016) Eriobotrya japonica 'Coppertone': 'Coppertone' Loquat, UF/IFAS

Extension Service.

Gilman, E.F. & Watson, D.G. (2016), Eriobotrya japonica 'Variegata': 'Variegata' Loquat UF/IFAS Extension Service.

Crane, J.H. and Caldeira, M.L. (2016), Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape, UF/IFAS Extension Service.

Your friendly neighborhood sausage tree

By all accounts, the sausage tree is perhaps one of the most unusual large trees in our area.  There are not too many in Charlotte County to begin with which is understandable in light of its large size and gigantic dangling sausage-shaped fruit.  You may have seen at least one in Punta Gorda, and I saw one in Naples the other day which spurred my interest in writing this article.  Is there a sausage tree in your neighborhood?

The sausage tree is originally from tropical Africa where it is widely used as a food source by many animals including giraffes, monkeys, hippos, and bush pigs.  Bats and nocturnal insect pollinators visit the large flowers at night and large bees use them by day.  Certain birds also eat the seeds, and the leaves are fed on by elephants and certain antelopes.  Keep in mind however, that the fruit is toxic to humans.   The tree is highly ornamental and has been grown around the world in tropical regions.  With grey, smooth to peeling bark and pinnate evergreen leaves, the sausage tree is a specimen worthy of a botanical garden collection.  The flowers are also very ornamental as they hang in clustered panicles.  These flowers, bell-like in shape, are reddish in color and over three inches wide.  It is the fruit of course that makes a sausage tree, a sausage tree.  Described as a “woody berry”, these sausage-like, over two-foot long and fifteen pound fruits remind me of gigantic corn-dogs hanging from long, stout stems.  Unfortunately, the falling fruit is a hazard and can drop on people and cars causing damage, so select your tree site carefully!

This large tree can grow upwards to fifty feet tall and wide and is best grown in a hardiness zone of at least 10a unless you have identified a warm micro-climate.  Not a tree that would fit a normal residential lot, consider this woody ornamental for more expansive sites with plenty of room to grow this exceedingly unique tree.  Maybe the sausage tree is not your cup of tea, but it is still fascinating and a conversation piece.  So, perhaps just plan to visit your closest sausage tree in a neighborhood near you!  For more information on all types of exotic ornamental trees, 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:

National Gardening Association (2017) Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana)

Wikipedia (2017) Kigelia 

Weep no more – the weeping bottlebrush is here!

Several types of the plant genus Callistemon, or bottlebrush, are common sights in many local grounds.  In fact, there are several species well-adapted to Southwest Florida that have been grown here successfully for many years.  This article will highlight the Weeping Bottlebrush, Callistemon viminalis – a tree sure to add interest to any landscape.

The mature Weeping Bottlebrush in full bloom is a spectacular sight!  This is a small to medium-sized tree that can grow to about twenty feet in height and width.  This tree is best used in full sun and needs a moist, but still well drained soil, as the roots will rot in a wet location.  While a good yard tree, the weeping habit and pendulous branches should be kept in mind if cars are parked nearby or if people must pass by the planting site.  It is this weeping habit, however, that makes this tree so spectacular.  Just like many other “weeping” trees, the branches hang downward with limber twigs displayed in an almost umbrella-like fashion.   Weeping trees are normally mutations that were discovered and cultivated – some may even be grafted to accentuate the weeping appearance.  One particularly excellent cultivar of weeping bottlebrush is 'Red Cascade' which has large red flowers from March through July with lesser blossoming the rest of the year.  Even without flowers, this parasol-like tree is amazing.

This bottlebrush is an excellent hummingbird plant with very bright red flower spikes that are a natural attractant to these birds.  The flowers make a real show in season and are followed by long-lasting, interesting fruit capsules.  The plant is evergreen and does not produce a litter problem.  This bottlebrush is also very drought tolerant once established.  The weeping bottlebrush, like other bottlebrush trees, does not tolerate soil that is too alkaline, however.

Take a closer look at this eye-catching woody plant.  Once you have seen the brilliant flower display and graceful weeping nature, you will be convinced that this bottlebrush, a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant, will make your landscape complete!  For more information on all types of flowering trees, 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. & Watson, D. G. (2014) Callistemon viminalis 'Red Cascade' Weeping Bottlebrush, The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

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

Christman, S. (2007) Callistemon viminalis.  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, FL.

A different type of oregano – ornamental and edible

Dual purpose plants are a boon to landscapes where gardeners are looking for vegetation that provides both edible and ornamental features.  I first encountered the Cuban Oregano when I lived in the West Indies where it was called things like “Thick-Leaved Thyme” or “Big Thyme.” Also called “Vicks© Salve”, “Vicks© Plant”, “Mexican Mint”, “Indian Borage” and “Spanish Thyme”, Cuban oregano is a wonderful plant suitable for our area.  Have you seen the Cuban oregano or is it already in your garden? 

Originally from Southern and Eastern Africa, this perennial plant is noted for its aromatic leaves.  The large thick and velvety leaves are grey-green in color, while the variegated cultivar is edged in white with an attractive blotchy lighter/darker green interior.  Growing upwards to nineteen inches tall and spreading much wider, the Cuban oregano grows rapidly and eventually produces stems of purplish flowers.  I planted one rooted cutting of Cuban oregano and it easily filled in a five by five foot patch of garden over one summer season.   Not only does this plant make a good groundcover in your herb garden, but also is an excellent container plant when complemented with other herbs. 

Grow Cuban oregano in well-drained soil in a semi-shaded area.  This plant does not tolerate frost and will need protection during cold weather.  Once established, this very succulent perennial plant will need to be watered only sparingly. 

Use this herb according to your tastes and needs.  The camphor and menthol scent can be overpowering if used in excess, so carefully flavor with Cuban oregano.  While you may find Cuban oregano at local garden centers, I find that there are specimens available at almost every community plant sale - that is where I purchased mine – or just pick up a cutting or two from a gardening friend.  Cuban oregano is a true pass-along plant that has certainly traveled the world based on its popularity.

So, try to have at least one Cuban oregano plant in your yard to look at, use in cooking, or simply brush by to release its refreshing fragrance.  Its many uses will make you a fan for life!  For information on all types of herbs easily 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:

Gardening Solutions- Cuban Oregano – The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS

Jordi, R. (2006) Cuban oregano.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Wikipedia.com (2017) Plectranthus amboinicus.