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Tropical Flowers

ALPINIAS (Gingers)

The scent of the lance like leaves when brushed up against is a spicy bouquet of gingerly scent which is unforgettable. Some of the alpinia listed have different pubesens, waxy cascading shell like flowers or soft cerise bracts of reds and pinks or even cone-shaped. Whichever you prefer, the leaves have that wonderful aroma. Alpinias are easy to grow requiring well draining soil kept on the moist side and preferring humidity and partial sun/shade. Some varieties will not tolerate periods of cold temperatures and others are more hardier. They make very impressive container plants or can be planted in the garden and removed for winter storage.

COSTUS (Gingers)

Costus is the wonderful world of spiral ginger. Its foliage spirals around bamboo like stalks, know for this species. Some varieties have a velvety soft texture on the backs of its leaves, while others maybe smooth with purple undersides. Its bracts and flowers can range from a cone like bract, pineapple shaped or soft crepe like flowers emerging from green cones. Very easy to grow, they do well in partial sun in mild climates and partial shade in hot climates. They love a rich well draining soil kept on the moist side. They make beautiful garden specimens or container plants for the garden or patio.

CURCUMA (Gingers)

Curcumas are the unimaginable world of hidden gingers, which get its name from some of the varieties because they bare there flowers on short stalks amid its foliage. Foliage is lush, broad and sometimes pleated. Curcumas love filtered light or light shade and enjoy moist soil. Blooms appear spring, summer or fall depending on variety. They should be fed with a good application of fertilizer in early spring to produce an exciting and unusual flower that can be enjoyed for weeks. All varieties listed are very hardy, but go dormant for the winter where they will die down to rest. Keep on the dry side while resting for the winter. We offer the newest varieties available!

Hedychiums (Ginger)

Hedychiums make a marvelous tropical subject for the garden. They fill air with breathtaking fragrances of their blooms. There are many ranges of color which include reds, pinks, whites, yellows, oranges and soft pastel shades. Showy butterfly shaped blooms emerge from the terminal spike atop a cane like growth. We are happy to say we carry one of the best hedychium selections around with many new varieties and some old. Hedychiums grow in any good garden soil or potted container and are not particular about drainage. They prefer a little afternoon shade of filtered light in warmer climates. Very hardy they can take temperature to almost freezing. Hedychiums will reward you with lush green tropical foliage and exquisite fragrant flowers summer through fall!

Globba

Pendulous bracts of purple, yellow and white and vivid colored flowers are adorn on the small petite plants, sometimes called Dancing Girls or Ladies. Short 1' to 3' they can be grown in containers or garden. They prefer filtered sunlight, moist soil and average feeding. A summer/fall bloomer they go dormant for the winter to rest, as warmer temperatures approach new growth beings May-June. Fertilize in early spring. Look for new varieties for mid 97.

Calathea

Dark green pleated ovate leaves adorn these beautiful and unusual plants. The bracts can range in shape from glistening beehive shape flower bracts to rattlesnake tail shape. Flowers are the most gorgeous of the marantaceae family. Truly a tropical wonder! Calatheas love heat and humidity and should be shaded from hot direct sunlight. They may be grown outdoors in the garden or as container specimens kept on the moist side and fed nutritional fertilizer, they will flourish and give you years of enjoyment. Rhizomes can be lifted in cold winter climates and stored. Easily grown tropical!

Musa Ornamental Banana

Bananas of exquisite taste and grandeur. All of our bananas are easy to grow and flower and add lush tropical feel to any garden. They can be grown and over wintered by removing from the soil, cutting back foliage and keeping above freezing. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer during the growing season.

Musa Banana (Fruiting)

Bananas are becoming more popular everyday, there fun to grow and one of the easiest ways to create a tropical setting. Very quick to mature, most bananas produce in their second year when given care. Known for their delicious fruit, their many tastes and textures, most are better than those purchased at the market. All bananas love full to partial sun and generous amounts of water and fertile soil. A regular fertilizing program is highly recommended to maintain productive healthy growth and to produce the largest bananas possible. When starting bananas from a corm, it is always essential to have good drainage. The soil should be slightly moist not soggy. Careful monitoring of water is a must in the rooting stage to avoid rotting. When container planting we recommend that you give at least 3" to 4" of space between the corm and the sides of the container or it can be planted directly in the garden when temperatures reach 50 degrees or warmer.

Heliconia

Heliconia are grown for their beautiful, brilliant colorful flowering bracts. Breathtaking and unusual flowerheads (bracts) rise from clumps of banana like leaves, sometimes very large or slender. Their height may on some species vary from as small as 2' to 25' depending on variety.

Heliconia are actually highly modified leaves and bracts, their colorful bracts may be erect, pendulous or spiraling with bracts in the shapes of bird's beaks, lobster claws or fan shaped and colors of reds, pinks, golds, oranges and splashes of a mixture of colors. Some Heliconia are an excellent choice for container plants that can be grown indoors for the winter and moved outdoors for the spring and summer.

Rhizomes should be planted in a well draining soil with the very tip protruding out of the soil. Water thoroughly and let dry out somewhat between watering. If kept too wet, there is a good chance they may rot. Average temperatures should be least 60° F, some varieties are much more hardier and can take cooler temperatures. They require bright light and are heavy feeders of any well balanced fertilizer.

Plumeria

Plumerias (Frangipani) also known as the Lei flower, is native to warm tropical areas of the Pacific Islands, Caribbean, South America and Mexico.

Plumerias can grow to be large shrubs or even small trees in mild areas of the U.S. In tropical regions, Plumeria may reach a height of 30' to 40' and half as wide. They have widely spaced thick succulent branches, round or pointed, long leather, fleshy leaves in clusters near the branch tips. Sensitive to cold, leaves tend to fall in early winter since they are deciduous. In colder climates they should be grown in containers. They make beautiful potted plants for the patio or greenhouse.

In milder climates, plumeria can be grown outdoors in the ground, where they may be a small beautiful landscape trees. When temperatures dip into the low 40's they may be stored in their containers or uprooted carefully trying to take as much root as possible and stored over winter in a heated basement or garage where temperatures are kept above freezing. As soon as temperatures rise outdoors they can be brought out and planted again. They will resume growth, leaf out and begin to grow as if nothing happened.

The real payoff comes during the early summer through the early fall months, when very fragrant clusters of showy, waxy flowers provide the makings for your own Hawaiian Lei. There is absolutely nothing like the sweet fragrance of Plumeria in flower, with fragrances of jasmine, citrus, spices, gardenia, and other indescribable scents. These flowers are treasured by the Polynesian Islanders for their durability, fragrances and colors of whites, yellows, pinks, reds, and multiple pastels.

Flowering can last up to 3 months at a time producing new blooms everyday. Once picked, a bloom can last for several days without wilting if kept in water.

Nerium (Oleander)

An evergreen shrub. Moderate to fast growth, most varieties reach a maximum height of 6' to 10' and 5' wide if not pruned for shape. Easily trained into a handsome single or many trunked tree. Narrow leathery leaves are dark green and glossy clustered at the twig or branches. Flowers 2" to 3" across clustered at the twig or branch ends. Blooms May to October. A near relative to Plumeria!

CANNAS

Cannas are an easy to grow tropical plant that will beautify your yard for years to come. We have chosen the hardiest and most exotic Cannas available. Glorious flowers from white, yellows, pinks, reds and multiple pastels are graced by some of the most interesting and colorful foliage one could ask for. Everything from striped to burgundy red and luxuriant dark green. These versatile plants can be used as center pieces in your garden, or in a mass as a background for other tropicals. And some of our dwarfs are perfect for borders in planting beds.
Growing from underground rhizomes, Cannas are considered herbaceous perennials and are semi-root hardy. They will not tolerate freezing conditions, but may be lifted and stored for the winter. These easy to care for plants prefer full sun to partial shade, generous amounts of water and a regular fertilizer program.

Tropical Vines

Exquisite and hard to find, We are happy to include this array of wonderful tropical vines. The vines offered are semi-tropical to tropical and found throughout the Pacific Islands, Caribbean, Asia and South America. Most tropical vines are grown in partial shade and can climb to great heights in their natural habitat. We recommend that they be grown outdoors in partial shade / shade in the Spring / Summer months and brought indoors for Fall and Winter months. All vines can be grown as container plants. Vines require good draining soil; yet kept on the moist side, A fertilizer high in Phosphorus should be used in Spring to promote bud and flowering in the Summer / Fall.

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