Favorite plants

Philodendrons have a unique way of growing. They are nearly all strong vertical growers and will shoot up a tree or palm quite quickly. As the vine grows upward the successive leaves will increase in size, from juvenile to adult, reaching for the brighter areas of the canopy. The difference in size from the juvenile (typically what one sees in a philodendron house plant) to adult can be astonishing. We see a leaf produced at the base of the tree measure approximately 6" to 8" long, but by the time the vine has reached the tree top a new leaf could be two to three feet in length. The flowers are fragrant and beautiful. Fact is, the flower is actually a spathe and spadix arrangement, with the center spadix being the pollen barer. Reproduction gets quite complicated from here, but suffice to say, it involves a beetle to get the job done.

This Philodendron has a cataphyll (a protective sheath for
the new leaf) that is bright red.

One of the larger leaf philodendrons

Planting a fragrant Philodendron near your patio
will make being outside at night even better.

Plants with lovely forms 2

Here ia another Florida native named the Keys Silver Palm. Although Coccothrinax argentata is not endemic, we like to call it our own. The silver, which is a common evolutionary outcome in plants, can be seen when the frond is turned upside down. The weeping habit of the fronds give an impression of a droopy slumbering plant that, with a little nudge, would straighten up and act like other palms. This palm is a cousin of the palm from yesterdays post, Thrinax radiata, albeit smaller and more delicate.

Coccothrinax argentata in my garden.

Coccothrinax argentata growing wild at Bahia Honda State Park
in the middle of the Florida Keys.

Bahia Honda State Park holds the winner for the
oldest Coccothrinax argentata in the United States,
which some estimate up to 200 years old.



Plants with lovely forms 1

When people from non tropical zones are asked about palm trees they invariably will go to the ones best known, Coconuts Palm (Cocos nucifera), Washingtonia Palm (Washingtonia robusta), Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) and Date Palm (Phoenix dacctylifera). But with about 2600 species, and growing, in this plant family, one could spend a lifetime in study and still not have a handle on all the complexity. Now that nurseries today are growing a surprisingly large variety of palms, gardeners in the warm climes can become hooked on cultivating these uniquely formed flora. I enjoy the family members from this part of the world and will tend to use them more often than not in the gardens I design. Here's my favorite, the Florida Thatch Palm, Thrinax radiata.



The smaller scale of Thrinax radiata
lends itself to small planting areas.



Here are some very old specimens,
most likley over 50 years in age.