(Bismarck Palm)

What a grand silvery palm! Bismarck palm is an evergreen native to Madagascar. It has a single, stout trunk and a symmetrical crown consisting of large, waxy, silver to blue-green, fan-shaped palm fronds. Its flowers are yellow and occur in the crown of foliage.

Drought tolerant and heat-loving, Bismarck palm requires full sun and does well in a wide range of well drained soil types. Too much shade and the leaves are not as silvery. Its growth and habit will be much better if given ample water...

(Brazilian Treefern, Dwarf Treefern)

Dwarf tree fern is a perennial evergreen fern with bright green, lance-like fronds on a slender trunk-like rhizome. They appear in the center crown, unrolling upwards, resembling a fiddlehead. Over time, fronds can grow quite long and beautiful.

Plant dwarf tree fern in moist, fertile, acidic soil in shade and water frequently during the warmth of the growing season. Increased humidity aids in the best development of perfect fronds. Its formal appearance makes a striking accent in the shady tropical...

(Dwarf Treefern, Silver Lady Treefern)

'Silver Lady' is a perennial evergreen fern selection with mildly silvery-green, lance-like fronds on a slender trunk-like rhizome. Over time, fronds can grow quite long and beautiful.

Plant Silver Lady tree fern in moist, fertile, acidic soil in shade and water frequently during the warmth of the growing season. Increased humidity aids in the best development of perfect fronds. Its formal appearance makes a striking accent in the shady tropical garden. Also this fern would be pretty as a containerized...

(Deer Fern)

Growing in clumping tufts of glossy green fronds, deer fern is short in stature but spreads vigorously with its hairy, dark, fleshy roots. This is an evergreen perennial fern, native to western North America, northern and eastern Asia and Europe.

The fronds emerge from the plant center as a reddish-brown stem that unrolls as the leaves appear. Each frond is long and narrow due to relatively short leaflets. Since ferns do not flower but reproduce by spores, the undersides of the fronds will become...

(Bletia Orchid, Orchid)

Intrigue, murder and thievery have followed the orchid; world explorations have been launched and fortunes won all in the pursuit of these exotic flowers. Since the 19th century, when tropical orchids were first introduced to Europe, orchids have inspired human desire and greed because of their rarity, collectability and indescribable beauty.

In geologic time Orchidaceae is a relatively new plant family. Yet, it is one of the largest families among flowering plants with more than ~880 genera,...

(Orchid, Urn Orchid)

Intrigue, murder and thievery have followed the orchid; world explorations have been launched and fortunes won all in the pursuit of these exotic flowers. Since the 19th century, when tropical orchids were first introduced to Europe, orchids have inspired human desire and greed because of their rarity, collectability and indescribable beauty.

In geologic time Orchidaceae is a relatively new plant family. Yet, it is one of the largest families among flowering plants with more than ~880 genera,...

(False Aster, Pink Beauty False Aster, White Doll's Daisy)

This boltonia, ‘Pink Beauty,’ is a selection of a hardy, upright perennial native to the central and eastern U.S. The plant grows as a cluster of upright stems, leafy at the base, less leafy at the top, where they branch many times to form clusters of small,upward-facing, daisy flowers with narrow pink petals and a small yellow center. Flowering begins in autumn and at full bloom the plant is a high cloud of light pink above a dense forest of narrow, stiff, green stems. In full sun the plant is reliably...

(Bombax Family)

The bombax family comprises some 30 genera and 250 species of tropical and subtropical trees, many native to arid or semi-arid regions. Closely allied to the Malvaceae (mallow family), members of the Bombacaceae are distinguished primarily by their imposing stature, their bundled (or "fascicled") stamens, and their smooth (rather than spiny) pollen. Many have swollen, bulbous, light-wooded trunks rich in water-storing tissue. These make striking but ultimately massive ornamental trees for tropical...

(Cotton Tree)

The bombax family comprises some 30 genera and 250 species of tropical and subtropical trees, many native to arid or semi-arid regions. Closely allied to the Malvaceae (mallow family), members of the Bombacaceae are distinguished primarily by their imposing stature, their bundled (or "fascicled") stamens, and their smooth (rather than spiny) pollen. Many have swollen, bulbous, light-wooded trunks rich in water-storing tissue. These make striking but ultimately massive ornamental trees for tropical...

(Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree)

This large, spiny, buttress-trunked deciduous tree has long been cultivated for its showy red flowers and fiber-filled seedpods. It is native to arid river valleys and open woodlands from India to northern Australia.

The spreading branches of this tropical tree are lined with large, hand-shaped, long-stemmed leaves, each with five to seven oval leaflets. The huge, waxy, red to orange-red blooms open from plump green buds in late winter and early spring, a week or two before the leaves emerge....