I'm looking for some ideas for a tree that will tolerate Florida's weather (doesn't need dormancy), has good bonsai tendencies regarding care, leaf size, ramification, etc, and explodes in colorful flowers predictably every year. What are some suggestions? Love me some bougainvillea, but hate me some thorns, so that one's a no-go. I don't like trees that bite.
Project flowering tree ideas for Florida
- Thread starter Matt B
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19Mateo83
Masterpiece
How do crepe myrtles do in Florida? They are a southern staple.
Lutonian
Chumono
there a few species of Halesia native to usa and Halesia carolina is native to florida never seen one as bonsai, might make a nice native tree
crab apple
Shohin
I'm interested to hear of any flowering species also. Yaupon Hollys have nice red berries, but not flowers.
SWfloirda
Chumono
What part of Florida? We have zones 8-11 there are plenty of trees that would do well in the panhandle but not in the keys and vice versa. I'm fairly certain the Halesia mentioned above would do well in the panhandle but not in the south.
Here in zone 10: Water Jasmine, Hibiscus, Chinese Sweet Plum (I've only had mine for one year, it was full of blooms in September but the hurricane defoliated it)
It does seem as if the best bloomers come with thorns in the tropics.
Here in zone 10: Water Jasmine, Hibiscus, Chinese Sweet Plum (I've only had mine for one year, it was full of blooms in September but the hurricane defoliated it)
It does seem as if the best bloomers come with thorns in the tropics.
jeffapana
Sapling
barbados cherry, crepe myrtle, lavender star, blue bell (thorns), powderpuff, neea, simpsons stopper, chinese hat, serissa, singapore holly, lantana, thunbergia, vitex, desert rose...depending on growing zone and how often/showy you want it to flower.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
I like the blue bell a lot.
Leo in N E Illinois
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Here's one;
An endangered species from the Bahamas. Nashia inaguensis, in the verbena family. Called Bahamaberry by some, was popular as "indoor bonsai" a decade or two ago. It is a woody shrub to 5 feet tall. Lovely herbal fragrant foliage, small white flowers with a distinct sweet vanilla fragrance. Used to be carried by Wiegert's. A lovely shrub for a shohin to medium size. It tends to be thin without substantial trunks, so it tends to border on the line between houseplant and bonsai. But Nashia is a lovely tropical shrub none the less.
An endangered species from the Bahamas. Nashia inaguensis, in the verbena family. Called Bahamaberry by some, was popular as "indoor bonsai" a decade or two ago. It is a woody shrub to 5 feet tall. Lovely herbal fragrant foliage, small white flowers with a distinct sweet vanilla fragrance. Used to be carried by Wiegert's. A lovely shrub for a shohin to medium size. It tends to be thin without substantial trunks, so it tends to border on the line between houseplant and bonsai. But Nashia is a lovely tropical shrub none the less.
crab apple
Shohin
bougainvillea
Leo in N E Illinois
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Another, look for one of the smaller leaf species of Bauhinia, the "orchid tree". Top Tropicals used to carry some of the small leafed varieties. I'd check Wiegert's too. Bauhinia are woody trees, not just shrubs, they can make decent trees.
Leo in N E Illinois
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Just did a search, Meehan's has Nashia
www.meehansminiatures.com
Indoor Plants :: Part Sun Indoor :: Nashia Inaguanesis 3.5" pot
Plant shown in picture grown in a 3 5 potThis tropical shrub is native to the Caribbean hence the common name Bahama Berry With fragrant crunchy leaves and tiny clusters of pale yellow flowers that produce small orang berries the Nashia makes an interesting and excellent choice for growing and
Leo in N E Illinois
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Below are 3 smaller leaf species of Bauhinia. Most Bauhinia have large leaves that don't reduce well. The are generally frost intolerant, or maybe survive just a few degrees of frost. Full sun, keep moist.
toptropicals.com
toptropicals.com
toptropicals.com
Bauhinia grandidieri - Dwarf Blue Orchid Tree
Bauhinia grandidieri - Dwarf Blue Orchid Tree | Rare plants for sale. Buy unusual flowers, plants for garden and home. | Over 5000 plants. | Photos | Videos | Educational information | Online store of tropical exotic plants. Visit our Garden Center in Fort Myers, Florida or Sebring, Florida, or...
toptropicals.com
Bauhinia galpinii - seeds
Bauhinia galpinii - seeds | Rare plants for sale. Buy unusual flowers, plants for garden and home. | Over 5000 plants. | Photos | Videos | Educational information | Online store of tropical exotic plants. Visit our Garden Center in Fort Myers, Florida or Sebring, Florida, or shop online.
toptropicals.com
Bauhinia racemosa - seeds
Bauhinia racemosa - seeds | Rare plants for sale. Buy unusual flowers, plants for garden and home. | Over 5000 plants. | Photos | Videos | Educational information | Online store of tropical exotic plants. Visit our Garden Center in Fort Myers, Florida or Sebring, Florida, or shop online.
toptropicals.com
SWfloirda
Chumono
This looks like an interesting one for me. Available at Top Tropical in Fort Myers. $32 for a 1 gallon sounds a little steep but maybe worth seeing in person.
Just cut the thorns off.
I'm in Tampa, so I guess mid-Florida. I don't mind if I had to bring it inside during a cold snap, but not for weeks or months. I was with my family in Port Charlotte for the storm. Fortunately, my trees were safe and sound in Tampa.
The water jasmine is out because the flowers are white. Hibiscus is out because the flowers are abnormally large, and look out of proportion to the tree. The sweet plum looks intriguing, though. How difficult are they to care for? Any special concerns like pests or soil needs?
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I suppose, but all the new growth will come in packed with thorns, and if I know bougies, they grow like weeds. Which of course means lots and lots of new growth.
When I look around at all the hybrids they produce these days, I marvel that nobody thought to create a bougie hybrid with no thorns. There are at least a hundred varieties of desert rose with all kinds of different flower colors.
Maybe I should stop complaining and get a nice bougie. There are potentially hundreds of yamadori in yards everywhere that the property owners would probably pay me to remove. LOL
I have quite a few and have never really had an issue with the thorns.
They grow everywhere, like weeds. Almost to the point of not noticing them. Which is sad, because if they don't stand out or present as unique, people wonder why you have a pot with a well-groomed weed in it. LOL
Sadly, they are loaded with thorns, which is what I'm trying to avoid.
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