Tropical Plants

This perennial, succulent, tropical bulb from Africa is very unique. The bulb grows on top of the soil and sends up a long twining vine with small, dark green leaves and small, star-shaped white blooms in summer. It is easy to grow in well-drained soil and good light. Item # 846.

This perennial, succulent, tropical bulb from Africa is very unique. The bulb grows on top of the soil and sends up a long twining vine with small, dark green leaves and small, star-shaped white blooms in summer. It is easy to grow in well-drained soil and good light. item # 9015

This perennial, succulent, tropical bulb from Africa is very unique. The bulb grows on top of the soil and sends up a long twining vine with small, dark green leaves and small, star-shaped white blooms in summer. It is easy to grow in well-drained soil and good light. item # 11845

The spikes of ball-shaped deep red-pink buds uncurl into deep rosy pink and cream flowers that may be produced throughout the year on mature plants and are sure to attract low-flying hummingbirds and some larger bees. Coastal Gem Grevillea is a very low growing nearly ground-hugging, evergreen, subtropical shrub that tops out at about 1' high and can reach 4-5' feet across at maturity. It makes an easy choice as an evergreen groundcover in tough situations where hardy or add it to rock and xeric gardens for a long-flowering specimen plant. Coastal Gem Grevillea is one of the few US hybrids and was developed at the University of California's Santa Cruz Arboretum and has proven to be cold hardy well into zone 8. It is tolerant of full sun to part sun conditions and needs little supplemental water once well-established in the garden and landscape. Grevilleas can be maintained as container plants where not hardy and the flowers make long-lasting cutflowers. Do not use phosphorous containing fertilizers, especially in soil-less potting mixes and soils low in Iron. Item# 12639

Won numerous trial awards across the US in 2020! The large tropical looking, cupped, dark olive green glossy foliage shows off the near black to deep burgundy veining on the leaf undersides as well as the contrasting dark black to deep burgundy stems. Coffee Cups Elephant Ear is a naturally evergreen, rhizomatous tropical that acts like a die-back perennial in zones 8-9 returning from the roots and crown in spring. This cultivar does produce runners in late summer to fall which can be removed to prevent spreading it can also be enjoyed as a container plant. Be sure to dispose of any plant parts responsibly to ensure that it does not escape. Elephant Ears grow best in a moist to wet, fertile soil in a full to mostly sunny site. Item# 10342

The large, glossy, dark green, tropical foliage of the Congo Fig, Dorstenia bahiensis, creates a beautiful rosette of foliage on a 2-4" high stem that will rarely exceed 12" high and about 18" wide making it the perfect little container plant. Unusual flattened maroonish 'flowers', technically hypanthodia, are produced basically year-round and are held on sturdy stalks and peak above the foliage of this easy and unusual indoor plant. The flower structures forcefully eject the ripened seeds a few feet from the mother plant. The cream to tan colored seeds require no pollination and are clones of the parent plant and so often come up in the pots of neighboring plants. The Congo Fig is quite tolerant of low to high indirect light and is forgiving when it comes to moisture levels but the plants seem to be happiest in a well-draining, average moist, fertile soil. Item# 10055

The stiff ferny fronds are adorned with numerous thick leathery medium to deep green leaflets often with a bronze tinge and emerge from what becomes an underground trunk. The Coontie, Zamia integrifolia (a.k.a Z. pumila), is a small tough southeastern native Cycad that eventually develops an underground trunk that will branch with age creating a dense 24-36" high cover of the soft to medium textured fronds. It is resistant to drought, tolerates high heat and humidity, sun or shade, and is a very low maintainence addition to the landscape. In areas that experience hard freezes, like zone 8, the foliage may freeze back but a new flush readily returns in spring. Makes an easy bonsai and a low maintenance container plant. Item# 12729

Vibrant red, single Hibiscus blooms bring elegance and poise to the chaos of color brought on by the brilliantly variegated foliage which is randomly splashed in shades of burgundy, red, pink, white, and green. A vigorous growing Tropical Hibiscus. Makes a wonderful full bushy Hibiscus or small tree standard where it provides a loud summer long splash of tropical foliage color. For the best foliage colors grow Cooper's Variegated Hibiscus in full sunlight and where it gets plenty of warmth. Item # 806.

Foliage is splashed, streaked, and spotted with colors ranging from deep burgundy to a reddish-pink. A great splash of color from spring to fall.  item # 370

Deep rusty red, red, to burgundy foliage with fine rounded teeth is narrowly edged in starkly contrasting yellow to neon yellow and is sure to provide a summer long splash of hot and spicy color. Copperhead Coleus has a naturally full and densely branching upright to rounded habit, growing a little taller than wide typically. Its compact habit lends it to use as specimen container plants, in mixed container gardens, as well as to liven up the garden and landscape from spring to frost. Copperhead is both sun and shade tolerant and will generally have the deepest most intense coloration where it receives more than about 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. The colors will be only slightly muted in light shade where it leans more toward the rusty reds with a chartreuse to neon yellow edging. Copperhead Coleus won high marks in Penn State's 2021 Trial Gardens in both sun (4.79 out of 5) and shade(4.96 out of 5) containers. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12945

The large, deep coppery red tropical-looking foliage is accented by random splashes, flecks, and patches in red, pink, and orange tones when grown in sunny conditions. In shade the colors are less intense and lean toward bronze, pink, green tones. Copperhead Copper Plant is a moderately vigorous selection with a naturally upright to rounded habit. This heat and sun-loving, naturally evergreen tropical shrub is well suited for use as a thriller in mixed container gardens, as specimen container plants, as well as for a tropical accent in sunny gardens and landscapes providing continuous color from spring to frost. Foliage colors often intensify as summer wanes and autumn approaches. Provide your Copperplants with an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and health. Copperhead is very similar to Louisiana Red. Item# 12587

Coming again for 2022! The Coral Firecracker Fern produces loads of 1" salmon tubular flowers that are born in large loose clusters along the arching ferny stems throughout the warmer months of the year or nearly year round where winters are mild. Excellent for Hummingbirds! Plant it with the red and yellow for a colorful combination. This is a durable and long-lived, clump forming perennial that requires little additional care once well-established. The Firecracker Fern has excellent heat and sun tolerance as well as moderate drought resistance once well-established. It is even listed as being suitable for xeriscaping. Firecracker Fern, Russelia equisetiformis, is listed as a Texas A&M Outstanding Coastal Plant as it has excellent resistance to soil and wind born salts, though it could use some protection from harsh, drying winds. It is also an RHS Award of Garden Merit selection. It can be used as a low informal hedge, allow it to spill over walls, enjoy it as a hanging basket, window box, or container specimen, as well as in mixed container gardens. Item# 992

The true demand  is for the VIGNA  Caracalla, a favorite of Thomas Jefferson's, the Corskscrew Vine, Snail Vine, or Caracalla Bean produces large clusters of fragrant white and lavender coiling buds and flowers that fade to a creamy yellow just before dropping. The Corkscrew Vine is a vigorous climber that grows from a tuberous, somewhat potato-like, root that it can return from in mild winter climates. The intricate late summer and fall blooming flowers attract a variety of pollinators, particularly larger bees. Item# 373.

There exists a "Corkscrew vine, a.k.a. Snail vine" that looks very similar to the V. caracallas vine, but has no fragrance, and can become a pest.  It is more hardy  of the two.   We do not grow it.  

A very unique Tropical Hibiscus, Corona del Rey Hibiscus produces an abundance of 4-5" purple flowers that are edged in rosy-pink.The unusually colored flowers are subtended by mediumsized, dark green, tropical foliage that is typically, but not always, deeply serrated. A semi dwarf plant with a bushy and generally spreading to upright habit. Item# 9332.

Costa Rican Blue Salvia produces large spikes of exceptionally large bluish purple tubular flowers that emerge from darkly colored calyxes in summer and fall above the soft, somewhat bluish green foliage. Considered by some to be a selection of Salvia guaranitica, and possibly a tetraploid or hybrid, it differs in its larger more robust habit, larger flowers that start later in the summer, and its very pubescent foliage. Excellent for hummingbirds and other long tongued pollinators. Provide a full sun to part shade location in an average moist to moist acidic well-drained moderately fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item#10233

The large 8" long, white to greenish white, dangling angel's trumpet-like, night fragrant flowers are produced over an extended period a few times a year and the plants begin flowering at a very young age. Cubanola or Campanita, Portlandia domingensis, is a naturally evergreen small tree-like tropical shrub with glossy rich green foliage growing to about 5-8' high. It is shade tolerant but is reported to flower the most profusely where it gets more sun. The night fragrant flowers attract a variety of pollinating moths and makes a neat addition to a moon moth garden either as a container plant or in the ground where reliably hardy. Provide an average moist well-drained soil for optimum growth and flowering. Item# 12229

The deep green 4-angled succulent stems are tipped with deep green fuzzy palmate grape or cucumber-like foliage that soon becomes deciduous. The Cucumber Cactus, Cissus quadrangularis, is an easy to succulent herbaceous vining to trailing plant whose stems can potentially grow to 5-15' long if a support is provided but is easily kept as a smaller hanging basket or container plant. In spring it may produce clusters of small green to yellowish flowers that may be followed by grape-like clusters of red to black berries. This unusual succulent is drought resistant and is quite adaptable to growing conditions from full sun to light shade as well as very acidic to very alkaline soils, although, it does require good to excellent drainage and should never be soggy wet. The Cucumber Cactus has been used medicinally,as food, and as fiber in its native tropical Asia and Africa. If stems happen to break off they will readily root. Item# 12438

A rare Angel's Trumpet that produces split petalled hanging white trumpets that are held among the very narrow, dark green, velvety foliage. The 6-8'', fragrant, pure white blooms are formed of loose petals that twist and flare out at the bottom like a petticoat. Culebra Angel's Trumpet is not as large growing as many of its cousins and so is easily maintained as a container plant. Item# 9351.

8" long fragrant golden trumpets with purple veins are borne from winter through spring on this large scrambling tropical climber. A very unusual and easily grown specimen plant that is quite tolerant of seaside conditions. An excellent choice for large trellises and arbors or as an espalier. Item # 375.