If you cook, garden or decorate, you’ll be happy to know that the Pantone Color Institute has announced “Greenery” as the 2017 Color of the Year. Not your everyday, plain ole green, mind you, but Greenery to capture nature’s inspiration and how it signifies healthier foods, the great outdoors and “go-green” environmental concepts especially. Before we go too far, you should know that Pantone System was created in the fifties to standardize color reproduction in the printing world. Then the Continue Reading
FLIPPING OVER FABULOUS PHILIPPINE VIOLETS
Need a cool-weather flowering plant for your Southwest Florida garden? Consider the showy Philippine violet for its flush of lavender blossoms (white or pink varieties are also available). Its fast-growing habit in the fall and early winter makes it a superb addition for a hedge or naturalized area. A shrinking violet it is not. This perky perennial is a true standout due to its beauty and adaptability. Hailing from Southeast Asia, the Philippine violet boasts beautiful color when placed Continue Reading
CHILL OUT YOUR FLORIDA LANDSCAPE WITH ASIAN SNOW
Looking for a versatile show-stopper that will freeze you in your tracks? Consider Asian Snow -- a rare tropical shrub boasting delicate, star-shaped blooms all year long. Also known as Snowflake, Arctic Snow and Milky Way, this little beauty is a nice breath of fresh air amidst the usual green tropical plants that Floridians are so accustomed to. Its snowy white flowers are so simple in form, yet so attractive in sheer numbers when planted near dark green foliage. You’ll also be delighted Continue Reading
UNLEASH COLOR IN YOUR LANDSCAPE WITH TROPICAL DOGWOOD
How many names can one plant have? Well, the Tropical Dogwood (Mussaenda erythrophylla) has many— from Red Velvet, Prophet’s Tears, Virgin Tree to Red Flag Bush and Ashanti Blood among others. A cousin to coffee, gardenia, pentas and ixora, Tropical Dogwoods have a vibrant and showy bract (like bougainvillea) that surrounds the petite flower. Star-like blooms are typically cream or yellow and can reach widths of seven inches when combined with their bracts. Tropical Dogwood is commonly pruned Continue Reading