Outdoor Plants

Loved for its purple to blue-violet flowers that yield bright red fruits, lignum vitae is heat, drought and salt tolerant, making it stupendous as a specimen in the coastal tropics. A rounded evergreen tree from the northern coastline of South America and the Caribbean islands, it is extremely slow growing and has a crooked, knotty form that adds to its beauty. The wood is very dense and does not float.

Buddha’s Belly Bamboo likes sunlight. Full sunlight helps the plant grow faster.

Part shading is essential for maintaining proper health of the plant.

The Buddha’s Belly plant is not very fond of water. It never needs much water to thrive and grow.

Watering the plant once a week can be enough when growing indoors.

It is essential to let the soil get completely dry after one watering session, before watering the plant the next time.

The plant should never be allowed to sit in water. That can cause the untimely death of the plant.

Vinca is also popularly known as Madagascar periwinkle or myrtle. These flowering plants look beautiful and have attractive shiny and green foliage and delicate-looking flowers. Vinca flowers bloom during the entire summer and till the frost. They are also easy to grow and care for flowers.

There are around 12 flower types of vinca from which you can choose. There are some white-colored vinca which have different colors at the center like pink or dark red. Other varieties of vinca come in maroon, red, pink, and blue colors.

Chickoo has brown fuzzy skin and is more oval-shaped than its Central American cousins, though some develop pointed ends. The skin is inedible, but serves a purpose as a kind of bowl for the sweet flesh. The flesh is off-white to a yellowish brown color and has a soft and juicy texture. The sweet flavor of the Chikoo flesh is due to the presence of high levels of fructose and sucrose. Its texture and flavor has been compared to that of pear. Within the flesh of the Chickoo is a cavity with two to three large black seeds. The seeds are inedible and should be discarded. 

Although the shrubs look elegant and refined, they are not at all picky about soil as long as it is well drained.

If you are growing crepe jasmine, you can plant the shrubs in full sun or partial shade. They require regular irrigation to keep the soil moist. Once the root systems are established, they require less water.
Crepe jasmine care is reduced if you are growing the plant in acidic soil. With slightly alkaline soil, you’ll need to apply fertilizer regularly to prevent the shrub from getting chlorosis. If the soil is very alkaline, crepe jasmine care will include more frequent applications of fertilizer.

Amongst the lush foliage of the world’s tropical forests one will find a predominance of lianas or vine species. One of these creepers is the Quisqualis rangoon creeper plant. Also known as Akar Dani, Drunken Sailor, Irangan Malli, and Udani, this 12-foot long vine is an aggressively fast grower which spreads rapidly with its root suckers.
The Latin name for rangoon creeper plant is Quisqualis indica. The genus name ‘Quisqualis’ means “what is this” and for good reason. Rangoon creeper plant has a form more closely resembling that of a shrub as a young plant, which gradually matures into a vine. This dichotomy flummoxed early taxonomists who eventually gave it this questionable nomenclature.

As mentioned, banana plants grow from a corm or rhizome and produce a pseudostem made up of furled leaves and the start of the banana flower.

As the plant grows and matures, the leaves emerge and the flower blossoms transform into a berry like fruit that start out curling up toward light.

Collectively, all the fruit is called a “bunch”. As the bananas mature they begin growing downward separating into smaller groups called “hands”. Each individual banana within the hand is referred to as a “finger”.

It takes approximately nine months for banana plants to mature, grow leaves, flower and produce fruit. Once completed the parent plant dies back and baby plants (a.k.a. suckers or pups) take its place.

The “Sapphire Showers” golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta “Sapphire Showers”) adds interest to the landscape with its clusters of bluish-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers. Flowers appear in summer and attract butterflies. Also known as Picotee sky flower or pigeonberry, this fast-growing specimen prefers full sunlight and well-draining, slightly acidic soils.

Even though you may grow henna plant indoors with the assurance of direct sunlight, it is always preferred to grow it outdoors. This is because henna plants grow better in hot climates. The minimum temperature needed for a henna plant to grow and nourish well is 22ºC.

Water a newly planted bougainvillea frequently to keep the soil moist. Once the plant is established, it blooms best if the soil is a little on the dry side. Water the plant until liquid drips through the drainage hole, then don’t water again until the potting mixture feels slightly dry. However, don’t allow the soil to become completely dry because a water-stressed plant won’t bloom. Water the plant immediately if it looks wilted.