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June is here, bring on the sun and fun!
June is the time to get ready for all the summer parties or get-togethers with our family and friends.
I love creating a little oasis on my patio at home, a place where I can sit back and relax with those that I love.
This year I decided to design my own tropical paradise. My trip to Florida this spring had a lot to do with that decision. While visiting all the farms to pick out some cool plants to sell this summer I simply fell in love even more with all the colors and textures that the variety of tropical plants have to offer to our homes.
When our tropical order comes in early spring it brings our tropical paradise to life. Imagine seeing farms full of that kind of color. Truly an amazing sight to see!
Everyone has their own idea of what a tropical paradise looks like. I personally like to use lots of colors so mine consists of lots of hibiscus and Mandevilla. Oh, and I can’t forget the gardenias! The smell from this plant totally relaxes me, so that one particular plant goes right next to my porch swing.
Now if I was lucky enough to have a pool, I would still have all the colors with hibiscus but I would also have to add in a few robellini palms. This is my favorite palm; it just loves the sun and heat so this makes the perfect pool or patio plant.
There are so many tropical plants to pick from to create your own special family tropical oasis. Here’s a list of our favorites
- Yoder hibiscus
- Mandevilla
- Gardenias
- Lantana
- Plumbago
- Canna lilies
- Oleander
- jasmine
- Robellini palms
- Spindle palms
- Majesty palms
- Areca palms
- Bromeliads
- Boston ferns
- Elephant ear alocasia
- Bird of paradise
I think we have all dreamed of being able to re-create that feeling we get when we are on vacation in the tropics.
The large palms, beautiful flowering trees, and fragrant climbing vines have a few of us doing our best to transform our yards into our own personal oasis, that we can come home to every night.
What are your favorites? Here are a few of ours here at Van Wilgen’s.
- Robellini Palm – If you are looking for the typical palm tree you see in Florida this would be your choice, only in a smaller manageable size perfect for your patio. ( my personal favorite). Sun-loving
- Adonidia Palm—Also known as the Christmas palm in Florida, because of the flowers and berries it produces around Christmas time in Florida. This palm is also an easy-care plant its self-cleaning which means when fronds die off they shed and fall off by themselves. And we can’t forget that this palm is also on the deer-resistant list. Sun-loving.
- Majesty Palm—A great robust palm with graceful feathery type fronds. Although this plant can be planted out on your patio it does much better in bright but indirect lighting conditions.
- Tropical Hibiscus—What can I say, if you’re looking for a big show of color, this is your plant. This plant produces exotic large flowers, that will bloom from now thru fall. Loves full sun and lots of water. (Tip to remember) This plant likes to be slightly potbound this sends all the energy up to those beautiful flowers.
- Mandevilla vines—These vines have become a very popular plant over the last few years. The trumpet-shaped flowers not only look amazing climbing up a trellis, but here at the greenhouse, the hummingbirds have been adding this plant to their (favorites list).
- Star Jasmine—If you are looking for a plant to block those nosey neighbors, this is your plant. Not only is this one of the most fragrant tropical for your patio, but its foliage also becomes a strong vine, creating a barrier where needed. Sun-loving but can handle some shade.
- Gardenia—There is nothing like walking into our tropical paradise here at Van Wilgen’s and smelling all the gardenia’s every day. They’re the best smelling flowering plant in my opinion. Like the hibiscus, this plant does better slightly pot bound, and likes its water. It is a plant that will do better in an indirect lighting situation like a covered porch.
With a combination of any of the above, you can surely make that tropical oasis we all dream about. Just in time for summer.
When springtime rolls around there’s nothing like the excitement we all feel here at Van Wilgens when our first tropical truck arrives from Florida. The tropical that gives us the most excitement by far is the Yoder Hibiscus rosa-sinensis {tradewind breeze series}.
The Yoder has quickly become the hibiscus of choice, not only by us but also by many of you. You can tell a Yoder apart from other Hibiscus by the color of their leaves, and flowers. With large dark green glossy leaves and spectacular flowers that come in an array of vibrant colors, you can see why these hibiscuses have quickly become our pick for the perfect full sun tropical plant. Not only are they heat tolerant, but they also are everblooming and will give you tons of blooms well into the fall season. The hard part will be picking a color…my favorite is yellow with an orange center. We have 6-inch potted hibiscus,10 inch bush and new this year are the 10-inch braided trees
Just remember to water roughly every day during the summer months especially, and don’t forget to feed them. Use our Van Wilgen’s slow-release pellets. A little bit around the base of the plant will feed it for approx. 3 months releasing a little food every time you water. They like acidic soil so don’t forget to add our acid water-soluble formula once a month. Remember, food is just as important to our plants as it is to you or me. We all perform better with food in our systems!
Kirsten from our Custom Container department has planted up some gorgeous pots using our Yoder hibiscus this year that is quite impressive. Some of you have decided to do containers just like or very similar to those. We know that those of you that have planted our favorite Yoder hibiscus will be back every year to fill your pots with some more of their gorgeous colors.
You will be HOOKED on them I promise!