NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES, January 31, 2003
DEVELOP A TASTE FOR THE TROPICS
by JEAN STARR Times Correspondent
Tropical plants in a zone 5 climate? More and more adventurous gardeners are adding a sense of spicy serenity to their regular gardening fare.
With a little extra care, vines like mandevilla, jasmine and passiflora, tubers like taro and shrubs like hibiscus, and gardenia provide a show as extravagant as a Broadway musical. Some plants are easier to over winter than others. And many don't look very nice during the dark days.
Overwintering tender plants can leave a discerning home interior virtuoso with a messy, chaotic feeling.
"My customers know that most of the plants can be grown indoors," said Mario Porto, manager of Gethsemane Gardens in Chicago. "It all comes down to whether you're a plant person or a decorator person."
One plant that remains unobtrusive during hibernation is Colocasia (AKA taro or elephant ears). Lack of bloom is not an issue in a plant that exhibits leaves up to two-feet long on plants reaching up to 6 feet and more. According to Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery of Raleigh, NC, many of the newer cultivars do not form large tubers like their original counterparts. Avent advises that because the plants are heavy feeders, they should hibernate in a pot.
Gardenia plants grown in pots will survive a winter in a sunny window, but it is not a pretty sight. Leaves will turn yellow and drop crisply to the floor. Give just enough water to keep it from wilting and with a water-soluble fertilizer for acid-loving plants will bloom by early summer. Tropical hibiscus can be ugly when brought inside for the winter months, but their huge flowers make it worth the effort.
Monrovia Growers of California is offering a new mandevilla this year, a double-flowered pink variety called Monrey or Tango Twirl that is purportedly stronger and healthier than other mandevillas with enormous flowers. Another mandevilla called Red Velvet Petite was developed by Lake Area Nursery and would make a pretty basket plant. It's leaves and flowers are smaller than the quotidian, but the flowers come closer to red than most.
For some of the biggest flowers going, blooms of exotic hibiscus are one of the biggest things going. Hidden Valley Hibiscus specializes in hybridizing and growing this flashy shrub. With greenhouses in San Diego, Calif., HVH distributes tropical hibiscus to commercial growers, garden centers, and direct to home gardeners throughout the USA.
"The earliest we would normally ship to the Chicago area is May," said HVH owner Charles Black. "To be fair to northern customers we open sales to everyone at the same time. Plants purchased by northern customers are marked 'reserved' for them and then held by us until shipping conditions are acceptable."
Black is excited about his new HVH 2003 Online store, which just opened and offers new varieties as well as old and unusual cultivars still in high demand.
Two local companies with huge tropical greenhouses will receive additional shipments of new varieties in the early spring. Sid's Greenhouse is located in both Palos Hills and Bolingbrook, Ill.
"We have a wide selection of blooming tropicals that changes every week," said store manager Steve Butcher. "Some things that we usually have available at all times include peace lilies, anthuriums, African violets, kalanchoes, cyclamens, aphelandras, gardenias, jasmine and also a good selection of orchids, bromeliads and tillandsias."
Sid's is open throughout the year with good availability of tropicals, some in both small or large sizes. A budded/blooming jasmine wreath is available to add fragrance to stuffy heated homes. Other plants in bloom include cyclamens and cinerarias.
Gethsemene Garden in Chicago covers two city blocks. The greenhouse is full of succulents and tropicals, including various species of jasmine.
"The real big season for jasmine is from late March through summertime but the best availability is between March and June," Porto said.
Although jasmine is not guaranteed to bloom in the winter, Porto said it depends on the amount of sun. "Lakeview Jasmine would bloom through the winter if it's sunny. Even the Sambac jasmine is blooming up," he said.
Gethsemene also carries night blooming, Confederate, polyanthem, star, and Tuscany jasmine.
Porto said that palms have been selling well in addition to bamboo.
"There seems to be an Asian influence going on," he said. "Citrus seems to be rather hot in all forms everything from kumquats, limes, lemons. I think that people are looking for a little more unusual stuff overall."
Stores carrying tropical plants tend to be rather devoid of shoppers in January, but things pick up quickly around Valentine's Day. For that occasion, empty spaces are filled with plants that might include miniature roses, lavender, cyclamen, and cinerarias.
"We try to have some passion vines, jasmine hoops, and clivias," Porto said. "We even put cactus in our Valentine's display for people who have thorny relationships."
Arkansas and Pennsylvania Joe Seamone lives in a townhouse in Maryland about 30 miles from Washington, D.C. But his climate doesn't stop "Boca" Joe from enjoying tropical plants.
"Hibiscus, mandevilla, and Cannas perform extremely well, as does the Persian shield (strobilanthes), plumeria, all sorts of alocasias and colocasias," he said. Bananas are among the easiest, not to fruit, but just for their tremendous foliage effect."
Seamone said that many of the banana corms and cana bulbs can be stored dormant in the basement in cardboard boxes or ziplock bags filled with dry soil mix. Some of his plants are overwintered by cutting them back severely and cramming them in front of a sunny window. He has been surprised by the offerings at Lowe's and Home Depot as well as many supermarkets, and has purchased several tropical plants from these sources.
Be on the lookout for something different this Valentine's Day and throughout the months of March and April when tropical plants can be found in both conventional and unexpected places.
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