UF/IFAS Okeechobee Extension Service - 2005 Plants of the YEAr

Have you put together your New Year’s resolutions yet? Consider your landscape on your list of resolutions - it is ready for a makeover too. Local residents may wish to try some new plants in 2005 to improve the appearance of their Florida Yards.

Florida Plants of the Year

FNGLA

Trees Weeping Yaupon Holly Ilex vomitoria Pendula'

Yellow Elder Tecoma stans

Shrubs Golden Dewdrop Duranta erecta ‘Gold Mound’

Princess Flower Tibouchina urvilleana

Groundcovers Nun’s Orchid Phaius tankervilliae

Indian Holly Fern Arachniodes simplicor

Mona Lavender’ Plectranthus Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’

Houseplant Anthurium ‘Sarah’ Anthurium Andreanum ‘Sara

For the past eight years, the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscapers Association has named a number of ornamentals as “plants of the year.” Selected plants are nominated by nursery growers and landscapers, then reviewed by a committee of growers, horticulturists, retailers, landscape professionals including University of Florida faculty.

Florida Plants of the Year selections have good pest resistance and are fairly easy to propagate and grow. These award winning plants must also exhibit some superior quality, improved performance or unique characteristic that sets it apart from others.

Today’s column will introduce the FNGLA’s 2005 annual selections and suggest how they may be used in Florida Yards. This year’s list includes two trees, two shrubs, three groundcovers and one houseplant. It appears that all could be successfully grown in the South-Central Florida area. If you see something that will fit into your growing conditions, visit your local nursery and resolve to add them to your new year’s landscape.

Weeping Yaupon Holly Ilex vomitoria Pendula'

photo by Erv Evans, NCSU

Fruit of Yaupon Holly

photo by Erv Evans, NCSU

photo by Valerie Weeks, UF/Leon County Master Gardener

Weeping Yaupon Holly Ilex vomitoria ‘ Pendula’ is a multi-trunked tree that can be a striking accent plant. It will grow to 20+ feet tall and spread to 10-15 feet wide. It is a true holly, with small white flowers in spring that mature into red berries by the fall or winter. As with the true hollies, individual plants are either male or female – and only the female plants will bear berries.

There are many different varieties of Yaupon Holly. The drooping branches of the Weeping Yaupon variety give the mature plant a narrow shape and a distinctive look to this evergreen tree. The smooth gray stems and twigs also help to identify this tree.

Yaupon Holly fruit make an excellent as a source of wildlife food. American Indians made a purifying tea from the leaves, and gave the species its name - vomitoria. This Florida native is generally disease and insect-free, and takes full sun or shade. W It can be seen growing in the wetlands in central and north Florida, yet is very drought resistant.

Yellow Elder Tecoma stans. Also know as the Yellow Trumpet Flower, Yellow Elder is called Esperanza in Texas. This spreading, fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree has bright, bell-shaped, fragrant yellow flowers. The flower aroma has been described as reminiscent of the little marshmallow chickens sold at Easter.

Reaching full bloom in fall, Yellow-Elder produces some flowers with each flush of new growth and therefore has some color most of the year. This blast of color may be why Yellow Elder is the National Flower of the Bahamas.

Yellow-Elder is most often used as a specimen or mixed into a shrub border, but can be pruned to a single trunked “standard”. It has a somewhat weedy growth that needs to be pruned to shape. Because of its small mature height of 20-30 feet, it is used as a street tree under power lines.

Growing in full sun on any well-drained soil, Yellow-Elder survives on rain alone making it well suited to naturalized and low-maintenance gardens. It would also make a nice patio tree and is suited for planting in parking lot islands and medians.

The dropping fruit can cause a slight litter problem. Plants grow easily from seed or can be propagated from cuttings. Seedlings are easily transplanted and will bloom within two years. A word of caution: in some Pacific Islands, seedlings have invaded natural areas.

Yellow-Elder is relatively pest-free, with chewing insects and scale being only minor problems. It many be damaged by freezes, but well established plants would resprout from the crowns.

Golden Dewdrop Duranta erecta ‘Gold Mound’

Foliage - Gold Mound above,

Variegata, below

Photo: Almostedenplants.com

Grown as a "standard"

Duranta repens, Duranta erecta,Duranta, Honey drops, Golden Dewdrop, Pigeon Berry Photo © TopTropicals.com

Cultivar "Geisha Girl" with yellow berries

Photo © TopTropicals.com

One of the shrubs on the 2005 FNGLA list is Golden Dewdrop Duranta erecta ‘Gold Mound’. There are several different varieties of this species that grow as a low mounding shrub and provide a good splash of color. Pigeonberry and Skyflower are other common names for this plant, which will reach 2-4 feet in height and width. White, pink or purple flowers give rise to yellow fruit that are the “dewdrops” in the name.

Varieties differ in flower colors and foliage forms. Gold Mound is a dwarf cultivar that has 2-inch golden-yellow foliage. It keeps its color best in full sun. Other cultivars are Alba (white flowers), Grandiflora (larger ¾ inch flowers), Variegata (with white leaves) and the purple flowered cultivars, Sapphire Showers^TM and Dee’s Purple.

This native of the tropical Americas tends to sprawl and will need occasional thinning and pruning. Place it in full sunlight if possible – but it will do OK in partial shade. It is attractive to some butterflies, and looks great when planted with other nectar-producing plants. The fruit are good food for birds – but not for children – they are reported to be poisonous – so this will be a limitation of this selection.

Princess Flower Tibouchina urvilleana is another 2005 shrub selection. Also called Glory bush, this flowering shrub can be used for a hedge or border plant. If used as a single plant, it will be a spectacular accent, or if several are planted together, it forms a 5 to 8 foot tall mass of royal purple. The silver-green foliage shows off the five-petaled flowers that are 3-4 inches across. Red-tinged buds also add color throughout the warm season.

Princess-Flower likes full sun - at least five hours of full sun - for best flowering. It will thrive on any well-drained soil when regularly watered, but does not tolerate wet feet. The growth habit is somewhat weedy, so training and pruning are needed. It can be trained as a standard or espaliered against a west-facing wall. Pinching new growth helps increase branching and will enhance the flower display.

Nun’s Orchid Phaius tankervilliae Photos: Tom Dodd Nurseries, Alabama
	Phaius tankervilliae 'Alba' "Nun's Hooded Orchid"

Nun’s Orchid Phaius tankervilliae is one of three FNGLA groundcovers for 2005. This is an orchid that grows in the ground, although it can be used as a potted plant. Its best use in the landscape is as a perennial flowering ground cover for mass plantings or it can be used as an individual specimen in part shade.

Three-foot tall sword shaped leaves are joined by flowers in the late spring. The bulbs produce a 4-foot flower spike that bears 10 to 20 fragrant flowers in the spring and summer. Flowers are white with a yellow throat and dark burgundy and purple colored sides.

In the winter it grows well if it is given daytime temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees and 55 to 60 degrees at night. In summer it adjusts to higher temperatures, but must be kept moist and shaded. Several named cultivars are available.

Indian Holly Fern Arachniodes simplicor
	Photo, left and above: TyTy Nursery	Photo: Plants Database - htop

Indian Holly Fern Arachniodes simplicor is another ground cover that may also have some use as a potted foliage plant. Sometimes called the East Indian Holly Fern, this native to Japan and China is distinguished by its deep rich green fronds with a yellow or gray-green mid-rib. At first this fern looks like a plastic plant. Its shiny fronds are triangular and up to 18" in length. They will be cut into three to four sections with sharp points. The Indian Holly fern makes a good cut green for floral arrangements. At its best in light shade, it is able to take sun if well watered. For best success, grow it in moist, rich, well drained soil.

A final groundcover is Mona Lavender’ Plectranthus – it does not have a “common” common name, so know that it is pronounced “pleck-TRAN-thus” if you are looking for it. This is a colorful new plant for container gardens and as a bedding plant. ‘Mona Lavender’ was hybridized in South Africa, and has become popular because of its colorful foliage and flowers.

Six-inch long spikes of lavender blossoms open throughout the growing season. One-inch wide leaves have dark, wine purple veins and undersides that are slightly curled at the edges with short coarse teeth. They provide interesting color and texture in the garden when the plant is not in bloom.

Place this plant in filtered sun and in moist, well drained soil. Water often during hot, dry weather - it requires less water than a coleus or impatiens. Clip off old flower heads as the blooms fade to encourage more flowering.

Anthurium ‘Sarah’ Anthurium Andreanum ‘Sarah’ is our final selection for 2005. Anthuriums are very tropical looking foliage plants that are stiff and shiny. Anthuriums have heart shaped leaves with long stalks, and have large shiny red, pink or white “spadix”.

Hundreds of cultivars have been created and selected, and while this houseplant may be grown from cuttings, the commercial growers use tissue culture to increase their hybrid selections for mass production. “Sarah” has a very large pink colored “flower”, and is stunning.

For best results, give them bright light, and use a well drained artificial soil mix. Use soluble fertilizers during the growing season, but none during the resting period after flowering. Besides its use as a potted plant, Anthurium are used for commercial indoor landscapes and their flowers are grown for florists as cut flowers

I’ve placed these photos and links to more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. Take a look and get to know these special plants for 2005. If you need additional information on these 2005 Florida Plants of the Year, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners on Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons. Happy New Year!

Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 12/22/2004 . This page is maintained by Dan Culbert Hit Counter

Vandaveer, Chelsie Plant of the Week 09/16/2002 Largo, Killerplants.com, 2002 Discuses how the flower interacts with bees.

The Nun's Orchid [cultural information] Althea: Oglesby Plants International Nursery, 1997

Antheriums. Apopka: NGM Productions. A nice page showing various Antherium cultivars.

Yellow Elder Tecoma stans
Photo: Gifford Arboretum, University of Miami	Photo: Jim Space, Pacific Is. Ecosystems at Risk	Photo: Jim Space, Pacific Is. Ecosystems at Risk

Princess Flower Tibouchina urvilleana
Photo: Galganov & Associates	Photo: Forest & Kim Starr

'Mona Lavender’ Plectranthus Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’
	Photos, left and above: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens	photo: Dave Marshall

Anthurium ‘Sarah’ Anthurium Andreanum ‘Sara
Photo: NGM Productions