As Published in the Miami Herald What if you walked out of your back door and into paradise? What if you were surrounded by stately palms, delicious colors, extraordinary textures and striking shapes? Imagine your backyard as more than just a space – picture Eden without the apples. Creating your own slice of tropical heaven is an attainable goal in South Florida. Our unique location makes it possible to grow countless varieties of beautiful yet durable flora. It's a matter of…

Most plant lovers are knowledgeable about palm habit. It is uniform — a trunk with one crown of green, folded leaves and flowers borne below or within the crown. This most common growth habit gives the best support, with the greatest chance of survival for a majority of palm species.

As published in the Miami Herald Many Floridians love palms because of their beauty and elegance, their capacity to grow fantastically in our South Florida climate and their ability to conjure images of island living. Some Floridians use the impressive royal palm for shade; others use the areca palm as a barrier; while many more plant the saw palmetto for its willingness to grow in any soil. For all of these reasons and more, palm trees make truly remarkable landscape ornamentals. But, there …

As published in The Miami Herald Summer in Miami is not for the faint of heart. If the humidity does not make you weary, the mosquitoes definitely will. South Florida natives are tough but through air conditioning, bug spray and sunscreen, we have adapted to living in a sometimes harsh sub-tropical climate. While we have changed our environment, palms adapt to stressful conditions by reacting to the environment and changing their growth habits. Palms live on every continent, except …

Palm enthusiasts and collectors choose their favorite palm with an array of criteria. Some pick it based on looks alone; the red lipstick palm (Cyrtostachys renda) is coveted because of its stately red trunk.

Crossing the Andes, we find Puya clava-herculis in bloom at the highest elevations, their aquamarine flowers the same color as those of the jade vine. Now the hunt to find and photograph orchids becomes the obsession of the day — but Marie and Steve Nock, who are our travel companions, are searching for aroids as well. Puya clava-herculis Sobralia rosea lifts large lavender and rose flowers everywhere we look. A terrestrial Habenaria species shows off little white flowers surrounding an …

What is more gentle than a wind in summer?
What is more soothing than the pretty hummer
That stays one moment in an open flower,
And buzzes cheerily from bower to bower? –John Keats

Good fences make good neighbors, and so indeed do good hedges. But what makes a good hedge? While no plant is perfect, many types of plants can be grown and shaped into a properly dense and attractive hedge.

Let’s see what we can do with a small, inhospitable plot of land. I have in mind an area in my front yard, about four feet deep tapering to about two feet. It runs north-south, is about seven feet wide and backs up against the house. It’s rocky, gets brutal summer sun and intense rain, including runoff from my roof. In other words, the worst that South Florida weather can throw at it.

By Noris Ledesma

Before going to Kona, we stopped by the fruit market in Hilo. Ginger flowers and all manner of greens dominated the market. They had some of the local mangos which I was happy to find, along with fresh rambutans and mangostens. It was a nice place for breads and local jellies. We purchased some breads, fruits, green papaya salad and coffee for our trip. We drove over the mountains along the south coast and up slopes of the island's volcano. This lovely formation is part of the Hawaii…

As published in the Miami Herald With mango season here, we are all thinking about that age-old question: how to deal with all those glorious, delicious-and ripe-mangos. There is the only one mainland area of the United States where this delicious and fragrant fruit can be properly grown. For years mangos have been of great value in South Florida, grown with pride in the garden – a fruit to eat when ripe and at all stages of growth. Fresh mangos are a privilege Floridians have….

Chocolate really does grow on trees; although not as little chocolates wrapped up in foil. Chocolate comes from the seeds of the understory tree Theobroma cacao, a tropical rainforest species closely intertwined with the needs of mankind. Cocoa cultivation began in the Americas by the hands of the Maya in Central America, ca. 1500 BC. The Maya attributed divine origin to cocoa, being brought down from heaven by their God Quetzacoatl. The cocoa beans were so precious in fact that they were used as a currency…

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a fruit of our South Florida childhood that has nearly disappeared – all due to a little fly no bigger than a pea. South Florida children would spend many a winter or spring afternoon up a loquat tree, harvesting and eating their way to contentment. For the homemaker the loquat also provided the makings for many a pie and preserve…. 

As published in the Miami Herald Imagine sitting in your backyard as colorful birds chirp and flit about and bountiful butterflies scout blooms for nectar. With the right plan and the right plants, you can make your backyard into a wildlife habitat that will attract amazing birds and beautiful butterflies. Birds like berries and insects, so choose a variety of plants that will both produce berries and be home to small insects that birds like to eat. Native plants are always a good choice …

As published in the Miami Herald You may know the loofah as a bath sponge, but did you know it can be grown in South Florida? The fibers of the dried loofah fruit stiffen and hold together to form nature's perfect sponge, which is used to gently exfoliate your skin. Immature fruit can be cooked and eaten as squash or substituted for cucumber in salads. The species most adapted to South Florida are Luffa cylindrica and Luffa aegyptiaca. Both species have oblong fruits and are beautiful …