Tropicals Brighten Our Summers

HEAT AND HUMIDITY can make even the best gardens look tired and worn out by the time August rolls around. A spring planting of geraniums or petunias may not have much left to give in the dog days of summer. Fortunately, tropical plants thrive in our long, hot summers. A well-placed tropical can add lushness to a garden bed. Many of these plants get big, even in a single growing season, so one plant can make quite a statement. Tropicals can be kept indoors over the winter if desired.

THE TROPICAL HIBISCUS, whose gorgeous flowers invoke feelings of an island getaway, is familiar to most of us. Recent breeding work has expanded the color palette from simple reds and pinks to bright yellows and oranges. Mandevilla is another common tropical plant that seems to flower better the hotter it gets. Pink, red, or white flowers adorn this vigorous vine, which quickly covers 12 to 15 feet of fence. Duranta erecta, sometimes called golden dewdrops or pigeonberry, features small blue flowers in large drooping clusters. Deadheading ensures continuous flowers through fall.

MANY TROPICALS ARE GROWN for their beautiful foliage, not just their flowers. One of our favorites is ‘Macho Fern,’ which, as you might guess from the name, can easily get 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. The dark green leaves work well as a contrast to lighter or variegated leaves, whereas the green and yellow leaves of variegated ginger brighten shady corners, looking fresh all summer.

OTHER FAVORITE FOLIAGE TROPICALS are bananas, elephant ears, and various palms. The broad foliage of an Abyssinian banana, Ensete ventricosum, shown here, underplanted with Angelonia or summer snapdragon, will certainly give your garden an island feel.

Shelly Nold is a horticulturist and owner of The Plant Kingdom. Send stories and ideas to her at The Plant Kingdom, 4101 Westport Road, Louisville, KY 40207.

ASK THE GARDENER

by Angie McManus

After a Phalaenopsis orchid has finished blooming, where and what part do you cut off?

Phalaenopsis orchids, also known as a moth orchid, are the commonly found orchids with larger blooms that are quite stunning.

Although there are varying opinions, the practice we recommend is to remove the stem all the way down to the base of the plant, leaving just an inch or so. This will allow your orchid to concentrate all its energy on the roots, foliage, and producing a new stem that will eventually bloom again.

Keep your orchid in a space where it will receive bright filtered light, preferably a south-facing window. Do not allow the orchid to completely dry out. Depending on the temperature and humidity of your home, your orchid should be watered about once per week. Continue to feed it with your favorite water-soluble orchid fertilizer once a month, using a half-strength dose. It is always better to underwater and -feed than to overwater or overfeed your orchid.

If you follow this process, your orchid should be in bloom for two to three months a year, and be out of bloom the rest of the year.

Repot your orchid every two years with a good quality orchid medium.

HAVE A GARDENING QUESTION?

Go to www.KentuckyLiving.com, click on Home & Garden, then “Ask The Gardener.”