Favorite Funky Flowers and Great Plants You Should Grow

Favorite Funky Flowers
and Great Plants You Should Grow
Lynn Barber – FL Friendly Landscaping Agent
Hillsborough County Extension
Norma Samuel – Urban Horticulture Agent
Marion County Extension
Sydney Park Brown – Associate Professor Emeritus, UF/IFAS
Favorite Funky Flowers
 Why?
 What?
Costus – Spiral ginger
Aristolochia - Dutchman’s pipe, Pipevine
Hoya - Wax plant, Wax flower
Bromeliads - Tillandsia and more
Gloriosa - Gloriosa lily
Calliandra - Powderpuff
Holmskioldia sanguinea - Chinese hat plant
Costus – Spiral ginger
Costus – Spiral Ginger
 Fast growing perennial
 Height 6-10 feet, spread 4-8 feet
 Slightly acid to slightly alkaline soil pH of 6.0 to 7.2
 Any soil texture
 Well drained soil moisture
 Low drought and low to no salt tolerance
 Partial shade/partial sun, full shade or full sun
 Flowers summer through fall
 North, central and south Florida
 Propagation by seed and division
Aristolochia - Dutchman’s pipe,
Pipevine
Aristolochia - Dutchman’s pipe, Pipevine
 Fast growing
vine
 Height and spread of 10-15 feet
 Slightly acid to slightly alkaline soil pH of 6.0 to 7.2
 Sand
Medium drained soil moisture
Medium drought/low to no salt tolerance
Partial shade/partial sun, full shade
 White/purple flowers-summer through winter
 Larval food plant for several
swallowtail butterflies
 Central and south Florida
Aristolochia - Dutchman’s pipe, Pipevine
Hoya spp.- Wax plant, Wax flower
Hoya macgillivrayi
Hoya carnosa
Hoya spp. - Wax plant, Wax flower
 Slow growing vine
 Height and spread depend on the structure utilized
 Acidic to slightly alkaline soil pH of 4.5 to 7.2
 Any soil texture
 Extremely well drained soil moisture
 High drought/poor salt tolerance
 Partial shade/partial sun
 Large, round hanging flower clusters,
spring-summer
 Containers or hanging baskets
 Propagation by cuttings
Bromeliads – Tillandsia and More
 85 species of native ‘air plants’ in Florida
 Pineapple family
 Epiphytes, not parasites
 No roots on the ground
 Capture water through roots or leaves
 Some prefer sun and some prefer shade.
 Propagation from ‘pups’
Bromeliads - Tillandsia
Tillandsia stricta – Hanging torch
Aechmea blanchetiana
Bromeliads
Billbergia pyramidalis – Summer/Flaming torch
Gloriosa superba
Gloriosa lily
Gloriosa superba - Gloriosa lily
 Fast growing perennial vine
 Height and spread of 2-8 feet
 Slightly acid to slightly alkaline soil pH - 6.0 to 7.2
 Sandy clay soil texture
 Well drained soil moisture
 Medium drought tolerance
 Partial shade/partial sun, full shade
 North, central and south Florida
Calliandra haematocephala
Powderpuff
Calliandra haematocephala
Powderpuff
 Fast growing; height 10-15 feet; spread of 8-15 feet
 Slightly acid to slightly alkaline soil pH of 6.0 to 7.2
 Any soil texture
 Well drained soil moisture
 High drought and low to no salt tolerance
 Full sun, partial shade/partial sun
 Attracts hummingbirds
 Flowers from fall through spring
 Cultivar ‘Alba’, 2-3 inch wide snow-white flower puffs
 Central and south Florida
 Propagation is by seed and cuttings
Calliandra haematocephala – Pink Powderpuff
Calliandra haematocephala 'Alba'
White Powderpuff
Holmskioldia spp. - Chinese Hat Plant
Holmskioldia sanguinea
Holmskioldia citrina
Holmskioldia spp.
Chinese Hat Plant
 Moderate growth rate
 Height and spread of 5-8 feet
 Prefers acid to slightly alkaline soil pH of 4.5 to 7.2
 Any soil texture
 Medium drained soil moisture
 Moderate drought tolerance
 Partial shade/partial sun
 Hat-like flowers - year-round in south Florida
 Standard, hedge, border or specimen plant
 Central and south Florida
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Roselle/Sorrel
• Florida Cranberry, Jamaican Sorrel, Indian Sorrel
• Description
– Malvaceae family
– Colorful flowers, stems
– Large, deeply lobed leaves
– Annual
– 5-7 feet
• Origin & Distribution
– Native to India and Malaysia
– Grow in tropics and subtropics
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Sorrel/Roselle
• Growing Conditions
– Zones 8-11
– Full sun, well drained soil
– Short-day plant
• Culture
– Similar to okra
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Sorrel/Roselle
• Pests
– Scale insects
– Root knot nematodes
– Fusarium crown rot
– Squirrels
• Harvest
– All parts of the plant are
edible – calyces, leaves,
& seeds
– Use determines when to
harvest
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Sorrel/Roselle
• Uses
– Calyces - jellies, juice, wine, puddings, cakes, ice
cream, pies, and other desserts
• acid and contain riboflavin, ascorbic acid, niacin, carotene,
calcium and iron
– Leaves – salads, stews
– Seeds – coffee substitute, soups,
high in protein
Vietnamese Hollyhock
Alcea rosea hybrid or selection?
A seedling variant with higher heat tolerance?
Vietnamese Hollyhock
Alcea rosea hybrid
Cool season annual
(weak perennial?)
Tolerant of heat &
humidity
 Flowers March-July
 Wildlife value?
September 27, 2015
Vietnamese Hollyhock
Propagate from Seeds
 Sow seed fall/winter
 Germination: slow
and erratic
 Direct sow
 Or pre-treat seeds
Vietnamese Hollyhock
Seed Treatment
 Hot water soak
- 140°F
- Add seed; let cool
- Continue to soak
until germination
Vietnamese Hollyhock
 Get a good start on
your seedlings!
 6+ leaves
 Full sun
Vietnamese Hollyhock
Problems
 Snails/slugs (seedlings)
 Hollyhock Rust
 Serpentine Leaf Miner
 May need staking
Vietnamese Hollyhock
Alcea rosea hybrid
Sydney Park Brown spbrown@ufl.edu