Somona Dwarf Crown of Thorn

• Low water required
• Full sunlight
• sually around 1 foot tall
• Flowers all year (red, yellow, pink & white)
• Not native

A display of charming multi-layered flowers on a plant that grows without the need for a green thumb. Placed in full sun and warm air, Somonas will continuously produce brightly colored flowers with every inch of growth. They thrive in places where other flowering potted plants will suffer from too much heat and sun. They look just a little like Crown of Thorns, but Somonas offer several advantages over Euphorbia milii, which is another dwarf variety.

Somonas are daylight neutral. With every new leaf appears a flower. Each flower grows several more layers of new flowers. With minimal care and good location the plants can display their beauty continuously for many years. Somonas keep their leaves for a very long time. Within some years the plants can develop into impressive specimen, forming sturdy bushes more than two feet tall with leaves still decorating almost down to the pot. Established plants are very hardy. Insects seem to dislike Somona, and diseases are rare and are usually associated with cold or dark conditions. The thorns of Somonas are mostly very soft and do not sting

American Beauty Crown of Thorns

• Low water required
• Full sunlight
• Usually around 2 - 3 feet in height (often seen in roadway medians)
• Flowers all year (perennial)
• Not native

Euphorbia milii (aka crown of thorns) is native to the island nation of Madagascar. It is a bushy, very spiny, semi-succculent shrub that gets about 3 feet in height with a spread around 2 feet, and is a slow grower that thrives on poor sandy, well drained soils, and is moderately tolerant of salt spray and salty soils. It has tough, leathery bright green leaves on slender fleshy stems, but the leaves often drop off on all but the youngest stems. The plant is sometimes completely leafless. The well named crown of thorns is armed with half inch vicious black thorns all over the stems and branches. In subtropical climates, crown of thorns bears tiny yellow-green flowers surrounded by two showy bright red bracts in spring and summer. In tropical climates, it blooms in cycles following rain throughout the year. Like the other members of the genus, Euphorbia milii oozes milky sap from bruised or broken stems and leaves. All euphorbs have a three-lobed fruit that splits apart when ripe, but crown of thorns rarely fruits in cultivation.

Crown of thorns is grown for its long lasting, colorful petal-like bracts which surround inconspicuous little flowers. Although often grown in pots on the patio, this thorny succulent is perfect for rock gardens and sunny borders. Crown of thorns is salt tolerant and often used in frost-free coastal areas, even quite near the sea. As a low growing hedge, crown of thorns makes a formidable barrier for low growing trespassers.

Euphorbia is a huge genus with over 2000 named species, including annuals, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, trees, and lots of cactus-like succulents, found in almost every corner of the world. If the flowers of all those species were not so strikingly similar in anatomical structure, botanists would have split the genus into several different genera. Euphorbia flowers always have only one stigma (the female part that receives pollen) and one stamen (the male part that releases the pollen). The much adored poinsettia is a euphorb

Lantana Camara - Purple

• Low water
• Medium to full sunlight
• Usually kept around 2-3 feet tall with trimming, but can get up to 6 feet if allowed
• Flowers all year (perennial)
• Not native

Common lantana is a rugged evergreen shrub from the tropics. The species will grow to 6 ft high and may spread to 8 ft in width with some varieties able to clamber vine-like up supports to greater heights with the help of support. The leaves are 2-5 in long by 1-2 inches wide with rounded tooth edges and a textured surface. Stems and leaves are covered with rough hairs and emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed (similar to ammonia). The small flowers are held in clusters (called umbels) that are typically 1-2 inches across. In the tropics lantana is a non-stop bloomer. Where it is killed to the ground by frost the lantana blooms in summer and fall. Flower color ranges from white to yellow, orange to red, pink to rose in unlimited combinations. In addition, the flowers usually change in color as they age. A lantana may look orange from a distance but the flowerhead is examined at close range it consists of individual white, yellow and red flowers that blend when viewed from afar.

Lantana is a native to tropical regions and exists as dozens of strains and varieties that are highly variable in appearance. Although common lantana it is not native to Florida, it has been naturalized in the state for centuries.

Lantana is very easy to grow and will adapt to most soil types. Too much water and fertilizer will reduce bloom. It prefers medium to full sunlight & well-drained soils. Lantana is very drought resistant. Lantana is happy in both humid and dry heat. This tropical plant is killed back to the ground at 28 ºF but will grow back from the roots when warm weather returns.

In warm winter zones use lantana and its cultivars in mixed beds and borders. Lantana will add vibrant long-lasting color to shrub groupings. This is a fast growing shrub that is quick to flower so gardeners in cold climates can enjoy this tropical plant as an annual. Lantana tolerates salt spray and can be used in beach plantings.

Lantana is extremely easy to grow requiring little attention and is seldom bothered by pests or disease. It has low water requirements and can be used in xeriscapes and can handle the heat growing in containers and hanging baskets under sunny conditions. Lantana is a favorite species for butterflies and non-invasive lantanas should be a part of any butterfly garden.

Lantana Camara - Confetti

• Low water
• Medium to full sunlight
• Usually kept around 2-3 feet tall with trimming, but can get up to 6 feet if allowed.
• Flowers all year (perennial)
• Not native

Common lantana is a rugged evergreen shrub from the tropics. The species will grow to 6 ft high and may spread to 8 ft in width with some varieties able to clamber vine-like up supports to greater heights with the help of support. The leaves are 2-5 in long by 1-2 inches wide with rounded tooth edges and a textured surface. Stems and leaves are covered with rough hairs and emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed (similar to ammonia). The small flowers are held in clusters (called umbels) that are typically 1-2 inches across. In the tropics lantana is a non-stop bloomer. Where it is killed to the ground by frost the lantana blooms in summer and fall. Flower color ranges from white to yellow, orange to red, pink to rose in unlimited combinations. In addition, the flowers usually change in color as they age. A lantana may look orange from a distance but the flowerhead is examined at close range it consists of individual white, yellow and red flowers that blend when viewed from afar.

Lantana is a native to tropical regions and exists as dozens of strains and varieties that are highly variable in appearance. Although common lantana it is not native to Florida, it has been naturalized in the state for centuries.

Lantana is very easy to grow and will adapt to most soil types. Too much water and fertilizer will reduce bloom. It prefers medium to full sunlight & well-drained soils. Lantana is very drought resistant. Lantana is happy in both humid and dry heat. This tropical plant is killed back to the ground at 28 ºF but will grow back from the roots when warm weather returns.

In warm winter zones use lantana and its cultivars in mixed beds and borders. Lantana will add vibrant long-lasting color to shrub groupings. This is a fast growing shrub that is quick to flower so gardeners in cold climates can enjoy this tropical plant as an annual. Lantana tolerates salt spray and can be used in beach plantings.

Lantana is extremely easy to grow requiring little attention and is seldom bothered by pests or disease. It has low water requirements and can be used in xeriscapes and can handle the heat growing in containers and hanging baskets under sunny conditions. Lantana is a favorite species for butterflies and non-invasive lantanas should be a part of any butterfly garden.

Lantana Camara - Yellow

• Low water
• Medium to full sunlight
• Usually kept around 2-3 feet tall with trimming, but can get up to 6 feet if allowed.
• Flowers all year (perennial)
• Not native

Common lantana is a rugged evergreen shrub from the tropics. The species will grow to 6 ft high and may spread to 8 ft in width with some varieties able to clamber vine-like up supports to greater heights with the help of support. The leaves are 2-5 in long by 1-2 inches wide with rounded tooth edges and a textured surface. Stems and leaves are covered with rough hairs and emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed (similar to ammonia). The small flowers are held in clusters (called umbels) that are typically 1-2 inches across. In the tropics lantana is a non-stop bloomer. Where it is killed to the ground by frost the lantana blooms in summer and fall. Flower color ranges from white to yellow, orange to red, pink to rose in unlimited combinations. In addition, the flowers usually change in color as they age. A lantana may look orange from a distance but the flowerhead is examined at close range it consists of individual white, yellow and red flowers that blend when viewed from afar.

Lantana is a native to tropical regions and exists as dozens of strains and varieties that are highly variable in appearance. Although common lantana it is not native to Florida, it has been naturalized in the state for centuries.

Lantana is very easy to grow and will adapt to most soil types. Too much water and fertilizer will reduce bloom. It prefers medium to full sunlight & well-drained soils. Lantana is very drought resistant. Lantana is happy in both humid and dry heat. This tropical plant is killed back to the ground at 28 ºF but will grow back from the roots when warm weather returns.

In warm winter zones use lantana and its cultivars in mixed beds and borders. Lantana will add vibrant long-lasting color to shrub groupings. This is a fast growing shrub that is quick to flower so gardeners in cold climates can enjoy this tropical plant as an annual. Lantana tolerates salt spray and can be used in beach plantings.

Lantana is extremely easy to grow requiring little attention and is seldom bothered by pests or disease. It has low water requirements and can be used in xeriscapes and can handle the heat growing in containers and hanging baskets under sunny conditions. Lantana is a favorite species for butterflies and non-invasive lantanas should be a part of any butterfly garden.

Pentas

• Medium water required
• Medium to full sunlight
• Usually seen around 1 - 2 feet tall, but can get up to 3 feet
• Flowers all year & is a perennial in our southwest Florida climate
• Not native

Dark green, lance-shaped, somewhat furry and deeply veined leaves provide a lush backdrop for prolific clusters of never-ending, five-petaled flowers. These may be red, white, lavender, purple, or shades of pink. Some are two-toned. All are extremely attractive to butterflies, and the red and dark pink varieties delight hummingbirds. Depending on the variety, the habit of growth may be upright to about 3 inches, or low and mounding. Full sized pentas are often sprawling, as tall stems will topple over. The flowers are held in terminal clusters and self-deadhead. In warm weather the plant grows fast and stays in bloom constantly. Where winters are not too severe, pentas are perennial. They may always be treated as an annual and replanted as needed.

Portulaca Grandiflora (aka Moss Rose)

• Tolerant of low water, but flowers best with regular watering
• Full sunlight
• Usually 6 inches tall & can get 12 inches wide
• Used as a summer annual flower in Florida
• Not native to Florida

Moss rose is a beautiful, bright colored, low growing annual that blooms all summer long with little or no care required. It is a prostrate, trailing, multi-branched annual with semi-succulent stems and leaves. It reaches about 6 inches tall with a spread of 12 inches. The reddish stems and the bright green leaves are thick and soft and juicy. The leaves are cylindrical, about an inch long, and pointed on the tips. The rose-like flowers are about an inch across and come in bright colors like rose pink, red, yellow, white, and orange. Some are striped or spotted with contrasting colors. The flowers are borne on the stem tips, and they open only during bright sunlight, closing at night and on cloudy days.

Originally from the hot, dry plains of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina, moss rose is cultivated throughout the world as a favorite garden annual. It has escaped cultivation in a few areas, including central Florida. It grows well in poor, sandy or gravelly soils. The soil must be very well-drained. It can be bothered by root-knot nematodes and aphids. Aphids can be washed off with a stream of water or sprayed with soapy water.

Moss rose makes a beautiful ground cover in a dry or rocky area, although it cannot be walked on. Use moss rose as edging at the front of borders or in the cracks in a rock wall, or the spaces between stepping stones. It\'s perfect for a hot, dry, south facing slope. Plant moss rose in a container or hanging basket and let it spill over like a sedum.

The related purslane (P. oleracea) is a bothersome weed in warm climates, although it is widely cultivated for food and has been for more than 2000 years. In fact, purslane, which is used raw in salads and cooked like spinach as a potherb, is very high in vitamins A, B1 and C. It is available commercially in both ornamental and culinary cultivars.

Society Garlic

• Medium water
• Full sunlight
• Usually around 1.5 foot tall
• Flowers spring, summer, fall
• Not native

Society garlic is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial with narrow, grayish green leaves and large clusters of lavender or lilac flowers. The plant looks like an especially showy garlic or garlic chives plant. Society garlic has just 4-9 grasslike leaves, each about a foot long and a half-inch wide. The leaves grow straight up out of a swollen underground rhizome that looks like a corm or bulb. A single 2 ft scape (flowering stalk) grows up from the center of the rosette of leaves. Atop the scape sits a large umbel (flower cluster in which all the pedicels (flower stems) originate from the same point) of sweet-scented lilac-pink flowers. The flowers are tubular, expanding to six pointed stars at their ends. They are a little less than an inch long and wide, and there are 8-20 of the dainty little flowers in each umbel. The blossoms are produced sporadically from early summer until late autumn. The leaves and rhizomes of society garlic smell like garlic, but the flowers are sweet, smelling like hyacinths.

Society garlic is a popular container plant. Most gardeners leave it out on the patio or porch all summer, bringing it indoors for the winter. Outdoors, grow in a sunny border. This is a perennial that will spread slowly by its rhizomes, but will not become aggressive. Society garlic can be used in the front of a herbaceous border, and South African gardeners often use it as a bedding plant along with annual flowers. Society garlic is used in rock gardens, too. Flowers are most fragrant at night. The bulbs and leaves are edible and can be used like garlic and garlic chives. It is reported that society garlic, planted in a row or border, will deter moles.