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Dig This: Guide To Tropical Plants

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2008

She's a North Carolina gardener, but Pam Baggett's first book should be a big hit with Floridians.

"Tropicalismo!" ($14.95; Timber Press) is a full-color, easy-to-use guide to 100 tropical plants. Baggett says she chose resilient varieties that should fare OK as warm-season annuals anywhere, from her own Cedar Grove, N.C., to Seattle.

But in Florida? Oh, yes. They will love the Sunshine State.

"I don't think there's anything in the book that would say, 'Oh, Florida is too hot!' " Baggett agrees with a laugh.

A longtime gardener, she graduated from a six-month, live-in Farm and Garden program at the University of California-Santa Cruz.

"We lived in teepees on the edge of the campus," she recalls. "You'd wake up with a banana slug crawling up your face."

She went in with visions of agriculture and came out with a passion for ornamentals. She went on to become a nursery owner.

"After nine or 10 years, I had a lot of plants under my belt," she says. She gave up the nursery and now writes for Fine Gardening, Horticulture and other garden magazines.

For tropicals, she suggests amending sandy soil with organic matter, such as old composted leaves (a free, renewable resource). Her rule of thumb: the larger the leaf, the more organic matter. For lusher plants, use slow-release organic fertilizers. And don't forget the mulch!

If you want to shop online, she highly recommends Cottage Garden in Illinois ( www.cottgardens.com).

Penny Carnathan

Canna Phaison

Canna Tropicanna

Giant, 18-inch leaves have stripes of coral red, yellow, burgundy and black-green, and 7-foot stems burst with flaming tangerine flowers from early summer through fall. "Place your plants where the sun can backlight the leaves, setting them aflame," Pam suggests. Canna Phaison needs constantly moist soil in full sun, but the surface can dry between waterings if it gets only three to six hours of direct sun.

Tropical smokebush
Euphorbia cotinifolia

A cousin of the poinsettia, tropical smokebush has 2-inch burgundy leaves that change color, from sultry wine to coppery red, as the sun shifts during the day. It grows to a tree-like form. It likes full sun and light to moderate water.

Lady's earrings
Fuchsia triphylla

Also called Fuchsia "Gartenmeister Bonstedt," this cultivar is exceptionally heat tolerant. It grows to about 30 inches tall and produces coral blossoms (pale coral-orange in the shade) that hang in clusters. Flowering slows in midsummer, but purple-tinged foliage, dark stems and colorful berries keep working the interest. Grow in light shade to full sun; moderate to heavy water.

Chocolate caricature plant
Graptophyllum pictum

Pam calls this her secret plant - no one seems to know about it. It has sleek brown leaves centered on an irregular band of creamy sandstone pink. Shrimp-pink stems grow 3 feet tall in hot climates (Pam expects this one would especially love Florida.) It colors up best in sun but will accept shade and has moderate to heavy water needs.

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