I have updated the South Florida plant sales list. Lots of shows and sales every weekend through next year.

This cycad seems to grow well in Florida, although you can see some insect damage on a lower leaf. All the new flushes look fine. I’ve been growing it in partial shade, and just recently really cleaned out all the ferns growing around it. When first discovered in 1838, it was placed in the fern family. Then, as it grew, cones appeared, so botanists knew it was a cycad.

The picture below is the same cycad, taken a year ago, when the area was pretty weedy. These are female cones.

The cycad is about 3 ft tall. This is definitely the grassland form, with leaves about 15 to 20″ long. The rare forest form, which I’ve never seen, has leaves as long as 2 meters.

Summer is coming to an end, but my beehive gingers are still not taking notice.

Also the Kaempferias will hang in there for maybe couple more months.

Yeah, not exactly professional to include one’s feet in the picture. The K. pulchra ‘Shazam’ is center, with the K. augustifolia ‘Laos Silver Stripe’ to the left, K. pulchra ‘Silver Stripe’ to the right (barely visible).

And the Musa haekkinenii seems to keep blooming as long as I keep its feet wet. I think it will do well all year round.

Happy gardening,

Dave