Let's talk about more new plants! How gorgeous is the new Superbells® Apricot Punch Calibrachoa hybrid? Abundant, small petunia-like flowers that last all season and have 7-10 inches of cascading growth. They are extremely low maintenance as they are self-cleaning. The bright orange center gives way to the softer orange/yellow color that makes up the edges of the gorgeous Superbells®. Despite its delicate look, it is heat tolerant and set to thrive in zones 9-11 making it a PERFECT plant for us in SWFL. It does best in a container that has ample drainage.

If you are looking for stunning foliage to create a dramatic pop, you've found it. Proven Winner's 'Blackberry Ice' Heuchera has stunning iridescent purple top with black veining leaves, while the undersides display a beautiful amethyst purple. Its heat and humidity tolerance allows it to thrive in the Florida winter and well into Florida's tough summer. Weather you grow it in a container or in the ground - you're going to love it!

We are featuring the lovely Shrimp Plant today in lieu of its addition to our garden collection.

These beautiful flowers lasted all of Florida's winter & now is dominating Florida's summer with barely any maintenance. That's what you call better plants, better soil and better food!

Caterpillars are supposed to be cute and fun, right? What happens when one starts eating and breeding all over your flowers?! The first step is to cut back as much of the affected areas as possible. Next, use environmentally safe spray (okay for bees) to take care of a caterpillar invasion. It's important to spray at least every three days to make sure you are keeping up with them. Make sure you are getting the tops of the leaves, but also underneath where most of the eggs are laid. It is incredible how fast caterpillars can take down an entire landscape.

Let’s talk about that boring sea wall. You know, despite what you’ve seen around… it doesn’t have to be that way. Check out these awesome drip containers along Tom Smith’s sea wall. There is a variety of ways we can spruce up your sea wall. Contact us for ideas and details. We would love to make you say “WOW” every time you look outside.

King Tut (Cyperus papyrus) has been another great plant for us in Southwest Florida. King Tut is herbaceous perennial and a native to Africa. In the wild it grows in full sun, in flooded swamps and on lake margins throughout Africa, Madagascar and the Mediterranean countries. King Tut has a long history of use by humans, especially Ancient Egyptians - it is how we make papyrus paper. So beyond its beautiful aesthetics, it has been useful for hundreds of years. We use King Tut as a fun eye catching plant that adds texture and can take a beating from the hot, hot Florida sun.

I spent some time at Naples Botanical Gardens this afternoon and was really blown away by all the gorgeous sections of the garden. If you haven't been there, it is a must to see in Naples. I was inspired to blog about the bold, vibrant colors of Persian Shield. Persian Shield is beautiful, metallic green/purple foliage originating from Myanmar making it perfect for southwest Florida. Persian Shield planted in partial shade will pick up the light and reflect it back off its leaves. It makes a striking border plant, particularly when paired with soft gray greens or chartreuse.

We cannot say enough great things about the performance of the new Black Cherry Supertunia from Proven Winners. This plant, not scheduled for release until Spring of 2015 has been absolutely at home here in Southwest Florida. It has tolerated very heavy rains, strong winds, and chilly nights without missing a beat!