Growing Tropical Fruit Book in the Works

Growing Tasty Tropicals in Any Home, Anywhere (pending publication by Storey publishing, fall 2010) has been in the works for a long time. Byron and I have been collecting exotic and tropical fruits for well over a decade and have finally taken the time over the past year to write all the interesting fun facts and cultural tips on how to be successful with potted fruit. The title page (pictured to the right) plus 160 other pages were sent to us this week for our review.

We recently had our illustrator, Beverly Duncan, visit us to get a

first hand account of the plants. Byron explains to Beverly the growth habit of our Black Olive (Olea europaea 'Arbequina'). Later she shows us her sketched olive tree.

Our category of citrus in the

book needed clarification. Here Beverly has the fruit of an Australian Finger Lime (the small

green fruit) and she is comparing the color of a Tahitian orange and the Myrtle Leaf orange. Both varieties

are miniature oranges but the color

distinction is subtle unless side by side. The lighter colored orange is the Myrtle Leaf Orange pictured here as a bonsai tree.

Another interesting fruit that we showed Beverly on her visit was our "Brown Sugar Fruit" (Manilkara

zapota Sapodilla 'Silas Woods'). This is a rare and tasty fruit that when mature will produce egg shaped fruit that can be cut in half and scooped out. The brown sugar taste and custard like texture is a delectable treat. Sapodilla plants are also known for their ability to produce chicle, a natural latex used in chewing gum.

Lastly, Beverly needed to see how Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus species) grew. It is shown here growing up a support and once the vines get a little bigger the red dragon fruit will appear.

Recently, I was in Florida collecting plants and I couldn't help but notice a local nursery that had neat rows of Dragon Fruit Trees cultured like standards. If you look closely the central stem is simply a pole that the vines have wrapped around. Impressive!

Jade Vine In Bloom at Logee's

The Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) is in bloom in our Greenhouses and the eye-catching display of jade-colored flowers will stop even the most casual visitor. In the Long House and in the Fern House you can see this native Philippine vine, each with 8 to 10 dangling chains of flowers.

The flower chains pictured are in different stages of blooming. First, the flower chains emerge out of either woody or new growth to start their trek downward. Then, as the chains reach their full length the blooms start opening from the top down. The flowers only last 4-5 days but the succession of bloom will continue. Flower chains can reach a few feet to 10 feet in length, if space permits.

As the flowers open, the stem bends with the weight of the bloom and forms a display of unusual jade flowers. Once the plant gets to be the size of your thumb in width, the plant is ready to bloom.

Our vine was two years old before it started blooming and presently is four years old. To be successful make sure you have plenty of room, lots of sunshine and sturdy support for your vine to

ramble around. Once it has reached maturity hard pruning will be necessary.

These are excellent plants for conservatories or sunrooms or a trellis in the south, which is Zone 10 or higher. Come take a peek!

How To Assemble Logee's Sunrise Succulent Collection

Succulents are a great way to bring color, form and texture to your indoor garden. Our Logee Sunrise Succulent Collection is comprised of 5 different succulents and then arranged in a way that makes an eye-catching statement!

Our Greenhouse manager, Rick Logee, loves

growing succulents. He says, "They are easy-to-grow, and only need water every other week or so." What about light level? "Grow them in

full sun and in the summer, take them outside on a deck or patio for the strongest light."

Follow the video instructions below to create your own

Logee Sunrise Succulent

Collection. You will receive in the mail five plants, clay saucer and soil.

The five plants that make up the Collection are: Euphorbia 'Firesticks' shown growing in trays with red-tipped ends, "Variegated String of Buttons" (Crassula perforata), "Watch Chain" (Crassula lycopodiodes), Anacampseros 'Sunrise'- the pink-blushed low grower, and Echeveria

'Black Prince'- the dark rosette-shaped plant.

Click on the arrow below to play the instructional video.

Logee's on Facebook and Twitter

Whoo Hoo...Logee's is on facebook and twitter. Yes, this year 2010 we are exploring all the social networking. Logee's is over 118 years old and change is sometimes difficult.

Well, we are changing with the times, at least a little bit. If you want to follow us on facebook and be a fan, click on our facebook link. When you get to Logee's facebook simply click on Become a Fan. If you want little tweets (up to 146 characters) about sales, new items, visitors, etc, then click on our twitter link.

Here's Ashley our Customer

Service Supervisor taking on the task of keeping us current on Facebook and Twitter.

We are learning all about how to reach people in a way that is convenient and useful. If you want blogs, you are in the right place. We're committed to blogging at least once a week,

but don't worry we will keep the "Secret Garden" aspect of Logee's the same. We don't want to get to far away from the natural world. Plus part of

the intrigue of Logee's is walking through the the narrow aisles, looking for the secret door that leads into the next greenhouse where little plants and big mother plants all grow side by side. Notice the tray of trichodiadema densumin bloom today and the archway into one of our retail greenhouses covered with a ficus vine. Enjoy!!

The Plant Shipping Process

At Logee's, we take great pride in shipping our plants that have been carefully grown in our greenhouses. We ship nationally and our plants have to be tucked in, stabilized and carefully wrapped to ensure safe delivery.

Sabina, our shipping supervisor at Logee's does a fantastic job heading up Logee's shipping department. During our busy season, which begins now, she will have up to 8 people working with her. The plants are groomed, wrapped, and tended to with the utmost care.

Click on the arrow below to play the video.

The small plant being shipped in the video is Jasminum Azoricum.

Pictured are the mature fragrant flowers. It is one of the sweetest jasmines we grow and can reach 2-3 feet in a pot within a season. Remember to give this vining plant some support like a trellis or wire hoop so it will bloom in full sun from spring through fall.

Martha Stewart's Gardener Visits Logee's

We love showing our greenhouses to visitors and especially enjoyed the other day when Shaun Kass, Martha Stewart’s estate gardener and his wife, Jen, came for a tour. We started in the “Long House” where Shaun’s 6’1" stature barely fit into our antique Glasshouse. Byron is in the background smiling, pleased that at 5’ 10” he has no problem navigating the aisles. Notice the Petrea volubilous alba vine, also known as White Queen's Wreath, flowering on a trailing vine near Shaun's left arm.

Next, we showed them our famous Ponderosa Lemon

Tree that has been growing in the Lemon Tree house since the early 1900’s.

Byron’s Great Grandfather bought the lemon tree from a grower in Philadelphia and had the tree delivered by horse and buggy. The underside of the lemon tree and all its branches show the old gnarly structure. Thousands of cuttings have been taken from this tree and the fruit can weigh up to 5 pounds. Jen is holding only a one-pound ponderosa lemon that we just picked.

This is a photo of Shaun and Byron hunting for the red ripe coffee beans on our Coffea arabica plant that has rooted into the ground. The structure of the tree is upright and continues to grow tall. Every year, we have to cut the top off to contain the size. The plant still produces flowers and beans even when pruned hard. This variety is the coffee of commerce and it is one of the easiest plants to grow. Plus, the coffee plant produces flowers twice a year giving off a light, pleasing fragrance.

While we wandered through our propagation houses Jen couldn’t resist the “Sea of Streps” (Streptocarpus) or Cape

Primrose. We have 14 varieties and they all have the ability to bloom year-round with amazing color. This close-up bloom is called Streptocarpus 'Spiritual Corridor.' I find if you look close enough you can see the outline of an Angel.

Other plants that were in flower on this February visit were the bright yellow Thunbergia 'Sunlady' with its defining brown center and the "Blue Skyflower" of India also known as Thunbergia grandiflora. I was happy to see that some of our other reliable bloomers were performing for our special guests such as Plumbago indica in full bloom, gracefully cascading with vibrant pink color.

We love this shot of Shaun and Jen standing under our soon-to-be released flowering basket of Duranta erecta compacta 'Little Geisha Girl'. Unlike the regular 'Geisha Girl' variety, this form is more compact and blooms are held tighter on the weeping stems making it a wonderful hanging basket. John Lucas from Tradewinds Botanicals gets credit for this variety.

We made sure they had plenty of gifts to go home with. Here is Shaun with a popular Sansevieria, Lithops or Living Stones, and a rare plant from our collection called a Haemanthus albiflos, known as "Dappled Snowbrush." The leaves look like orchid foliage. Jen is holding another Living Stone and I have a citrus gift for them, our popular Meyer Lemon Plant with a ripe meyer lemon from our mother plant.

Inside Logee's, Finding the Unusual!

Logee's has been around since 1892 and just knowing that will explain many of these pictures. When you walk through Logee's things have just sort of grown where they were placed. Some plants have remained in the same spot for years,

while other plants simply wind themselves around whatever structure is available. Come take a look!

The entrance photo has a metal chain pulley, which is a hand-crank vent, that towers amongst the tropical flowers and foliage. Another beauty that surrounds a man-made structure is Thunbergia mysorensis. This rare flower form makes itself known in the "Big House." Long vines dangle with yellow and burgundy flowers blooming

their heads off from winter through summer. The flowers reach for the iron heating pipe and suspend themselves in mid-air above or beyond the heat source.

Another unusual sight in the "Big House", growing in the middle of the aisle, is the base of a plant that looks like an upside down pot. Soft green moss and algae grow on the roots' ridges, attesting to the age of this kumquat tree. This impressive trunk has long outgrown its pot and has rooted itself into the ground over 70 years ago. Today, it is

home to over 5 different varieties of kumquats, plus a variegated calamondin orange. The vigor of the original tree, Fortunella margarita 'Nagami' has such a strong root system that other varieties have been successfully grafted on. 'Nagami' is the oval kumquat that can be

bought in a local grocery store. The next kumquat that is most prevalent on the tree is the Meiwa, which is the round sweet kumquat.

Logee's is a great place for vining plants. The vanilla orchid vine is a

favorite of mine climbing up the wall of our propagation house. We carry Vanilla planifolia and the vine, like this one, has to get about 4-5 feet before it begins blooming and producing vanilla beans. The trick to producing vanilla beans is first,make sure your vanilla plant is up to size and second, you must hand pollinate the flower during the blooming season.

Notice how the tendrils have wrapped themselves around

the piping, the vents and fan, yet here it has grown happily for the past 20 years.

One more site that amazes our visitors is this wheel vent that we have to crank open and shut every day. It's not so much

the antiquity of the wheel but the ficus vine that has

snuggly found a home along the pipes. Since we're on the topic of unusual, one plant worth mentioning is our very rare, intensely fragrant Tabernaemontana holstii. I walked into the greenhouses this morning and not only did its 5-pointed curled petal grab my attention, the sweetness of the flowers sent a fragrant reminder that yes, Spring is on the way! Of course, this is only a smattering of unusual forms that you'll see at Logee's. Mostly, you will be immersed in colorful flowers and intoxicating fragrance in a green world from head to toe.