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The hour of the Hong Kong Orchid Tree
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)Most of the time we get caught up in the moment and almost without even realizing it, everything changes. Here in South Florida all of the sudden the hot summer nights begin to cool down, and some of our trees lose their leaves as a prelude to one of the most beautiful times of the year. And even though in South Florida we don’t get a feel of all seasons like in other states it does announce the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The flowering season for some of our deciduous trees. Including the Indian native the Hong Kong Orchid tree. Deciduous Trees And in our benefit, we have deciduous trees and is not that we don’t love our evergreen trees. But deciduous which means “falling of maturity” makes a clear reference to how they shed leaves, change, evolve and put on a genuine show. As most of these trees around this time of the year commence their flowering period leaving us, the spectators, in a state of awe. The Bauhinia X Blakeana or Hong Kong Orchid tree as its commonly referred to, is no stranger to this feeling. The tree grows to an average height of 30 feet and features a spread of around 25 feet; almost as wide as its height. The dense crown is somewhat round and irregular reflecting those characteristics in the general shape of the tree. It features a smooth gray bark with long droopy branches that add to its unique silhouette and grow into a round large canopy. Bauhinia X Blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid Tree) Further on the foliage is completely alluring itself as the large green to big gray leaves tend to form hearts or butterflies it depends on the beholder’s eye. They are bilobate in shape and measure around 3 to 4 inches (10.16 cm) wide and 4 to 5 inches long (12.7 cm). During their early stages, leaves are glossy-light green and are borne on the branch’s ends. But what really takes our breath away is the show it puts on every time it starts to bloom. Since its large and showy flowers begin to fill its branches in a distinctive and attractive manner. And exotic orchid-like flowers full of that magenta color and white veins that seem as if they have been carefully carved in on all 5 of the petals. While the also white stamens delicately bent over as they stick out. Fragrant flowers profusely cover the tree attracting hummingbirds and butterflies! Landscape Application The timing is perfect for the Bauhinia X Blakeana, as it blooms when many other plants aren’t and can light up the entire landscape. The blooming period commences in November and in many cases lasts up to the end of spring. The Hong Kong Orchid Tree is an ideal ornamental tree. Due to its size and growth habit, we highly recommend planting it in large to medium size properties as an accent tree or single specimen. And, due to its large spreading canopy, it acts as a good shade tree. Furthermore, it has a fast […]
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…the trees before the storm
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)There is always a moment between a big change where time seems to stand still. As if life was making sure the engraving in the memory that “split second” where you realize it can all change. And you hold on to it as the last breath. But here in Florida and South Florida to be exact when you work in the tree business, you need to hold your breath a lot. As, when it comes down to Hurricane season with every new approach to these natural disasters, we cast our luck and wish for the best. And as we are not trying to be dramatic, we know most trees have it in their DNA to withstand some hard winds and we have prepared ourselves for the season. We’ve even recently shared some of our best performance trees for hard winds in South Florida and of course what makes for a good windbreak. Hurricane Season 2022 But as we prepared for another hit, this time in the hands of “Ian” a Hurricane category 4 to 500 miles in diameter and winds up to 150 miles per hour that entitled this natural disaster a unique destructive capacity. We know Fort Myers and Tampa received the big hit and here at Homestead, we had some hard winds and a lot of rain. So, as we count our luck we seem prepared once again for new hits. Although Hurricane “Orlene” dissipated into a tropical storm status. Hurricane season, which started slow and uneventful in august seems above average according to NOAA. As their forecast expects something in between 14 to 20 significant storms. This feeling for us is quite big and compelling, back on October 6 of 2016 we thought the end of TreeWorld itself was imminent. But as we did back then, we repeat every season and armed with a great team to reduce impact and prepare for strong wind we placed them down and wrapped containers of each tree in plastic to help the fertilizer and soil stay in place. Capturing our Trees But honestly, this is not a story of our survival skills, nor a preparation for a natural disaster such as a Hurricane. This entry is meant to immortalize that moment of calm before the storm. To appreciate what in everyday life seems mundane. Highlighting not only the natural beauty of each tree, but also the work of our entire team to keep TreeWorld alive. So, with haste and love, I dedicated myself to portraying the beauty that our trees carry. Inviting you on a tour of what shines for us, and beyond its functionality or destiny, admire its beauty as a whole. A tour into our tree rows… Starting from our young 25-gallon and rapidly moving up to our 500-gallon trees we praised every single detail on our tree farms. So, starting from our 200 and 300-gallon Bayrum trees (Pimenta Racemosa) rows. We stepped fiercely and quickly to encounter our 200-gallon Lorito (Pithecellobium Arboreum). And, nearby our big native 200-gallon Southern Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) ready to extend their branches. Furthermore, we […]
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Best South Florida Windbreaks
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)-Landscaping for hard winds- As we established before living in Florida and the Caribbean is like living in paradise! Climate is great, sunshine almost 365 days a year, and the privilege of being near the ocean there is a need for windbreaks. But not everything can be easy, right? As we established in our last entry we need to think, prepare, and plan for hurricane season which is coming stronger by the year. In our last entry, we discussed selecting the best performance trees to withstand hard winds. Today we want to focus on selecting shrubs and hedge materials that make the best windbreaks. Windbreaks First of all, we must say that a good windbreak is a natural strong barrier ready to withstand strong winds, dust, and sand. Protecting structures, equipment, and ornamental trees. Having or planning for a windbreak comes with a lot of benefits for your landscape project as they reduce soil erosion, filter soil or sand blown particles, act as energy conservation, provide privacy, and not less importantly they beautify the landscape. So, jumping ahead we’ve selected some of the most suitable options to accomplish the task in South Florida. Remember that a good windbreak for the area must have a high salt and drought tolerance, prefer full sun, and is best if it’s densely foliated. Best Windbreak – Tree or Shrub Material Sea Grape (Coccoloba Uvifera) Native, tropical sensation. The Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) is a great addition when it comes to coastal landscaping. With broad round leaves and a multi-trunk growing habit that makes for a great shrub. This is a medium-sized shrub, it reaches a height of 25 – 30 feet or taller. With a moderately dense crown and spreading as wide as the tree is tall. The sea grape loves full sun and has high drought and salt tolerance, making it perfect for the coastal areas where it is native. It grows best in moist and well-drained soil, and it benefits from pruning. The attractive foliage, bark, flowers, and fruits make the Coccoloba Uvifera an interesting landscaping option. It can be grown as a tree or screening hedge as it tolerates windy conditions. Pigeon Plum (Coccoloba diversifolia) Also native to Florida is the Pigeon Plum (Coccoloba Diversifolia), which reaches an average height of 25 feet and is a medium-sized tree or shrub. With a symmetrical round to vase shape crown, that forms a nice round canopy. Mainly thanks to its upright branches. Furthermore, it features a nice leathery dark green foliage, that blooms during spring with small but abundant whitish-green flowers. As well as other species listed in this entry, this tree is also high drought and salt tolerant and resistant to hard winds. A perfect match to the coastline. Sea Plum (Coccoloba Uvifera x Diversifolia) Not far away from the sea grape and the Pigeon Plum, the Sea Plum. An artificial hybrid from crossing pigeon plum (c. diversifolia) and sea grape (c. Uvifera). Which is also presumed to have occurred in Florida. It reaches around 6 to 8 feet and features a round dense crown. It’s […]
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SAMANEA SAMAN: THE DREAM KEEPER
Colombia is built upon dreams guarded by the Samanea Saman (Rain Tree)! Surrounded by magic and the spreading branches of the tropical native.
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