Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Florida 2009 Plants of the Year

Every year, the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscapers Association names the top 10 plants of the year. This year includes a highlight of some of the best plants from the last decade. Here are the winners:

Acca sellowiana/Pineapple Guava
Arachis glabrata/Perennial Peanut
Bismarckia nobilis (silver form)/Bismarck Palm
Dryopteris erythrosora/Autumn Fern
Hamelia patens/Firebush
Serenoa repens (silver form)/Silver Saw Palmetto
Torenia fournieri ‘Summer Wave ’®/Wishbone Pansy
Ulmus alata/Winged Elm
Viburnum obovatum (compact forms)/Compact Walter’s Viburnum
Zamioculcas zamiifolia/ZZ

More info and pictures on each of these can be found on the FNGLA site.

My favorite from this list is probably the Firebush. I don't have one in my landscape (yet), but we do have several outside the building at work. Unfortunately, they got zapped by the freeze and are currently in a very smelly state.

4 comments:

Alan said...

Any north/central Florida area nursery selling named varieties of pineapple guava?

They do have pretty flowers, but I've yet to see one set fruit.

.....Alan.

My Mother's Garden said...

Thanks for this list! I'd like to try the torenia. I have the firebush, it's a good one. I have used its leaves and flowers in a few of my ceramic pieces for texture. Pineapple guava sounds interesting too.

Anonymous said...

I have called many local growers in South Florida and noone is growing the pineapple guava. How frustrating for plants to be named and then find that they are not available. Has anyone found them yet?

Emily said...

I know the pineapple guava has been difficult to find. Here are a couple suggestions for locating them.

Try the FNGLA Plant & Product Locator (http://www.fngla.org/search/searching/index.asp). I think the best bet is to ask them to call around to nurseries in their area.

Or if you're willing to travel, there’s a great nursery in the panhandle – Just Fruits and Exotics (http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/). They definitely have pineapple guava (http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/PineappleGuava.htm).