Growing Oranges, Lemons and Limes in Containers

This Tahitian Orange is prolific in its fruiting and the plant keeps growing even while fruiting.

Gardeners have been growing citrus in containers for thousands of years. The attractive and edible fruit combined with intensely sweet flowers makes citrus a prized potted plant. Some gardeners grow citrus outside in pots in tropical zones while others grow citrus inside in pots in northern climates. Whether or not you live in a temperate or tropical climate or live in an apartment or home, growing citrus fruit successfully in containers has a few common cultural requirements.

Kumquats grow happily in a pot and last for months.

Sun, Sun, and more Sun

Make sure you have a sunny area. Light level and light intensity have a lot to do with growing citrus successfully. Citrus plants need at least 6 hours a day of sunshine and temperatures above 65˚F is a plus for rapid growth.

Meyer Lemon has a distinctive fresh lemon flavor and is cherished throughout the world.

Choosing Your Container

Glazed, plastic, terra-cotta (clay), cement, wood are all viable choices. However, if you grow in anything but terra-cotta, you must be careful and accurate with your watering. We recommend using clay or terra-cotta so the soil can dry down between waterings. Otherwise, moisture stays on the inside of the pot and this can invite in root disease. This rapidly turns into root rot and can kill the plant. Also, pot size is something to become aware of. Do not over pot (choose a pot too big, too fast). This also can lead to over watering and again invite in root disease. Also, citrus like to be somewhat root-bound in a pot. We’ve grown some of our most productive Meyer Lemon plants in 8″ pots for years. Read More…

Little juice vesicles pop in your mouth and adds an unbeatable lime flavor.

 

 

 

Fruiting And Tasting The Miracle Berry

Miracle Berry (Synsepalum dulcificum) grows in clusters

The long and short of the miracle in the berry is the presence of a compound that changes the way your taste buds perceive sour and sweet. Here is how we recommend tasting the Miracle Berry.

Put the whole berry in your mouth. Do not bite into the berry because there is a seed inside. Work the skin and pulp of the berry and coat your mouth and tongue with the taste. Savor the sweetness. In 3-4 minutes start tasting foods that are typically sour, like lemons and sour pickle. If you bite into a tomato, it will be the sweetest tomato you have ever eaten. If you sip on dry red wine, it will be a sweet wine instead of dry.

Growing the Miracle Berry is as simple as accurate watering, not over ferilizing and using and acidic soil. Read more…

Miracle Berry fruits twice a year and can reach up to 5 feet in a pot

Growing and Cooking with Curry Leaf

Curry Leaf (Murraya Koenigii)

Curry Leaf makes a wonderful potted plant for your culinary collection of aromatic herbs. The fragrant leaf has a nutty, pungent flavor and is a prized addition to South Indian foods. Logee’s Curry Leaf plant is highly valued by both the chef and gardener.

History 
Curry Leaf is native to India and is used in delicious Indian, Asian and Thai dishes throughout the world. Believe it or not, murraya is from the citrus family (Rutacaea). It has been used for centuries in Ayruvedic medicine for its antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Growth Habit
Logee’s Curry Leaf plant has an upright and open growth habit, which means that the branches have a somewhat “loose” appearance. As an indoor plant in temperate areas, Curry Leaf grows and flowers from spring through fall. In the north, it can experience a resting period during the winter months when the days are short. Sometimes, leaves will drop. Don’t worry. This is normal. Read More…

 

Flowers and Fragrance-A New Aromatherapy

 Fragrant Flower Aromatherapy

Traditional aromatherapy uses the fragrance of essential plant oils as mood enhancers or stress relievers. At Logee’s, we think the fragrance of flowers is good therapy too. Maybe we should call it “Flower Therapy!”

Canary Island Broom (Genista canariensis)-These yellow creamy blooms are wands of fragrance that emit a sweet scent from January through June.

A close-up of the Canary Island Broom (Genista canariensis) A flower that epitomizes fragrance!

Smells remind us of certain memories. I read once that the scent of roses reminded a gardener of her mother because she used to wear rose-scented perfume when she tucked her in at night. For this woman, the fragrance of roses reminded her of her mother’s calming energy. Today, this same woman is a prolific rose grower and surrounds herself with roses during stressful times.

Jasmine ‘Maid of Orleans’, blossoms make a wonderful jasmine flavored water.

At Logee’s, our Retail greenhouses host many different fragrant flowers. Some of our favorites are the jasmines. Our Jasmine sambac varieties have a sweet yet refreshing scent that makes breathing in the lightly scented air a pleasure. Jasmine ‘Maid of Orleans’, an everbloomer, is one of our favorites for making jasmine water. Simply pick some of the flowers at night and put them in a covered pitcher of water. Place it in the refrigerator and by morning you will have a refreshing, lightly flavored water to start your day.

Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) brings the romance back into the evening with its heady scent.

Another plant called Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) is not a jasmine at all but carries an intoxicating scent in the evenings. Especially welcome after a long day, Night Blooming Jasmine brings romance back to the evening. You may just want to sit with a glass of wine and inhale the possibilities.

Sweet Almond Verbena (Aloysia virigata) is a wonderfully vanilla -scented flower that can be enjoyed year-round.

Vanilla scent usually evokes memories associated with baking or a kitchen filled with aromatic homemade cookies. Sweet Almond Verbena (Aloysia virgata) reliably delivers that scrumptious fragrance. Its long spires of vanilla-scented white flowers have you enjoying home baked cookies and pastry without the calories. (add photo with caption)

While we’re on the topic of food, our “Flower Therapy” would not be complete without the tropical scent of the Banana Shrub (Michelia figo). These flowers are most fragrant in full sun when the delicious banana scent of the creamy yellow and blushed purple flowers can enliven your senses. 

Banana Shrub (Michelia figo) is a delectable tropical fragrance.

Plumeria ‘Dwarf Sinapore Pink‘- Easily grows in a pot and emits a “take me away to the tropics” fragrance.

The frangipani fragrance of plumeria is another favorite at Logee’s. Close your eyes and inhale the intoxicating scent that’s reminiscent of warm sunny days and the white sandy shores of Hawaii. Now only imagine a Hawaiian lei, typically made with plumeria flowers, around your neck.  Feel yourself relaxing and the stress melting away.

Plumeria ‘Candy Stripe’- Often used in Hawaiian leis.

Another island favorite is Tahitian Gardenia (Gardenia taitensis). Gardenia fragrance is the sweet perfume that entices gardeners year-round.

Tahitian Gardenia (Gardenia ‘taitensis’) A gardenia that acts as a de-stressor with one inhale.

Other mainstay gardenias that have a home at Logee’s are the jasminoides type. ‘Belmont’, ‘Fortuniana’, ‘Frostproof’ are just a few that have large creamy flowers and an inviting, heady scent.

Gardenia ‘Belmont’ grows beautifully in a pot and produces an abundance of creamy white fragrant flowers.

If you’re interested in fragrant plants and “Flower Therapy” click here to be directed to Logee’s Fragant Plants – on Sale Now.  This sale lasts through 2/20/13.

Clean Your Indoor Air

Rattlesnake plant (Calathea lancifolia) helps clean the indoor air. Plus, they are easy growers.

Elephant Ear ‘Hilo Beauty’ (Alocasia hybrid) is one of the many large surface air cleaning plants on display at Logee’s.

During the winter months, plants are a great way to enliven your space and clean you indoor air. NASA has produced a list of plants that have been tested to clean air by an exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Plants breathe and while we’re sleeping, clean the indoor toxins. NASA recommended 15 plants in 6 inch pots to clean a 2,000 sq. foot area. At Logee’s, we grow many of these plants. Read more...

January Blooms and Fruits at Logee’s

January is a great time of year to get out of the cold and come into  warm, tropical gardens. Meander through the 120 year-old greenhouses and inhale the fragrance of the flowers. Every season brings a different flower into full bloom.

The Pink Ball Tree (Dombeya wallichii) is the first flowering shrub that greets visitors at this time of year.

Lollipop Flower (Pachystachys lutea) is an easy grower and has creamy yellow blooms year-round. 

Bougainvillea “Blueberry Ice” – A year-round bloomer with variegated leaves.

Over 5 varieties of citrus are grafted on this Kumquat Tree.

Amazon Lily Christine (Eucharis amazonica) is a fragrant lily.

Meyer Lemons are the best tasting lemons and have more juice than regular table lemons.

African Gardenia (Mitriostigma Axillare)- A fragrant ever bloomer that fills an entire room with its intoxicating scent.

Thunbergia Grandiflora is a wonderful winter bloomer, nicknamed, “The Blue Skyflower.”

Ponderosa Lemon blossom fills the greenhouse this time of year.

Hibiscus “The Path” has Big, Dinner plate sized blooms which are always eye-catching

Dwarf Jamaican Heliconia (Heliconia stricta)- is a winter and spring bloomer with flowers lasting for weeks.

Each month, we will give you an update about what is in bloom or growing well at Logees.   Better yet, don’t believe us, come take a look for yourselves.

Re-post from bon savant about Logee’s Plants

Here is a re-blog from bon savant, a blogger from Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He is growing a variety of Logee’s Plants and just received some in the mail.

Elephant Ear ‘Mojito’ p.p.a.f. (Colocasia esculenta)

New Plants from Logee’s and Checking In On the Tropical Fruit

Today I had yet another box arrive from Logee’s Greenhouses in Danielson, Connecticut. This time it was a new citrus tree, a new (and awesome) elephant ear, and a trio of scented geraniums. All had for a fraction of their regular price during one of the last clearance sales. If you like unusual plants (mostly tropical, but some hardy) I urge you to check out their website and sign up for emails. They have so many things I cannot find locally, and their history is pretty cool, too.

Once the new plants were potted up, I did a little check-up on the tropical fruit trees under the pergola. Everyone seems to be growing quite happily. I’m amazed at what a difference a summer spent outdoors means to these little (but growing quite big) plants. To read more and see the great pictures go to…

http://bonsavant.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-plants-from-logees-and-checking-in.html