Category: Tropical Plants

Carnivorous Plants

There are more than 600 types of carnivorous plants, but most infamous of all is the Venus flytrap. Sundews and pitcher plants are also carnivorous, and all three are exceptionally beautiful plants. You can find carnivorous plants on almost every continent, (except Antarctica), and in every state in the United States. As a result of […]

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Discover Forestiere’s Underground GardensHidden Garden Gem

Citrus trees growing out of the ground.

Forestiere Underground Gardens is a hidden garden gem located in Fresno, California. It was created over 100 years ago by Baldassare Forestiere, a citrus farmer from Italy. When Forestiere discovered he would not inherit land from his family, he immigrated to the east coast of the U.S. to make his own way. To earn enough […]

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Christmas CactusPlant Profile

christmas-cactus-Anne-of-Green-Gardens

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) as well as Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) are succulent, tropical plants available for purchase during fall and winter. Read Thanksgiving vs. Christmas below if you want to know the difference.  There is also an Easter cactus that blooms in spring, if I see one this year I’ll buy one and write about […]

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Conservatory of Flowers, San FranciscoGardens to Visit

potted-plants-Anne-of-Green-Gardens

The Conservatory of Flowers is one of my favorite places to visit in San Francisco. The gorgeous Victorian-style conservatory is located in Golden Gate Park and is surrounded by a large park with plenty of places to picnic, ride a bicycle and enjoy the sun. On cold days, the interior of the conservatory is an […]

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Poinsettias Aren’t Poisonous?

poinsettias care houseplant Anne of Green Gardens

If you’ve never had a poinsettia in your home because you thought they were poisonous, I have good news! No one has ever died from eating or being exposed to poinsettia plants.  And, there is a study to back it up (American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 1996). The study found that most people exposed to […]

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Something Stinky This Way Comes…

Guest blog by Holly Guenther of www.kimchikawaii.com One of the reasons I love living in a college town – access to really cool happenings. UC Davis has a very cool botanical conservatory that is home to a huge variety of plants. The ones that steal the show are the corpse flowers (Amorphophallus titanium) also known […]

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The Frost Cometh: Protect Your Plants!

Here in the Central Valley of California, we normally enjoy mild winters. However, once every few years temperatures dip below freezing. This causes widespread panic among gardeners, who have forgotten (or perhaps did not know) that many plants in our garden are subtropical and need protection. These plants include citrus, avocado, anything with succulent leaves and bougainvillea, […]

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Plumeria

During my week long vacation in Hawaii, I had the chance to see some incredible sights. Dolphins swam with our snorkel boat, turtles lounged on black sand beaches, and geckos abounded. However, when I uploaded my photos, 90% of my photos were of plants! (You know you’re a plant person when this happens.) One of […]

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