Plants and Flowers

If you live in sunny Florida, growing bananas can be an excellent experience for you. The most common and best Florida species to grow are the ‘Cavendish’, the ‘Lady Finger’, and the ‘Apple’ bananas. There are several clones of ‘Cavendish’ bananas. The largest one is ‘Lacatan’ decreasing in size to ‘Robusta’, and the ‘Giant Cavendish’. The most popular of these clones, is the ‘Dwarf Cavendish’, which is the most difficult to cultivate among other commercial brands. It is that very banana variety that is the most widely recommended by the University of Florida to the homeowner for its plentiful bunches of excellent tasting fruit. Both the ‘Ladyfinger’, the variety with smaller banana fingers, and the ‘Apple’ banana are more tolerant to cool weather with a very sweet flavor when ripe. These are the banana species most often seen throughout the Caribbean region. Other varieties grown in Central Florida are the ‘Jamaican Red’, the ‘1,000 Finger’, and the ‘Golden Pillow’, and the ‘Honey’ banana. The plantain species or ‘Musa paradisiaca’ that grow best in South Florida is the ‘Horse’ plantain. It is the best choice, as it is more drought tolerant and need the least maintenance among all the plants.

• Care for banana tree
• Cactus (general information)
• Sun for succulents
• Calendula growing