Medinilla Orchid is Magnificent ! July 28, 2017

Greetings all, we are about half way through summer here in Tampa Bay and with all this rain we have been getting, the nursery garden continues to explode with color and growth.  Many of our customers have been asking for House Plants and/or plants that thrive in bright shady areas outdoors and we have some great options :

This time of year, the beautiful Medinilla Orchid (Medinilla myriantha), aka Malaysian Orchid plant just explodes with color.

With deep, thick green leaves, this produces the most interesting flower.....it starts very small and very light pink, then continues to grow larger and the color turns to dark pink. The bloom looks like little clusters of pink grapes !

Loving warmth and humidity, and liking to be on the dry side, it works great in a bright shady area outdoors, and can be grown as a house plant too.

Typically only growing 3-4 feet, it's a great plant for a small area that won't take over other foliage.


Another option is the White Bird of Paradise - Most of you know them from seeing very large specimens in gardens, but it actually will do quite well, kept on the small size, in containers, indoors and out.

With the lovely tropical foliage, White Birds are very easy to maintain and require very little care once they are  nestled in their containers.  Indoors, a little dusting of the leaves helps once in while. The baby Birds (1 gallon) are very popular with our student customers for their dorms, and for many customers for inside their homes and offices.

Red Anthuriums are another excellent choice for House and office plants.

The species we carry is the Dwarf Holland Anthurium, only getting about 12 inches high, and requiring very little water.  The blooms look very waxy and keep their color for months, and it is always putting up new shoots.









We have a great selection of Tillandsias (Air Plants) right now that will fit right into your home, office and porches and Air plants work great placed in Shells, which provides support but of course, does not hold water:

Air Plants do need a good watering once a week but other than that, they do not need soil or fancy pots etc in order to display and enjoy them.

At Market, we do have a nice selection of shells, and of course, most of us have shells collected over the years, so it's a very economical way to have plants and not spend a fortune !

And of course, we can't forget our favorite mini plants, that is, Mini Succulents and Cacti that are so low maintenance, and again, needing very little water and you can display them a thousand different ways (Google "Succulents" and you will see what I mean !)




Our summer Market days at Williams Park continue to be a bit challenging with rain, but it's never shut us down completely, so we are there, rain or shine, for our loyal customers.

Summer Market will continue every Saturday, from 9am-1pm till the end of August, so come on down and check it out if you haven't been there, and for those who frequent the Market, we and all our vendor friends are very appreciative of your support !


Williams Park Summer Market
Williams Park is bordered by 3rd and 4th streets north, between 1st and 2nd avenue north.  Plenty of parking in surrounding areas, either on-street or nearby parking garage. Every week you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, Organic eggs and Milk, Yummy treats to eat on-site as well as take home, and of course, Hey Plant Man Armstrong Nursery, located on the Northeast side of the park.

Every Saturday, 9am,-1pm, rain or shine !
Summer Market runs through to the end of August.