Florida Marlberry blooming indoors

[NC_Palms]

A few years back I bought this marlberry (Ardisia) plant at a state park down in South Florida. I keep this plant outside from April to November and for the rest of the year I keep it inside. Since I brought it inside, I was surprised to see that it started blooming. 

[Silas_Sancona]

15 minutes ago, NC_Palms said:

A few years back I bought this marlberry (Ardisia) plant at a state park down in South Florida. I keep this plant outside from April to November and for the rest of the year I keep it inside. Since I brought it inside, I was surprised to see that it started blooming. 

You'll enjoy them.. Quite fragrant up close, or if the air is somewhat humid.  Mine has flowered every year i have had it right about now. While it flowers like crazy, this will be the first year i'm actually going to get fruit/seed since moving here.  Sits outside year round in my shade alley. Never had an issue with our hand full of morning lows that dip into the lower 30s/ -flirt w/ dip just below 32F this time of year.  Aside from needing to be re potted, and that only part of it decided to produce fruit, very easy-to-grow "Florida Native" than what i'd been told in the past.

White Indigo Berry, Randia aculeata is another, easy Fl. native that has done well for me here ( shaded, all day.  Does need regular water though, esp. in summer ) Also produced fruit for the first time here this year.

Developing fruit, 12/2019

Edited December 19, 2019 by Silas_Sancona
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[NC_Palms]

 

 

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On 12/19/2019 at 1:54 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

White Indigo Berry, Randia aculeata is another, easy Fl. native that has done well for me here ( shaded, all day.  Does need regular water though, esp. in summer ) Also produced fruit for the first time here this year.
 

I love indigo berry! They are absolutely beautiful little trees. I even once tried to grow one as a houseplant several years ago but it died I think from the dry winters indoors. But that was almost six years ago and I was in middle school at the time. Of course, I would like to try to grow them again. 

My favorite Florida native plant (non palm) is definitely seagrape (C. uvifera).  I want to plant one of these and see if I can make it survive the winter. 

[Silas_Sancona]

Still miss my Sea Grapes.. No worries though, I'll get more later.   Had similar thoughts regarding how our extremely dry air ( and subsequent extra intense degree of heat, compared to anywhere east of the Plains, or the Southeast / Florida ) might effect what FL. natives  i'd brought here like the Marlberry, Indigo berry, and Fiddlewood but all have done fine,  so far ..as long as they stay shaded, and they're watered regularly.. Have come close to killing the Indigo berry, but bounced back both times i'd accidentally let it get too dry though. Need to get all 3 into bigger pots this Spring..

Compared to every other Fl native i brought with to trial / record observations of here, It and the Fiddlewood need the most water, soaked roughly every other day through summer, unless August and/or September are wet.  Have a Yellow Necklacepod thats just about as thirsty during the summer but think it's issue is simply needing to be re potted vs being a "thirsty" plant.. Seed was originally collected off a plant growing in a sand dune near a beach access point near Treasure Island, ( in Fl. )  fully exposed to the sun.. Gotta be pretty tough to take such exposure, even there where it actually rains in the summer.. Have some seedlings i keep forgetting to re pot but the darn things have held their own through the summer, and keep growing.. Thats one tough plant right there.