Grafted

For Cuban Americans, Catalina avocados are symbolic of exponential growth. This Persea americana variety was naturalized to Florida, where it remains a Hispanic American food staple. Catalina avocados bear large fruit, which ripen on the tree, maintaining a bright green color. This West Indian avocado cultivar bears fruit with yellow, creamy flesh. It has a sweeter flavor profile than the Mexican cultivars sold commercially. With peak fruit maturing from summer to early fall, enjoy Catalina avocado for a tropical immersion that’s unique to the vibrant cultures and people of the tropical lowlands.

Avocados are full of vitamins like potassium and Vitamins A, vitamins K, E, and B. Plus, they are a great source of healthy, cholesterol-free fats! Growing Catalina avocado trees can be challenging at first, but will reward any horticulturalist with bounties of enormous avocados, weighing 2 pounds on average. Only one plant is needed to get fruit. Additional plants will increase cross-pollination and fruiting. Avocados can be sporadically picked from the tree and set to mature, saving you trips to the produce store for weeks at a time. To keep the Monroe avocado plant at its best, protect the tree from any unusual bouts of cold, allow it long days of sunbathing, and keep it in well-drained, nitrogen-rich soil. 

'Olympian' is a ultra cold hardy fig & absolutely delicious. This fig produces very sweet fruits with thin purple skin and a red to violet flesh. Olympia is hardy to zone 6 and the Pacific Northwest. Olympian Fig is self-fertile, low maintenance, fast-growing, can be grown in a container and is easy to grow!

Ficus carica ‘Olympian’ is a Washington state native, an original heirloom to now-protected land. Ficus carica will flourish in a number of environments, but is partial to a sunny, Mediterranean-like growing season, and dry, cool winters. Nourish this easy-to-grow fig tree variety for an abundance of round, subtle sweet fruits about the size of a tangerine. Pick and eat fresh, or harvest an entire crop to bring into your kitchen. The Olympian Fig will inspire new recipes both sweet and savory, providing you with a sanguine, reliably juicy fruit for every harvest.

Although your first encounter with a Ylang Ylang tree might feel like a novelty experience, chances are high that it’s been ever-present in your life. Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) is a worldwide pop culture staple, its fragrance famously serving as one of the key notes in Chanel No. 5, the first perfume launched by Coco Chanel in 1921. The treasured tropical fragrance of the Ylang Ylang tree is emitted from its cascading ringlets of yellow flowers. Simply approaching a Ylang Ylang tree in the midst of its blooming time will sweep you away with its invigorating, jasmine-like scent. You will find that the most experienced perfume alchemist cannot perfectly match the natural scent of a Ylang Ylang in bloom. 

Growing the Ylang Ylang tree requires mimicry of climate conditions in its native locales of tropical Asia. In the right climate, Cananga odorata will grow remarkably quickly, soaring up to 60 feet in height. Fortunately, it can be pruned back to control growth, and harvested often for its deliciously scented flowers. Fruit and flower production typically begins within 2 years of growth. The flowers are best harvested once fully mature, when they will deepen to a golden yellow, and at night, when they emit the most fragrance. Flowers can be used purely aesthetically, or to make ylang ylang essential oil,  Cananga odorata bears aggregate clusters of black, mild-tasting berries, which are used in traditional Asian medicine for headaches, digestive issues, itching, and more. 

Mature Air-layered Kohala Longan

If you envision greener pastures through rose-tinted glasses, grow Sri Chompoo ‘Pink’ Longan. This variety bears classic tan clusters of Longan fruits that have rose-tinted flesh and a smaller seed than other Longan types. Longan will fill the gardening gaps for those who yearn for the lush forests, ornate temples, and storied ruins of Thailand, without the plane ticket.  A close relative of the classic Asian dessert fruit Lychee, Longan fruit can be enjoyed fresh off the tree, or chilled and prepared for desserts, candy, or canning. However, Longans are more often used for medicinal purposes than lychee. Longan fruit benefits include antidotes for stomach ache, insomnia and reportedly poisonous snake bites. Dried leaves contain quercetin and quercitrin, and flowers of Longan are also sold for the makings of Chinese herbal medicine.

You will cherish the vigorous growth tendencies of the Longan, with proper establishment in well-drained soil that can hold nutrients and moisture. Eventually, Longan trees will reward laborious gardeners with a statuesque height, which can be admired under a dense canopy of glossy, evergreen leaves. Establish the Longan with generous watering in its first couple of years, and enjoy bundles of fruit for its entire life. Longan trees will fare best in subtropical climates with a distinct cool season, which will be its prime flowering period.

Grafted and Ready to Produce!

Carambola, commonly known as Star Fruit for it's crisp star-shaped fruit, is a fast-growing, heavy producing tropical fruit tree. The Kajang Variety is large and sweet. 

Carambola produces prolific and gorgeous, pink, purple, and white flowers. These flowers stem off of woody branches, and bear a lot of fruit in the summer and fall. Carambola will bloom throughout most of the year, but prominently throughout May and September/October.  The bright yellow to orange fruit is naturally waxy and each fruit is about 4-6" long. Length and width varies slightly by cultivar. The flavor is similar to a sweet-tart blend of green apple, pear, grape, and citrus. In Florida, harvest season is generally from June through February, with peaks in fruit production during August through September, and December through February.  

Star Fruit is easy to grow in a container and can thrive in a large pot. In the colder months they may loose their leaves, so they should be overwintered indoors if temperatures reach below freezing! Prune Carambola trees in late winter.