Bonsai and exotic flora find a haven in Florida

Walking through the rows of plants, trees and shade houses that cover nearly 13 acres of Powell’s Nursery, Joe Powell stops and points to the verdant fronds of a foxtail palm. “That one, we went all the way down to Miami to dig out of a palm collector’s yard,” he said. “That was one of the first 100 seeds they ever smuggled out of Australia.”

Many of the plants at Powell’s Nursery in Punta Gorda are considered exotic. But for Powell, the definition shifts depending not just on where you are, but on what you want. “It’s not just a normal, common plant,” he said, referring to Punta Gorda’s homegrown hibiscus. “Of course, hibiscus up north are considered exotic. So, to me, exotic is something that normal people can’t get in that area.”

That fits the standard definition of an exotic plant: one not native to the local environment. But consumers and collectors may see it differently.

“If the public wants it and there’s a high demand, it’s considered exotic,” Powell said. Growers and other enthusiasts, however, might see an exotic as “something that they want to preserve in nature,” such as wild native varieties of orchids, spider lilies, ponytail palms or rare hibiscus.