Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date:

Iguana attacking! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Iguana attacking!

Iguana attacking! Iguana attacking! Iguana attacking! Iguana attacking!
Iguana attacking! your plants...

Q: I am having a hard time keeping iguanas eating everything! Any solution to keep them out?

Iguanas may become quite a problem in the garden. Our first suggestion would be - get a Duck as we have (Duck Dobi), she is so dominant and keeps any wild animals away from the property, including gators... and cats! They are scared of her! Dobi thinks she owns the place.

Here are a few other ways to control iguana problem in your backyard:

  • Rid your lawn of dropped fruits. Iguanas love fruit. And they love low-hanging fruit or fruit that's easy to get to. If you have fruit trees, take the time to pick up your yard and dispose of any dropped fruit.

  • Keep a lid on a garbage can. Put your garbage cans in a place they can't get to, or put a cinder block on your can lid.

  • Do not leave pet food out. If you're putting a bowl of dog food or a plate of cat food out for your pets, you're inviting iguanas into your yard.

  • Fill iguana holes. Iguanas like to dig. Wherever you see a hole, fill it. Stuff rocks into the hole first, then fill it with dirt and top it with sod. The iguana may return to dig again, but he won't dig through large rocks.

  • Do NOT feed the iguanas. Don't be friendly with them, so they won't come back.

  • Wire netting around plants. You can use wire netting or screens to prevent iguanas from entering plants and shrubs.

  • Spray them with a hose. When you see an iguana in the yard, spray them with the hose. They also hate loud noises. Constant "harassment" can keep them from returning.

  • Keep your yard clean. Excessive overgrowth or yard storage are great places for iguanas to hide.

  • Do not leave food out, unattended. Iguanas are mainly herbivores but that doesn't mean they won't smell something good and want to eat it. They will TRY anything.


Hopefully these tips help keep your iguana problems to a minimum!

#How_to

🏵 TopTropicals

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Can Frangipani be a vine? How to bring fragrance into your garden. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Can Frangipani be a vine? How to bring fragrance into your garden

Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine

Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine

Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine

Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine

Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine

Chonemorpha fragrans, Frangipani vine

💮 Can Frangipani be a vine? How to bring fragrance into your garden.

Chonemorpha fragrans, or Frangipani vine, is a large woody tropical liana with clusters of large, perfume-fragrant flowers and lush green foliage. It is close related to perfumed Plumeria - Frangipani.
  • 🌸 Chonemorpha's intoxicating scent fills the air, creating a sensory delight for all nearby.
  • 🌸 Leaves reaching up to 12 (!) inches add to its allure.
  • 🌸 Being a large woody vine, Frangipani vine requires sturdy support, making it a majestic addition to any garden or indoor space.
  • 🌸 Takes both sun or shade. Full sun is essential for profuse blooming.


🛒 Buy Frangipani Vine

#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

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Best picks of the Season

Special SALE deals - from our horticulturist

These plants are large, developed and beautiful NOW!

Hibiscus schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus

Hibiscus schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus. Spectacular weeping tree hibiscus, rare and hard to find. Grows rapidly and blooms freely. Flowers look like parachutes and can be recognized by the fringed and lacy petals which are bent backward. It has slender and gracefully curved stems. Can be trained into a showy standard.


Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine

Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine. Garden favorite - the sweetest fragrance at night is intoxicating. One of the most famous and desirable fragrant plants. Flowers are pale yellow to white, open at night and stay extremely fragrant until sunrise. These flowers are widely used in India and other countries of South Asia for perfumery, medicinal applications and in religious ceremonies. Best location will be near driveway, window or entrance, where the magic fragrance can be appreciated.


Juanulloa aurantiaca - Gold Finger plant, Mexican Spoon Flower

Juanulloa aurantiaca - Gold Finger plant, Mexican Spoon Flower - this one is soooo pretty! Unusual looking vine or shrub with yellow-orange fleshy flowers, everblooming and a VERY fast growing. Rare, collectible plant.


Tabernaemontana Flore Pleno, Crape Jasmine

Tabernaemontana Flore Pleno - Crape Jasmine, Carnation of India, Florida Gardenia - this fast growing bush with waxy leaves and beautiful fragrant flowers is a must in tropical garden. Easy to grow and free flowering, dense bush.


Microsorum musifolium - Alligator (Crocodile) Fern

Microsorum musifolium - Alligator Fern, Crocodile Fern from Australasia. Perfect for shade! An epiphytic fern with cool alligator-skin looking leaves. The strikingly shaped, light green fronds of the fern form a lovely backdrop to its stunning stiff, leathery, dark green alligator-skin foliage. Perfect as a houseplant, or planted under a tree. Grows to 2-3 ft in height and likes a sheltered, semi-shaded location, no direct sunlight.

Date:

Watch out! Cats will do this to you! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Watch out! Cats will do this to you!

🐈 Watch out! Cats will do this to you!

If you are thinking to buy a Pet Repeller Mat for your cat(s) to keep them away from unwanted places, think twice! They may turn it into a circus tent! 🎪

Good night and we hope you have a peaceful sleep!🌜🙀😼

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

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Are these kittens or puppies? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Are these kittens or puppies?

🐱🐶 Are these kittens or puppies?

Mango - the dog we rescued - happened to be a few weeks away from... bringing into the world these 8 cute pups!

Good night and sweet dreams about cute kittens and puppies🌜

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats and pups in comments!

🐾 #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

The Magic of 3 top tropical trees
from the legends of Caribbean

Yellow Poinciana, Jacaranda, and Royal Poinciana:
Three happy colors of the Tropics

paintings of 3 top tropical trees - Royal Poinciana, Yellow Poinciana, and 
Jacaranda

While traveling through the vibrant and diverse Caribbean, we acquired three exquisite local paintings. Two of these are masterfully rendered on jacaranda wood plates, and the third is beautifully crafted on a calabash. These stunning pieces of art celebrate the three most spectacular and revered flowering trees of the Tropics: Yellow Poinciana, Jacaranda, and Royal Poinciana.

These trees are not only visually stunning but also deeply embedded in Caribbean culture, legends, and folk remedies.

The Yellow Poinciana, with its bright golden blossoms, is often associated with joy and sunlight, symbolizing the warmth of the Caribbean spirit.
The Jacaranda, known for its striking lavender-blue flowers, is a symbol of wisdom and rebirth, often blooming in a breathtaking display that signals the change of seasons.
The Royal Poinciana, with its fiery red and orange flowers, is a symbol of passion and energy, often referred to as the "Flamboyant" tree due to its bold and dramatic appearance.

These trees hold a special place in the hearts of the Caribbean people. They are featured in numerous local stories and songs, and their flowers and leaves are used in traditional remedies and rituals. Owning these paintings feels like possessing a piece of the Caribbean's soul and its natural beauty.

Now, we are fortunate to have not only the paintings but also the actual trees. Watching them grow and bloom in our garden brings a piece of the Caribbean to our home, a constant reminder of our travels and the vibrant culture we experienced. These trees and their representations in art are a testament to the region's rich heritage and its enduring connection to nature.

Get them now while we have them. No need to go too far into Caribbean!

Peltophorum africanum - Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Poinciana

Peltophorum africanum - Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Poinciana. An excellent garden shade tree, beautiful in flower. This variety starts flowering at young age, in 3 gal pot.

Jacaranda mimosifolia (acutifolia)

Jacaranda mimosifolia - Hypnotizing bluish-purple, trumpet-like flowers create the magical image of the tree. Incredible, long-lasting purple blooms. When the trumpet-shaped blooms finally fall, they form a lilac carpet beneath the awe-inspiring Jacaranda for luxuriant curb appeal...

Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia

Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia - "One of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)

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Black-black-black plant! It's totally black, that's right. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Black-black-black plant! Its totally black, thats right

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

Black ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas x Black Dragon

♣️ Black-black-black plant! It's totally black, that's right.
  • ▪️ Meet the elusive Black ZZ Plant, where the leaves of this dragon truly live up to its name with their mesmerizing black hue.

  • Zamioculcas x Black Dragon - yes, the leaves of this Dragon are absolutely black!
  • ▪️Indoor plant enthusiasts may be familiar with its green counterpart, but this rare black variety is a collector's dream come true! You can see both green and black varieties on one of the photos.
  • ▪️The Black ZZ Plant is a succulent marvel, boasting dark glossy foliage thanks to its high chlorophyll concentration - a rarity in the plant kingdom.
  • ▪️With its exceptional ability to store water, the ZZ Plant can endure long periods without watering, earning its title as one of the most drought-tolerant plants on the planet.
  • ▪️Sometimes referred to as the Aroid Palm, this ancient relic shares a unique characteristic with Gonatopus: its leaflets can detach, root, and form bulblets, a trait unseen in other aroids outside the Zamioculcadeae family.
  • ▪️Witness the magic as juvenile leaves emerge green and transform into striking black as they mature, adding a touch of mystery and elegance to any indoor oasis.


🛒 Get the Black ZZ and surprise your friends

#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is this shocking pink gardenia? Does it exist? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is this shocking pink gardenia? Does it exist?

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia

👁 What is this shocking pink gardenia? Does it exist?
  • 🌸 Kopsia fruticosa: fondly known as the "Pink Gardenia", this gem is one of nature's most exquisite and elusive treasures.
  • 🌸 Its flowers are a marvel, transitioning from delicate light pink to deep hues with crimson centers, emitting a subtle fragrance.
  • 🌸 Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon this enchanting plant labeled as a Pink Gardenia during our expedition in Thailand!
  • 🌸 Intrigued, we delved deeper into its botanical identity. While technically not a Gardenia, this beauty is a close relative of Plumeria and Adenium we mentioned earlier, as well as Tabernaemontana (also often confused with Gardenia). All these beauties belong to the esteemed plant family Apocynaceae.
  • 🌸 It's no wonder this plant has captured our hearts; its beauty is simply irresistible, leaving us wanting more.
  • 🌸 With its compact growth habit, it's perfect for containers or in-ground planting, adding a touch of elegance to any garden space.


🛒
Treat yourself with a Pink Gardenia!

#Perfume_Plants #Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

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Tired of an ugly hedge? Replace it with Aglaia - Chinese Rice Flower, and enjoy Lemony Fragrance year around! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Tired of an ugly hedge? Replace it with Aglaia - Chinese Rice Flower, and enjoy Lemony Fragrance year around!

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant flowers

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant flowers

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant hedge

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant hedge

🍋 Tired of an ugly hedge? Replace it with Aglaia - Chinese Rice Flower, and enjoy Lemony Fragrance year around!
  • 🟡 Aglaia odorata is also known as Chinese Perfume Plant, Chinese Rice Flower, or Mock Lemon.
  • 🟡 The plant has an outstanding fragrance from tiny, rice-sized yellow flowers.
  • 🟡 Aglaia grows into a dense bush without pruning. It is relatively slow-growing; so large plants are rare and hard to find.
  • 🟡 Easy to grow bush, it is perfect for a cold tolerant tropical hedge.
  • 🟡 Aglaia has many medicinal uses; contains odorine and odorinol, which have cancer chemopreventive activity.


🛒
Get a few bushes of Aglaia for lemony-fragrant hedge

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

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What can be better than a Cherry? Cherry juice! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What can be better than a Cherry? Cherry juice!

Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

Barbados Cherry juice

Barbados Cherry juice

🍒 What can be better than a Cherry? Cherry juice!
  • 🍷 We discovered that Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra) we introduced earlier makes an excellent fresh-squeezed juice!
  • 🍷 Barbados Cherry is a vigorous grower that starts producing right away, and by the second year you have so much fruit that you don't know what to do with it - you can eat only so much fruit out of hand!
  • 🍷 Here is our Top Tropicals Signature Recipe -


🍒Barbados Cherry Juice:

1. Collect berries and rinse them with cold water
2. In a bowl, press the fruit with a potato musher, spoon or cup, and drain the fresh juice into a cup - put the juice aside.
3. Add a few spoons of sugar to the mush (optional), push-mush some more to extract more juice.
4. Add to the remaining mushed pulp some hot boiled water, stir, and let sit for a couple of hours.
5. Drain the liquid through a colander (you may add a little extra water in the process of extracting more tasty pulp out) and add to the fresh juice you made earlier. 6. Refrigerate for an hour, then serve in a clear glass to enjoy the color.

🎀 The Barbados Cherry juice made this way tastes very similar to Guava juice. It is very aromatic and tasty, and has a beautiful Baby-pink color!

❤️ Enjoy and stay healthy!

🍊 Remember Barbados Cherry fruit contains 65 times more of vitamin C than an orange
!

📚 Learn more about Barbados Cherry

🛒 Order Barbados Cherry Tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🏵 TopTropicals