Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Bright, bold, and edible: Variegated Chaya. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Leaves of Variegated Maya Spinach Tree

Leaves of Variegated Maya Spinach Tree

Variegated Maya Spinach Tree growing in pot

Variegated Maya Spinach Tree growing in pot

🌱 Bright, bold, and edible: Variegated Chaya
  • 🌿 Cnidoscolus aconitifolius variegatus, known as Chaya "Jatropha" or Variegated Maya Spinach Tree, is a rare gem for gardeners who crave both beauty and function. On top of health benefits of regular Chaya we mentioned earlier, this one is also a rare spectacular ornamental!
  • 🌿 With its striking, creamy-splashed fan-shaped leaves and sculptural form, this plant brings dramatic texture to sunny landscapes or large containers. And as a bonus, it sends up charming clusters of white flowers!
  • 🌿 More than just a looker, it's a productive perennial too - its leaves, once cooked, are a nutritious green similar to spinach. Just don't eat them raw.
  • 🌿 This drought-tolerant shrub thrives in sun, asks for little more than space to grow, and rewards you with year-round color and character. Whether you grow it for food, flair, or both, the Variegated Chaya is an unforgettable addition to your garden.


🛒 Add rare beauty and purpose to your garden

📚 Learn more:
Chaya's health benefits: a must-have tropical leafy vegetable for sustainable gardening

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

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Get the Red Jade look without the fuss: cold-hardy Dwarf Red Jade Vine. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Dwarf Red Jade Vine blooming

Dwarf Red Jade Vine blooming

Dwarf Red Jade Vine blooming

Dwarf Red Jade Vine blooming

💃 Get the Red Jade look without the fuss: cold-hardy Dwarf Red Jade Vine
  • 🔥 Love the stunning, fiery blooms of the famous Red Jade Vine (Mucuna benettii) but live outside the tropics?

    • Its cousin - Dwarf Red Jade Vine - is tougher, easier to grow, and just as jaw-dropping, and delivers the same dazzling display of blazing red flower chains - without the high-maintenance, ultra-tropical demands.
  • 🔥 Camptosema grandiflora - Dwarf Red Jade Vine, Cuitelo, or Rooster's Crest - this Brazilian superstar brings cascading chains of bright red blooms that look like flames frozen in mid-air.
  • 🔥 Unlike the ultra-tropical and finicky Mucuna benettii, this cousin is tougher, easier to grow, and just as jaw-dropping. It thrives in full to partial sun, forgives a little drought, and even shrugs off light frost. Blooming in fall and winter, it gives your garden a fiery finale when everything else starts to fade.
  • 🔥 Got a pergola or arbor? Perfect. The hanging flower clusters will light up the space like a botanical chandelier. Just prune it hard in spring and feed it well, and it will thank you with a blooming spectacle year after year.
  • 🔥 If you've been dreaming of the iconic Red Jade Vine but thought it was out of reach - this is your sign.


🛒 Get all the wow of Red Jade Vine - without the worry

📚 Learn more:
Camptosema grandiflora, Dwarf Red Jade Vine - my favorite plant

#Nature_Wonders #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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🌞 How to help your plants survive a hot summer

Father's Day Event at Top Tropicals, Cat at checkout

Q: It's getting so hot that my plants stay droopy all day, how much water is enough water? Any advice how to help them to survive this heat?

A: Yes, it's official - summer has cranked up the heat, and your garden knows it. Blame it on the dreaded heat dome - a big ol' pressure lid in the sky that traps hot air like a pressure cooker. Basically, it's summer's version of putting your plants in an oven - without the cookies... But don't panic! With a little extra care (and water), you can help your leafy friends make it through the sizzle without going crispy. Here's how to beat the heat in your garden:

Eight rules during summer heat

1. Water early, and generously. Morning is the magic hour. Before the sun gets too intense, give your plants a slow, deep drink - like a spa treatment before a big day. Watering in the middle of the day? Bad idea. It's like pouring water on a hot frying pan - evaporates fast, and can even scorch leaves.

2. Mulch like you mean it. A nice 2-3 inch blanket of mulch keeps your plants' roots cool and the moisture locked in. Think of it as sunscreen and air conditioning for the soil. Pine straw, bark chips, shredded leaves - whatever you've got, pile it on.

3. Give them some shade. If your plants are looking like they're sunbathing without sunscreen, help them out. Use old sheets, umbrellas, shade cloth - whatever works. Even a light shade can make a big difference. New plants, veggies, and shade lovers like philodendrons will thank you.

4. Put down the pruners. Right now, your plants are in survival mode. Pruning in extreme heat can stress them out more. Let them ride out the heat wave before giving them a trim.

5. Don't move in this heat. If you're thinking of transplanting that poor little tree - hold that shovel. Moving plants during extreme heat is like moving house during a heatwave - everyone ends up grumpy. Wait until cooler weather rolls back in.

6. Pamper your potted plants. Pots heat up fast and dry out even faster. Move your container plants to shadier spots and check their soil often - don't let it go bone dry. They can't dig deeper for water, so you're their lifeline.

7. Know the signs of heat stress:
- Droopy in the day, perky at night? Normal. They're just hot, not dying. Keep watching.
- Crispy edges or curling leaves? They're too dry. Deep water, mulch, shade.
- Still wilted the next morning? That's a red flag. Time to step up the TLC - soak thoroughly and shield from the sun.

8. Don't forget about yourself! If your plants are feeling the heat, you probably are too. So wear a hat, slap on sunscreen, hydrate, and do your gardening early or late in the day.

Need help planning your garden's heatwave strategy? We're here for you, 7 days a week. Reach out to the Top Tropicals team and we'll get your plants through summer with style!

Stay cool and grow on,
Kristi V. - your Tropical Plant Expert 🌴

Explore Plants and Supplies

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🍒 New video: Grumichama

The sweetest tropical cherry for your yard

If you're looking for a fruit tree that does it all - gorgeous looks, amazing flavor, and nonstop production - meet Grumichama - Eugenia brasiliensis, the tropical cherry you'll fall in love with! The cherries are glossy, deep purple-black, and unbelievably juicy. One bite and you're hooked - sweet, smooth, with hints of cherry, grape, and plum.

Grumichama is our favorite tropical cherry at Top Tropicals. So good, you'll eat one… then a handful… then half the tree! Grumichama is perfect for beginners - tough, forgiving, and super productive. Cold hardy to the upper 20s. It takes heat, partial shade, even salt spray. It thrives in a pot or in the ground and can produce up to 500 fruits per tree!

Start your food forest with Grumichama. It's easy. It's beautiful. The most addictive fruit!

Grumichama - Eugenia brasiliensis

Start your food forest with Grumichama

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The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit you've never heard of. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of
🍊The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit you've never heard of

  • Looking for a new exotic fruit to love? Meet Vangueria infausta - Spanish Tamarind, also called Wild Medlar. Native to Southern Africa, this little-known gem grows on a small tree and produces round, golden-brown fruit with a sweet-tart flavor. You can eat them fresh, dried, or even turn them into a tropical jam or homemade fruit beer!

  • But it's not just tasty - it's super healthy. The fruit is packed with vitamin C, fiber, and minerals like iron and magnesium. Locals use it as natural medicine: the leaves and bark are brewed into teas for colds, fevers, and stomachaches. The roots are even used for coughs and snakebites.

  • Secret bonus? Its bark and leaves make natural dyes in yellow, green, and purple!

  • The Wild Medlar is easy to grow in warm climates (Zones 9-11) and can handle poor soil and dry weather. In cooler zones, just grow it in a pot and bring it in for winter. Give it full sun, some water, and it'll reward you with 20-40 fruits per season.


🛒 Grow your own wild superfruit - Spanish Tamarind

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

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What is the best tasting and most beautiful tropical cherry? Grumichama. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is the best tasting and most beautiful tropical cherry? Grumichama

Grumichama - Eugenia brasiliensis

🍒 What is the best tasting and most beautiful tropical cherry? Grumichama!
  • 🍒 If you are hunting for a fruit tree that does it all - gorgeous looks, unbelievable flavor, and nonstop productivity - meet Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis), the tropical cherry you'll fall in love with!
  • 🍒 Grumichama is a compact cherry tree that steals the show. In spring, the tree transforms into a cloud of delicate white starburst flowers, like fireworks frozen in bloom. The blossoms are pure white with long, golden-tipped stamens, giving them a soft, lacy glow. The entire tree hums with life - bees and butterflies swarm to sip the nectar, turning your garden into a pollinator paradise.
  • 🍒 And then comes the fruit! The cherries are dark purple-black, glossy, and almost too juicy to believe. One bite and you're hooked- sweet, smooth, with hints of cherry, grape, and plum. It's our favorite tropical cherry at Top Tropicals, hands down. So good, you'll eat one - then a handful - and then realize you've picked half the tree. They're that good!
  • 🍒 Grumichama tree is a dream come true for beginners. It tolerates heat, partial shade, even salt spray. It's drought-tough, yet grateful for a little water with a crazy fruit yield - up to 500 fruits per tree. And it's perfect container fruit, so even small-space gardeners in colder zones can grow it. Cold hardy to the upper 20s!
  • 🍒 Even when not fruiting, Grumichama is a stunning ornamental. Shiny evergreen leaves, showy blooms, and a neat, upright form make it a standout in your landscape.
  • 🍒 And the fruit? Packed with vitamin C, fiber, and even a bit of plant protein, it's a sweet treat that’s also healthy. Perfect fresh off the tree, or turned into jam or jelly - if you can stop eating them long enough.
  • 🍒 Start your food forest with Grumichama. It's easy. It's beautiful. And it's the most addictive fruit!


🛒 Start your food forest with Grumichama

📚 Learn more:
Why grow Grumichama? Benefits of Brazilian Eugenia Tree - Cherry of the Tropics

#Food_Forest #Discover

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Black Tacca Lily. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Tacca Lily - Black Bat Flower, Devil Flower

A flying bat with whiskers. Tacca. It's rare. It's weird.
  • Tacca Lily - also known as the Black Bat Flower or Devil Flower, looks like something brewed up in a witch's greenhouse.
  • The flower isn't really a single flower - it's a full-on performance. Giant black-maroon "wings" stretch out like a bat in flight, while long, drooping filaments dangle like eerie whiskers or jungle jewelry. Some can reach over a foot long!
  • Those weird, wild filaments? They're not just for show - they are believed to help mimic the look of decaying matter to attract pollinators like flies. Creepy? Yes. Clever? Absolutely.
  • The plant blooms best when it feels pampered - think filtered light, tropical vibes, and spa-level humidity. A smart indoor exotic for a bathroom with a skylight!
  • It grows from a rhizome, and while the Black Tacca (T. chantrieri) is prized for its spooky looks, its Green cousin (T. leontopetaloides) is actually used to make a type of tropical arrowroot starch.
  • Some gardeners say it takes a while to bloom (maybe a few months) - but once it does, it becomes the crown jewel of the greenhouse. People will ask if it's real. You'll say, "Yes, and it lives here!"
  • Tacca comes in different species/colors: Black, White, Green:

Tacca nivea - White Tacca
Tacca chantrieri - Black Tacca
Tacca leontopetaloides - Green Tacca

📚 Learn more:

🛒 Shop Bat Head Lilies - Devil's Flower Tacca

#Nature_Wonders #Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

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What Mango fruits year around? Xosi Tu Quy - Four Seasons crisp Vietnamese mango perfect green or ripe. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Xosi Tu Quy, Jin Huang - Four Seasons crisp Vietnamese mango

What Mango fruits year around? Xosi Tu Quy - Four Seasons crisp Vietnamese mango perfect green or ripe.
Mango Rainbow🌈

Xosi Tu Quy, Four‑Seasons, or Jin Huang, is a Vietnamese variety celebrated for its ability to flower and fruit multiple times annually. It produces medium-to-large, bright yellow, firm, fiber‑free fruit with a small seed and crisp, mildly sweet flesh. Ideal for green-eating and pickling, it also ripens to a gentle sweetness with floral-honey nuance. The tree grows vigorously with a dense canopy and shows good resistance to anthracnose - perfect for warm, humid, tropical or subtropical yards. In Florida it typically fruits May-August, possibly longer in ideal conditions.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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The fiery plant that fights sugar: Nature secret insulin? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Costus igneus - Insulin Plant, Fiery Costus, Spiral Flag

Costus igneus - Insulin Plant, Fiery Costus, Spiral Flag

💚 The fiery plant that fights sugar: Nature secret insulin?
  • Costus igneus - Insulin Plant, also known as Fiery Costus or Spiral Flag, this vibrant tropical plant is famous for its potential health benefits - especially for people managing diabetes. Nicknamed the insulin plant, it's believed to help lower blood glucose levels naturally.
  • Its lush, turmeric-like leaves spiral around upright stems, with a glossy dark green top and a striking light purple underside. The plant grows up to two feet tall and forms elegant clumps from underground rhizomes.
  • In warm months, it produces bright orange, cone-like flowers that stand out beautifully in the garden.
  • Beyond its beauty, the insulin plant is credited with aiding digestion, reducing cholesterol, boosting energy, improving skin health, supporting weight loss, relieving stress, and promoting heart wellness. A real botanical multitasker!


🛒 Grow your own sugar-fighter - order the Insulin Plant

📚 Learn more:
Most interesting edible gingers

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Shade_Garden #Fun_Facts

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