Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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What is the sweetest Passionfruit? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Passiflora nitida, Bell Apple, Water Lemon fruit

Passiflora nitida, Bell Apple, Water Lemon fruit

Passiflora nitida, Bell Apple, Water Lemon flowers

Passiflora nitida, Bell Apple, Water Lemon flowers

🌸 What is the sweetest Passionfruit?
  • 🍋 Passiflora nitida, also called Bell Apple or Water Lemon, is a rare gem among passion fruits, native to the lush Amazon jungle. Its orange-yellow fruits are much sweeter than typical passion fruits, with succulent, non-acidic pulp that’s irresistibly flavorful.
  • 🍋 This tropical vine thrives in lowland regions from Costa Rica to Brazil, growing rapidly in warm climates.
  • 🍋 Fruits: Small (up to 2 inches), orange-yellow, and incredibly sweet, best enjoyed fresh.
  • 🍋 Flowers: Striking blue and red blooms, resembling those of P. laurifolia and P. quadrangularis.
  • 🍋 Growth: A vigorous, fast-growing vine suited for tropical conditions; frost protection is essential.
  • 🍋 Uses: Often eaten fresh but also a key ingredient in the refreshing drink "Purple Passion."
  • 🍋 #Fun_Facts: Despite its sweet, crowd-pleasing taste, this fruit remains a relatively unknown delight, making it a treasure for tropical fruit enthusiasts.


🛒 Plant Water Lemon Passion Fruit

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Is it Cashew nut or Cashew Apple? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) fruit

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) flowers

Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) flowers

🌰 Is it Cashew nut or Cashew Apple? 🍏
  • Cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a small, fast-growing marvel that gives us both the crunchy cashew nut and the juicy, quirky "cashew apple"
  • It's a tropical multitasker, thriving in poor soils, drought, and salty winds, and can even fruit in a pot within two years!
  • Cashew #Fun_Facts:

  • ♦️The Fruit Switcheroo: The true fruit is the nut, while the brightly colored "apple" is actually a swollen stem. Talk about a fruit with an identity twist!
  • ♦️The cashew apple has a sweet-astringent flavor and can be eaten fresh, stewed, or turned into delicious fragrant juice. A tangy treat!
  • ♦️Nut Know-How: Raw cashews are caustic and must be roasted outdoors because their fumes are anything but friendly.
  • ♦️Whether in sandy soils or salty winds, this tree keeps thriving, proving it's as tough as it is tasty.
  • ♦️The cashew tree is not just a food source; it's a conversation starter! Perfect for gardeners who love both practicality and personality.


🛒 Get your own Cashew Tree

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How soon will Persimmon tree fruit? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki)

🍑 How soon will Persimmon tree fruit?
  • 🍑 Persimmons (Diospyros sp.) are fast-fruiting trees, perfect for gardeners seeking quick results.
  • 🍑 Grafted varieties begin producing fruit immediately, even on young, container-grown trees as small as 2-3 feet tall, often flowering in their first year.
  • 🍑 When planted in the ground, persimmons grow into compact, space-efficient trees that reliably produce a bountiful harvest every year.


📚 Learn more from previous post:
Native American Persimmon
Persimmons: best varieties for container culture
How to grow Persimmon tree

🛒 Shop Persimmon Trees

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Why is Jujube Tree called the Tree of Happiness? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba)

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba)

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba) fruit

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba) fruit

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba)

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba)

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba)

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba)

🙂 Why is Jujube Tree called the Tree of Happiness?
  • 😇 The Jujube Tree (Ziziphus jujuba) is often called the "Tree of Happiness" and is one of the #Nature_wonders.
  • 😇 Nutritious Fruit: The Jujube tree (Ziziphus jujuba) produces small, sweet, and slightly tangy fruits that are enjoyed by both children and adults.
  • 😇 Hardy and Easy: This small, spreading tree with drooping branches grows quickly and thrives in poor, dry, and even moderately saline soils. It requires minimal care to flourish.
  • 😇 Medicinal Uses: Every part of the Jujube tree, from its leaves to its bark and fruit, has medicinal properties. The fruit is known for its stress-relieving and immunity-boosting benefits.
  • 😇 Thousands of Years in cultivation: Widely cultivated in China and India, jujubes have been grown for over 4,000 years. China has more jujube trees than any other type of fruit tree.
  • 😇 Symbolism:

    • - The name Ziziphus comes from the Persian zizfum or Arabic zizouf.
    - The tree is associated with Ziziphus spina-christi, the Christ's Thorn Jujube, which provided the thorns for the biblical crown of thorns.
    - In Indian legends, the Jujube tree is said to be blessed with a boon: no matter how badly it is cut, it will never die, and a single root will cause it to regrow.
    - Revered in India, the Jujube is known as the "Tree which removes sorrow" and is often offered to the god Siva.
  • 😇 Greek Mythology: Some horticulturists draw a comparison between the Jujube tree and the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Like Sisyphus' boulder that endlessly rolls back down, the Jujube tree regrows tirelessly, symbolizing resilience, perseverance, and renewal.


📚 Learn more:
The tree of Happiness that removes sorrow

🛒 Plant Jujubу - Tree of Happiness

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What is the most rewarding hardy fruit tree suitable for hot climate. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) tree

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) tree

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) flowers

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) flowers

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) fruit

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) fruit

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) fruit

Low Chill Peach (Prunus sp.) fruit

🍑 What is the most rewarding hardy fruit tree suitable for hot climate

💬 Can I grow peaches and plums in Florida?

✅ Yes, you can grow peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums in Florida, provided you choose low-chill varieties.
  • 🍑 These have been developed specifically for subtropical regions like Central and South Florida, where traditional temperate varieties struggle due to insufficient chill hours.
  • 🍑 Low-chill varieties require as little as 150–300 chill hours (temperatures below 45°F) and thrive in hot climates, making them perfect for Florida' warm winters and hot summers.
  • 🍑 These heat-tolerant fruit trees also perform well in other challenging climates, like Arizona.
  • 🍑 While apricots generally need more chill hours than Florida's climate can provide, hybridization efforts have made peaches, nectarines, and plums reliable options for gardeners in these areas.


🛒 Shop Low Chill Peaches (Prunus sp.)

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What does Sugar Apple look like and how does it taste? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

🟢 What does Sugar Apple look like and how does it taste?

😋 Annona squamosa - Sugar apple, is considered by many to be the most delicious tropical fruit. The fruit is a true treat, with pulp that resembles creamy custard, offering a flavor experience that’s hard to beat.

🕺 This very small, compact tree is perfect for containers or small yards, making it an excellent choice for home gardeners. It starts fruiting within just three years from seed and is remarkably easy to grow and undemanding.

📚 More about Anonnas in previous posts:
Guanabana - the most delicious Annona fruit
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #1. Annona
Why everyone wants the Sugar Apple?
The best tropical fruit tree for container growing, and the fastest to fruit: Annona
Spiny Hedgehog fruit: what does it taste like?

🛒 Order Sugar Apple

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What dos Sugar Apple look like and how does it taste? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Annona squamosa - Sugar apple

🟢 What dos Sugar Apple look like and how does it taste?

😋 Annona squamosa - Sugar apple, is considered by many to be the most delicious tropical fruit. The fruit is a true treat, with pulp that resembles creamy custard, offering a flavor experience that’s hard to beat.

🕺 This very small, compact tree is perfect for containers or small yards, making it an excellent choice for home gardeners. It starts fruiting within just three years from seed and is remarkably easy to grow and undemanding.

📚 More about Anonnas in previous posts:
Guanabana - the most delicious Annona fruit
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #1. Annona
Why everyone wants the Sugar Apple?
The best tropical fruit tree for container growing, and the fastest to fruit: Annona
Spiny Hedgehog fruit: what does it taste like?

🛒 Order Sugar Apple

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden

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Monkey Orange or Monkey Ear? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa)

Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa)

Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa)

Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa)

🐵 Monkey Orange or Monkey Ear? 🙉
  • 🍊 Besides bizarre Monkey Ear Tree that we mentioned earlier, there is another interesting Monkey Tree -
  • 🍊 The Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa) is a captivating fruit tree from tropical Africa and Madagascar, known for its vibrant yellow fruits and wide range of uses.
  • 🍊This small to medium-sized tree, has glossy leaves and thorny branches that make it visually striking.
  • 🍊What does the Monkey Orange taste like?

    • The fruits, size of an orange, have a hard shell that protects their sweet-tart pulp with interesting pleasant taste somewhat similar to mangosteen. Some people say it tastes like a mix of citrus and pineapple with a hint of fermentation.
  • 🍊Rich in vitamin C and B vitamins, the fruit can be enjoyed fresh or transformed into jams, juices, and even wine.
  • 🍊Its durable wood is prized for carvings, and its leaves and roots are used in traditional medicine and as natural insecticides.
  • 🍊Slow-growing yet resilient, this hardy tree thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, offering beauty, nourishment, and practicality - an excellent choice for tropical or subtropical landscapes.


🐒 Why is it called Monkey Orange?
The "monkey orange" likely gets its name from its appeal to monkeys that eat the fruit and distribute the seeds in their habitat in Africa.

🛒 Plant Monkey Orange

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What tropical fruit is better than a watermelon? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Syzygium samarangense, Java Apple, Macopa

Syzygium samarangense, Java Apple, Macopa

Syzygium samarangense, Java Apple, Macopa

Syzygium samarangense, Java Apple, Macopa

Syzygium samarangense, Java Apple, Macopa

Syzygium samarangense, Java Apple, Macopa

🍉 What tropical fruit is better than a watermelon? Wax Jamboo!
  • 🍐 Syzygium samarangense, commonly known as Wax Jamboo, Java Apple, or Macopa, is an attractive tree native to tropical regions, with striking, glossy leaves and beautiful, fragrant flowers.
  • 🍐 It produces pear-shaped fruits with smooth, waxy skin in varying colors, including white, green, pink, and crimson.
  • 🍐 In tropical climates, it can yield abundant crops with up to 700 fruits per tree, harvested in two fruiting seasons annually!
  • 🍐 Wax Jamboo is known for its crisp, crunchy texture and refreshing, mildly sweet flavor, making it a popular choice for both eating fresh and using in various culinary dishes. They're widely used in Indian-Ocean-Island cuisine for fresh salads or lightly sautéed dishes.
  • 🍐 This tree is not just decorative; it's also quite low-maintenance. It thrives in fertile, well-drained soil with adequate rainfall and some humidity, and it is hardy down to just above freezing temperatures. It's also perfect for container gardening, requiring minimal care apart from regular watering and occasional feeding
  • 🍐 Wax Jamboo fruits are often compared to watermelons because of their juicy, thirst-quenching properties, making them a fantastic treat on hot days.


🛒 Shop Wax Jamboo

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How to start your own vineyard. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Vitis labrusca x vinifera - Blanc du Bois Grape

Vitis labrusca x vinifera - Blanc du Bois Grape

Vitis x rotundifolia - Southern Home Seedless Grape

Vitis x rotundifolia - Southern Home Seedless Grape

🍾 How to start your own vineyard

🍷 Can grapes grow in the tropics?
  • 🍇 Yes! With the right varieties, like muscadines and low-chill, heat-tolerant hybrids, grapes can thrive in tropical climates. For example:
  • 🍇 Vitis labrusca x vinifera - Blanc du Bois Grape: A hybrid prized for winemaking, combining European and native Florida grapes. It's heat-tolerant, disease-resistant, and thrives in the southern U.S., even in alkaline or salty soils.
  • 🍇 Vitis x rotundifolia - Southern Home Seedless Grape: A gorgeous vine with delicate leaves and clusters of deep purple, sweet-tart grapes. It was developed at the University of Florida to handle heat and humidity. Self-pollinating and perfect for fresh eating.


🛒 Start your own vineyard

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