Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 21 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardeners dream

Desmos chinensis - Ylang Ylang Shrub

⭐️ Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardener's dream

⭐️ Desmos chinensis - Ylang Ylang Shrub - is a rare treasure for fragrance lovers. It's a compact, bushy, vining cousin of the famous Ylang Ylang tree, but with an even more intense perfume. The scent is often compared to sweet lemon candy.
⭐️This shrub shows off graceful, arching branches and pendant flowers that come in golden yellow or the even rarer bright red form. It thrives in warm, humid conditions and becomes vigorous once established.
⭐️Unlike the big Ylang Ylang tree (Cananga odorata) that can shoot up quickly and needs space, Desmos stays compact and can be maintained at about 3 to 6 ft. Perfect for smaller gardens or containers, while still delivering that unforgettable fragrance.

🎥 The rare red-flowered variety of Desmos is one of the most sought-after perfume plants of Southeast Asia.

🛒 Make Desmos the highlight of your fragrance collection

📚 Learn more:
Perfume in a pot: exotic Dwarf Chanel No 5 Tree

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden

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Date: 26 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Tequila Sunrise Hibiscus breaks the rules

Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise

Tuxedo cat Smoky and Orange Cat Sunshine enjoying Tequila Sunrise

🍸 Tequila Sunrise Hibiscus breaks the rules

🌅 Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise is a cousin of Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary we introduced earlier. El Capitolio is an unusual type of Hibiscus with a graceful, fountain-like growth habit and unique pendant, double-skirted blooms
🌅 Tequila Sunrise has warm peach-orange tones, often with soft pink highlights. The pom-pom-like flowers stand out against glossy green foliage, adding a bright, exotic touch to the garden.
🌅 Blooming from summer through fall, this hardy hibiscus thrives in full sun to partial shade, tolerates heat, drought, salt, and even wet soils. A fast grower reaching 5-10 ft, it's perfect as a showy specimen, hedge, or container plant in USDA zones 9-11.

🛒 Shop Hibiscus plants

📚 Learn more from previous posts:

#Hedges_with_benefits

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Date: 22 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What is Mickey Mouse Plant?

Ochna integerrima - Vietnamese Mickey Mouse plant, Hoa Mai

⚡️What is Mickey Mouse Plant?

🐭 Ochna integerrima - Vietnamese Mickey Mouse plant, Hoa Mai.

⭕️ Its seeds and sepals resemble the face of Mickey Mouse, hence the common name.
⭕️ Hoa Mai, also known as Yellow Mai Flower, is the quintessential symbol of Spring in Vietnam, especially during the Tet celebration.
⭕️ "Hoa Mai" translates to "yellow blossoms," highlighting the bright yellow flowers that bloom during Tet.
⭕️ Ochna integerrima is a medium-sized shrub that can be trained into a miniature tree, making it a prized plant for exotic collections.
⭕️ In winter, it is covered with bright yellow flowers, which are believed to bring good luck and prosperity during the Tet celebration.

🛒 Get your own Mickey Mouse Plant

#Hedges_with_benefits #Nature_Wonders
#Fun_Facts

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Date: 19 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What is the best flowering shrub for a shady spot?

Aphelandra hartwegiana - Yellow Aphelandra

Aphelandra squarrosa - White Zebra Plant

Aphelandra sinclairiana - Panama Queen

Aphelandra x panamensis - Scarlet Candle

💐 What is the best flowering shrub for a shady spot?

🚩 Aphelandra is hands down one of the best solutions for a shade garden where you want to see more colors. It is a great addition to a collectible tropical butterfly garden, can grow into 4-5" tall bushy specimen. Tolerates both sun and shade.
🚩Aphelandras have beautiful lush foliage and showy, long terminal inflorescences throughout the warm season.
🚩These flowers are loved by hummingbirds.
🚩Aphelandra hartwegiana - Yellow Aphelandra. Yellow flowers emerge out of long orange stalks in the fall time. Pretty and unusual!
🚩Aphelandra squarrosa Dania (Snow White) - White Zebra Plant. It is also one of the best house plants, not only pretty because of its white-veined "Zebra" foliage, but also for the apical inflorescence with its beautiful yellow bracts.
🚩Aphelandra sinclairiana - Panama Queen, has extremely tropical look and fragrant flowers of unusual color combination: orange and pink.
🚩Aphelandra x panamensis - Scarlet Candle - a rare hybrid with bright red flowers

📚 Learn more from previous posts:
Panama Queen
How to grow Zebra in container?

🛒 Shop Aphelandras

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 14 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

How to French Kiss the Red Button Ginger

Costus spicatus x woodsonii - Red Button Ginger, French Kiss

⚡️ #Fun_Facts:How to French Kiss the Red Button Ginger

💋 Costus spicatus x woodsonii (Red Button Ginger, French Kiss): this ginger's inflorescence resembles a cluster of bright red buttons, making it a standout in tropical gardens.

🛒 Order French Kiss

#Hedges_with_benefits

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Date: 11 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What Tree Calliandra brings into your garden?

Calliandra houstoniana - Tree Calliandra

Calliandra houstoniana - Tree Calliandra, flower

⚡️ #Fun_Facts: Tree Calliandra

🎉 Calliandra houstoniana - Tree Calliandra - is the only tree form of Powderpuff. It quickly grows into a bushy beautiful tree in just one season, and fluffy pink flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies year around

🛒 Order

#Trees #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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Date: 10 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What vine to plant over a big fence

Chonemorpha fragrans - Frangipani vine

❗️ What vine to plant over a big fence.

🔹 Chonemorpha fragrans, or Frangipani vine, that we mentioned before, 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.
🔹 The fragrance is very fresh and pleasant, similar to Plumeria, fills the air around.
🔹 Leaves reaching up to 12 (!) inches - very tropical, majestic look!
🔹 Requires sturdy support - it can grow pretty big and heavy!
🔹 Takes both sun or shade. Full sun and regular fertilizer is essential for profuse blooming.

🛒 Buy Frangipani Vine

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Why is it called Passion flower and Passion fruit?

Passion flower - Passiflora

Passion fruit - Passiflora

☸️ The truth about Passion flower and Passion fruit.

Passion vines, passion flowers, and passion fruits - these are all Passiflora - fascinating plants with a rich history. These vines come from tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
Medicinal: Various parts of the passion vine have been used in traditional medicine to treat ailments such as anxiety, insomnia, and hypertension.
Host for Butterflies: Passion vines serve as host plants for several butterfly species.
Passion of Christ: the passion flower's complex structure with five sepals, five petals often used to symbolize the Passion of Christ in Christian tradition. Spanish Christian missionaries in South America saw the flower's structure as a representation of Christ's crucifixion, which led to the name Passion Flower.
Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) - Maracuya - is highly nutritious, rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, and antioxidants.
Delicious pulp: the fruit is popular in many cuisines around the world, used in beverages, desserts.
Two main types of passion fruit: the purple sweeter variety (Passiflora edulis) and the yellow variety larger and more acidic (Passiflora x flavicarpa).
Fast growing vine in no time: known for their rapid growth, Passifloras need strong support as they can quickly cover large areas.

📚 Learn more: The Passion Fruit – Juicy Maracuya

🛒 Shop Passiflora plants

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits

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Date: 8 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What is lipstick made of?

Bixa orellana - Lipstick Tree, Annatto, Achiote

💋 What is lipstick made of? Lipstick plant!

💄Bixa orellana - Lipstick Tree, Annatto or Achiote - is a bushy shrub or a small tree South America with large, impressive leaves, charming pink flowers and amazing... seeds! It is used in various industries, including cosmetics and culinary arts.
💄Natural Pigment: The seeds of the Bixa plant contain a natural pigment called annatto, which ranges in color from yellow to deep orange-red.
💄Cosmetic Use: Annatto is commonly used in cosmetics, including lipstick, due to its vibrant coloration. It adds shades of red and orange to cosmetic products. Extract derived from the Bixa seeds is mixed with other ingredients to achieve desired shades. It provides a natural alternative to synthetic dyes.
💄Famous spice Annatto is widely used as a spice in cooking, particularly in Latin American, Caribbean, and Filipino cuisines.
💄Flavor and color: It imparts a mild, slightly peppery flavor and is prized for its ability to add a rich, yellow-orange color to dishes such as rice, stews, and sauces.
💄Health benefits: Beyond its culinary use, annatto seeds have medicinal properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
💄Flower arrangements: The dried seed pods add a unique touch to flower arrangements, enhancing their visual appeal.
💄Hedge or screen: Ideal for use as a hedge or screen, Bixa requires frequent pruning to encourage bushy growth at the base.

🛒 Grow your own Annatto

#Hedges_with_benefits #Food_Forest

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Date: 7 Jul 2024 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

How to grow Popcorn with pretty flowers

Cassia didymobotrya (Popcorn Cassia)

🍿 How to grow Popcorn with pretty flowers

🌽 Cassia didymobotrya (Popcorn Cassia) is a fun plant! When rubbed, its leaves emit a scent similar to buttered popcorn, hence its name.
🌽 It blooms with beautiful large clusters of sunny yellow flowers.
🌽 Perfect fast growing flowering shrub - ideal for places where you want to see a showy, pretty plant quickly
🌽 Butterfly magnet - one of the favorite flowers for all kinds of butterflies! Everyone who is working on a butterfly garden, plants Popcorn Cassia

🛒 Order Popcorn Cassia

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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