Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Watch what this cat tells you at the end. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Watch what this cat tells you at the end

Scooby - the Cat with the Attitude

😏 Watch what this cat tells you at the end

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." - Winston Churchill

🐈📸 Scooby - the Cat with the Attitude at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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How to overwinter the tropical Bird of Paradise. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to overwinter the tropical Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia reginae - the Bird of Paradise, bug plant

Strelitzia reginae - the Bird of Paradise, bug plant

Strelitzia reginae - the Bird of Paradise, flower

Strelitzia reginae - the Bird of Paradise, flower

❄️ How to overwinter the tropical Bird of Paradise
  • Strelitzia reginae - the Bird of Paradise is a resilient tropical that can adapt to indoor conditions through winter if given bright light, moderate warmth, and careful watering. With a few preventive steps and timely protection, plants will stay healthy and reward you with vigorous new growth and blooms when warmth returns.
  • When should you move plants indoors?

    • Move Bird of Paradise indoors before nighttime temperatures consistently drop below 55F. Extended exposure to cooler air can slow growth and stress the plant. In central and south Florida, this often means late fall; in cooler zones, aim for early to mid-October. Once temperatures fall below 50F, leaf damage and root stress can occur.
  • What is the right location for a Bird of Paradise in winter, and why?

    • Place the plant in the brightest spot available - ideally near a south- or west-facing window. Strelitzia reginae is light-hungry even during dormancy. Low light leads to leaf yellowing, weak petioles, and slowed recovery in spring. If natural light is limited, supplement with a full-spectrum grow light set 12-18 inches above the foliage for 12-14 hours daily. Maintain room temperatures between 65F and 75F.
  • Do you need to do anything before moving them indoors?

    • Inspect the plant for pests such as mealybugs, scale, and spider mites, which often hide in leaf bases. Rinse the leaves and petioles thoroughly and check the soil surface for insects or snails. Prune off any damaged or aging leaves. If the plant has spent the summer in heavy rain, allow the soil to dry slightly before bringing it indoors to avoid fungus gnats or root issues.
  • Do plants need watering or feeding during winter?

    • Reduce watering. Indoors, the Bird of Paradise grows slowly in lower light, and excess moisture can cause root rot. Let the top 1-2 inches of soil dry before watering again. Avoid fertilizing during winter rest; resume feeding in spring when new growth appears. If the air indoors is very dry, increase humidity with a pebble tray or humidifier rather than overwatering.
  • Can you overwinter Birds of Paradise outdoors?

    • In frost-free areas of Florida (USDA zones 10-11), they can remain outdoors year-round. In zone 9, occasional cold snaps require protection. Mature clumps tolerate brief dips to about 30°F, but foliage burns easily at low temperatures.
  • What tips do you have for protecting plants outdoors?

When frost threatens, water the soil thoroughly a day before - moist soil retains heat better than dry. Cover the plant overnight with frost cloth or breathable fabric, not plastic, to trap ground warmth. For large clumps, wrap the base with mulch or straw to protect rhizomes. After cold events, remove damaged leaves but wait until spring to cut deeply, as live tissue below may still recover.

📚 Learn more:
How to grow Bird of Paradise

🛒 Plant Bird of Paradise

#How_to #Container_Garden

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🏡 To Use Your Garden Or Be Used By It

Two cats in a garden planting a young tree. Smokey, a black-and-white tuxedo cat, holds a small shovel and works the soil, while Sunshine, a fluffy orange tabby, sits smiling beside a bag of garden soil.

Smokey and Sunshine November Planting.

Smokey: Winter roots make spring easy. Keep that plant straight.
Sunshine: I am keeping it straight by not touching it at all.
Smokey: That is exactly what I was afraid of.

November is the month when the garden finally stops yelling at you. The heat backs off, the bugs calm down, and the weeds take a breath. This is when we get to take control again. And as gardeners, we know the truth: Either you use your garden, or your garden will use you in spring. Let me walk you through this, gardener to gardener.

"November is when the garden finally listens. Give it a little direction now, shape it, guide it, and prepare it for spring. It will reward you all year." - Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant Expert

🌴 When The Garden Uses You

We have all lived this scene:

  • March weeds appear, and two days later it looks like a jungle.
  • One missed watering turns into five wilted plants and a full week of recovery.
  • A skipped feeding shows up as yellow leaves and panic searching online.
  • Bugs return fast, and suddenly you are washing leaves every other day.
  • Random plant purchases fill your yard with chaos and mismatched care needs.
  • When the garden takes control, spring feels like hard work, not joy.

An overgrown tropical garden with dense foliage and vines spilling over a walkway, showing how a garden can take over when not maintained.

Overgrown Tropical Garden Showing How a Garden Can Use You

📊 When You Use Your Garden

November flips the script. Plants slow down. Soil stays warm. This is the safest month to experiment, move plants, fix mistakes, and redesign.

What you do now pays off huge in March.

  • You map out sun zones and shade zones.
  • You mulch now so weeds do not explode later.
  • You move plants to better positions without heat stress.
  • You remove the high-drama plants before they start another season of complaints.
  • You pick what you want for next year instead of letting impulse buys rule you.

Spring becomes smooth instead of overwhelming. And honestly? It feels good to walk outside in March and see order instead of chaos.

A neat, organized tropical garden with trimmed plants, open pathways, and balanced landscaping, showing how a gardener can use and direct the garden.

In the photo: Every garden starts in small steps. Biquinho Pepper (front) in the garden.

What Benefit Do You Get Personally?

  • Less watering.
  • Fewer bugs.
  • Bigger fruit.
  • Better flowering.
  • Less money wasted.
  • Less time fixing problems you could have prevented now.

This is why experienced tropical gardeners adore November.

Garden

In the photo: Organized Tropical Garden. Firebush (lemon gold variety) and Cordylines (Ti Leaf) make colorful spots in the garden.

🐭 Start With Something Small Today (5 Minutes)

Pick one:

  • Add mulch to the driest spot in your yard.
  • Cut one dead branch from any tree.
  • Move one pot to a better sun angle.
  • Pull three weeds from the worst area.
  • Water deeply once this week.

Small steps now save hours later.

⭐ One Short Story

Last year we planted a Star Fruit in November. By March, it was already covered in flowers, and have been harvesting fruit non-stop since then! That is what winter planning does: it gives plants a head start you can actually see.

Young Carambola Star Fruit tree fruiting

🐍 Plants That Will Use You If You Let Them

These are great plants, but only if you plan before planting them:

  • Banana (thirsty)
  • Hibiscus (hungry)
  • Brugmansia (sensitive)
  • Passion vine (takes over anything it touches)

Place them wrong, and they become full-time jobs.

An overgrown passion vine covering a garden swing, showing how a fast-growing plant can take over when not maintained.

In the photo: Passion Vine taking over the swing.

🐰 Plants That Work For You

These feel like free upgrades to the yard:

Pick even one of these and your garden starts giving back.

A landscaped garden path with a Cattley Guava tree featuring a twisted multicolor trunk, surrounded by trimmed tropical plants and decorative garden elements.

In the photo: Cattley Guava brings not only tasty fruit but also a wonderful character with its amazing multi-color twisted trunk.

🌡️ November Advantage

You cannot ruin anything in November. This is the safest, calmest month to shape your garden the way you want. If you act now, spring becomes a victory lap. If you wait, spring becomes a rescue mission.

A landscaped tropical garden with a potted Adenium in full bloom, red Cordylines behind it, and neat mulched beds with decorative garden elements.

In the photo: Adenium is a colorful accent in the garden.

💐 Thanksgiving Tie-In

This is the season to reset, breathe, and be thankful for your outdoor space. A garden that works for you is one of the best gifts you can give yourself going into the new year.

Start your November plan today. Use your garden. Do not let it use you.

A neatly designed tropical garden bed featuring Megaskepasma, iris, Colocasia, colorful Crotons, Dracaena, and Ti Leaf plants arranged in mulched landscaping.

In the photo: Megaskepasma, Iris, Colocasia, Crotons, Dracaena and Ti Leaf bring instant tropical look to your garden.

Shop Fruit trees

Shop Flowering shrubs

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📅 Mark Your Calendar - Holiday Plant Market

Holiday Plant Market flyer for December 13 2025 showing two PeopleCats in a festive garden, one black cat in an apron next to a mango tree and one orange cat holding a basket of tropical fruit, with event details, discounts, and Top Tropicals locations.

Holiday season in Florida means sunshine, green leaves, and cats on patrol. On Saturday 12/13/25, our PeopleCats are hosting a special Holiday Plant Market at TopTropicals, 9 am to 4 pm. This is not a regular nursery day. This is the one where you grab a donut in one hand, a mango tree in the other, and try not to trip over a cat giving you a tour.

We are bringing out the best plants we grew all year: big fruit trees with real branches, flowering and fragrant beauties, rare collectors plants, and vines that are ready to take off as soon as you get them home. December is perfect planting weather in Florida, so while the rest of the country is scraping frost from windshields, you can be choosing which banana, mango, or jasmine will perfume your yard next summer.

Holiday extras: 30% OFF online prices, free plant with purchase, 5 to 10 dollar specials, mini donuts and holiday treats, iced tea and citrus water, tropical Christmas music, and raffle prizes. If there is enough ripe fruit in the morning, we will set up a tasting table too. Our PeopleCats will be on duty all day, rearranging plants, checking on visitors, and occasionally allowing themselves to be petted between tours.

Event discounts and specials are valid at both locations:

Save the date, tell a friend, and plan your plant hunting route now. Come celebrate the holidays the Florida way: sunshine, rare fruit trees, happy cats, and a car full of tropical plants going home with you.

Facebook event page - Download invitation

to confirm attendance
RSVP on Facebook!

Learn More About The Holiday Plant Market

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Content with little. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Content with little

Visitor Cat found his comfy spot with Desert Roses at TopTropicals

Visitor Cat found his comfy spot with Desert Roses at TopTropicals

🐈‍⬛ Content with little

"The greatest wealth is to live content with little." - Plato

🐈📸 Visitor Cat found his comfy spot with Desert Roses at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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Stop buying macadamias - plant this tree to enjoy your own nuts. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Stop buying macadamias - plant this tree to enjoy your own nuts

Macadamia tree (Macadamia integrifolia)

🌰 Stop buying macadamias - plant this tree to enjoy your own nuts!
  • 🐿 How to grow a Macadamia tree and enjoy your own nuts - the priciest nuts in the world? Macadamia trees (Macadamia integrifolia) are surprisingly easy to grow once you know what they need. They handle a wide range of soils, prefer regular watering, and adapt well to warm, humid climates. Young trees appreciate consistent moisture, but once established, they can tolerate short dry spells and even brief flooding.
  • 🐿 The most important step is nutrition. Macadamias are heavy feeders and rely on balanced microelements for strong roots, steady growth, and reliable nut production. Use a liquid fertilizer Sunshine C-Cibus and add microelements on a regular schedule. Sunshine SuperFood plant supplement is especially helpful for preventing the leaf yellowing and slow growth that happen when microelements run low.
  • 🐿 Choose a sunny spot, give the tree room to grow, and mulch around the base to keep moisture steady. As the tree matures, it will bloom and form clusters of green husks that dry and split to reveal the sweet nuts inside.
  • 🐿 With the right care, a single tree can reward you with a generous harvest of rich, expensive macadamias right from your garden.


💖 Macadamia nut health benefits
  • 📍 Macadamia nuts are packed with healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
  • 📍 They support heart health by lowering total and LDL cholesterol, help steady blood sugar thanks to low carbs and good fiber, and aid digestion and weight management by keeping you full longer.
  • 📍 Their antioxidants, including tocotrienols, protect cells from damage and may reduce risks of diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers.
  • 📍 Macadamia oil is great for skin and hair, offering moisturizing, healing, and strengthening benefits.
  • 📍 Even though they are calorie-rich, small daily portions can actually support healthy weight goals.
  • 📍 Enjoy them raw, roasted, ground, as nut butter, or added to both sweet and savory dishes.


🛒 Grow your own Macadamia Nuts

📚 Learn more:
📱 Video about growing Macadamia trees

#Food_Forest #Remedies #How_to #Discover

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Lychee sorbet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes Lychee sorbe&#x0001f3. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Lychee sorbet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Lychee - Litchi chinensis

Lychee - Litchi chinensis

Lychee sorbet

Lychee sorbet

🍴 Lychee sorbet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
  • 🔴Blend Lychee pulp with lime juice, freeze until firm.
  • 🔴A refreshing tropical ice treat.

Lychee Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh lychee flesh, peeled and seeded (or canned lychees, drained)
  • 1/3 cup sugar or honey
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup cold water, as needed for blending
  • Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the lychees by peeling them, removing the seeds, and collecting the white flesh. If using canned lychees, drain them well.
  2. Place the lychee flesh, sugar or honey, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the cold water into a blender.
  3. Blend until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick to move easily, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  4. Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer safe container. Cover tightly.
  5. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours, stirring with a fork every 30 to 45 minutes, until the sorbet is firm but scoopable.
  6. Scoop into bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves and extra lychee fruit if desired. Serve immediately.

🛒 Plant your Lychee tree - Litchi chinensis

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Home is where they understand you. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Home is where they understand you

Cat ShortStuff and Beagle Bobby

Cat ShortStuff and Beagle Bobby

🏡 Home is where they understand you

"Home is not where you live but where they understand you." - Christian Morgenstern

🐈📸 Cat ShortStuff is guarding his buddy Beagle Bobby finishing leftovers at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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How to keep your house plants beautiful all year by feeding them right. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to keep your house plants beautiful all year by feeding them right

Indoor garden

Indoor garden

🍀 How to keep your house plants beautiful all year by feeding them right
  • 🌱 Healthy house plants are not just about light and water. They need food, just like we do. A good fertilizer routine keeps them green, strong, and blooming through every season. Here is a simple guide to feeding indoor plants the right way.
  • 🌱 General rules for fertilizing house plants

  • ▪️Feed lightly but regularly. Indoor plants grow in limited soil, so nutrients run out faster. Small, frequent feedings work better than one heavy dose.
  • ▪️Never fertilize dry soil. Water first, then feed.
  • ▪️Reduce feeding in winter when growth slows.
  • ▪️Watch your leaves. Pale, yellow, or slow-growing plants are asking for nutrients.
  • ▪️Use a complete formula. House plants need both macro-elements (N-P-K) and micro-elements, not just nitrogen.

  • 🌱 What fertilizer to use


    • Sunshine Boosters - the everyday diet.
    Sunshine Boosters are simple, balanced liquid fertilizers you mix with water. They give your plants everything they need for steady, healthy growth. They contain the right blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals. They do not contain harsh chemicals, so they are safe for homes with pets and kids. Regular use keeps plants growing faster, stronger, and more resilient to stress.

    Sunshine Superfood - the vitamin supplement.
    If a plant turns yellow or looks weak, it often needs micronutrients. These are the plant version of vitamins, including iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. Sunshine Superfood delivers these quickly and in the right proportions. Mix it with water and apply when you notice yellowing or slow growth. It corrects deficiencies fast and keeps leaves lush and green.

    Green Magic - the long-term slow feeder.
    Green Magic is a controlled-release fertilizer that works for six months. It uses poly-on coating technology to release nutrients slowly, without burning roots. It is perfect for repotting or for plant owners who want a set-it-and-forget-it option. Mix one teaspoon per gallon of soil during repotting or every six months. Excellent for container fruit trees and ornamentals that need steady feeding.
  • 🌱 The simple routine

  • ▪️For regular watering: use Sunshine Boosters.
  • ▪️Once a month: add Sunshine Superfood to prevent yellowing.
  • ▪️Every six months: mix Green Magic into the soil for long-term support.


With the right diet, your house plants stay green, strong, and beautiful year-round. Feed them well, and they reward you every day.

📸 In the photo: Indoor garden of Marina Rybka, Israel, the Editor of TopTropicals.

🛒 Get your plants some food

📚 Learn more:
📱 What are Sunshine Boosters

#Fertilizers #How_to
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Stare for 15 seconds without blinking to watch her tail wet! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Stare for 15 seconds without blinking to watch her tail wet!

Cat Niki

👀 Stare for 15 seconds without blinking to watch her tail wet! (or not)

"Some test the water with a toe; others just send the intern." - Dave Barry

🐈📸 Cat Niki testing the waters at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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