Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

☀️ Five best fragrant plants for summer plantings

• ☀️ Summer heat? No problem. These fragrant plants thrive in it - and will make your garden smell like vacation every day.
• ☀️ Brunfelsia - Lady of the Night - releases its sweet scent after sunset, filling warm evenings with a dreamy, tropical perfume.
• ☀️ Gardenia - Queen of Scent - classic creamy blooms with a rich, unmistakable fragrance that perfumes the air even in peak summer.
• ☀️ Jasminum sambac - the most popular and the most fragrant Jasmine for both indoor or outdoor culture. Varieties: Arabian Nights, Belle of India, Mangalore Malli, Grand Duke, Grand Duke Supreme, Gundu Malli, Maid of Orleans, Mali Chat, Mysore Mulli, Little Duke Supreme - Baby Duke.
• ☀️ Nyctanthes arbor-tristis - Parijat. Small tree or shrub from India with highly perfumed flowers, one of the most desired fragrant plants. Mythology says the plant came to earth with God Krishna, shedding flowers like tears before dawn.
• ☀️ Plumeria - tropical icon known for its heavenly scent and stunning flowers - blooms all summer and keeps your garden smelling like vacation!

🛒 Shop fragrant plants

🎥 Brunfelsia isola, or Lavender Lady of the Night, are a "marble" twist of cream and purple, changing hue unpredictably. They are deliciously fragrant at night.

📚More fragrant garden ideas:
▫️ Six most desired perfume plants

#Perfume_Plants #Discover

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🍒 Health benefits of a simple plant: Coral bean

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  Don't let the tough, thorny branches fool you - this native plant has a long history of traditional use. While the seeds are poisonous, the young leaves and flowers have been safely cooked and eaten in small amounts by various cultures.
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  Traditionally, Erythrina herbacea - Coral Bean has been used in folk remedies for calming the nerves, easing muscle pain, and even promoting better sleep.
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  Modern science hasn’t fully explored these uses yet, but the plant contains alkaloids that may have sedative and muscle-relaxing properties. It's a reminder that even rugged native plants can carry powerful natural potential.
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  As a bonus, Erythrina herbacea is also beautiful and beneficial in the garden, drawing in hummingbirds and butterflies with its vibrant pink flowers - hummingbirds can't resist this wild bloomer! It grows well in poor soil and dry conditions - low effort, high reward!

🛒 Plant once, enjoy for years

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Butterfly_plants #Discover

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What is that Big Thing???

• What is that big thing in the corner? It's the Giant Bird's Nest Anthurium minding its business and taking up way more than its fair share of space. This plant, Anthurium x hookeri, looks like it wandered in from the jungle and decided to stay.
• The leaves are enormous - wrinkly, leathery, and can grow over 6 feet long! They feel kind of like cardboard and look like something out of a rainforest movie set.
• Despite its size, it's easygoing. Doesn’t need much water, tolerates deep shade, and generally keeps to itself. Just give it room to stretch and maybe say hi once in a while.
• If you like big, bold plants that know how to take up space without being fussy, Giant Bird's Nest Anthurium delivers!

🛒 Adopt the big guy - Giant Birdnest

📚 Learn more:
▫️Discover the Giant Bird’s Nest Anthurium

#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

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How to cut a Mango without making a mess: Mango Rainbow tasting table

Mango harvest is exploding! Today we had another epic mango tasting table at Top Tropicals - and wow, do we have some favorites to share. From creamy classics to crisp green delights, here's what stood out and why we can't stop talking about them!

🌈 Today on the Mango tasting table:

• 🟠 P22 - Ultra-sweet with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Completely fiberless and silky smooth like mango cream.
• 🟠 Sweet Tart - Bright orange flesh with bold sweet-tart flavor, floral aroma, and a juicy, creamy texture. Tangy when green, syrupy sweet when ripe.
• 🟠 Van Dyke - Rich and juicy with dense, meaty flesh and a tropical spice twist. Fiberless and bursting with sweet aroma and high juice content.
• 🟠 Pim Seng Mun - Crisp and tart when green, with a bright apple-like snap. When fully ripe, it has an amazingly smooth, melting, and silky texture - a true Thai favorite for eating both ways.
• 🟠 Florigon - Creamy and mild with a buttery texture and hint of spice. Sweet but balanced - delicious on its own or over ice cream.

🛒 Discover Mango varieties - hundreds!

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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How to grow tropical fruit outside the Tropics

👨‍� Can you grow tropical fruit in colder climates? Absolutely! The key is growing them in containers so you can move them indoors during cold weather. With the right plant selection, a bit of motivation, good plant food, and a little love, you can enjoy a delicious harvest of exotic fruit - enough to treat your family and even share with friends. Here's everything you need to start your own Tropical Fruit Garden in containers.

🏆 Top tropical fruits and expert tips for growing in containers

• 📌 Top 10 Dwarf "Condo" Mango, great for container culture
• 📌 What are the Condo Mangos - a practical guide
• 📌 How to grow cold-hardy avocados
• 📌 Avocado everyone should have: dwarf Condo Avocado
• 📌 What is the best Avocado variety?
• 📌 The best tropical fruit tree for container: Annona.
• 📌 How to grow your own Carambola
• 📌 Tropical Cherries: Eugenias
• 📌 Peanut Butter Tree and Blackberry Jam Tree produce right away
• 📌 How to grow a Guava Tree: practical guide
• 📌 Coffee as the best Gift plant
• 📌 Top 10 fast-fruiting trees
• 📌 Three must-have fruit for every tropical garden
• 📌 What Fertilizer to Use Now and How?
• 📌 How to make plants green quickly: Green Magic - the fertilizer that truly works

🛒 Shop top picks for your container tropical garden:

Condo Mango
Cold hardy Avocado
🍒 Tropical Cherries - Eugenias
⭐️ Carambola (Start Fruit)
🍉 Guava
🍈 Annona
🍍 Pineapple
🌶 Herbs and spices - tropical edibles right away
🕙 Fast-fruiting trees
🍊 Shop all fruit trees
Supplies and Boosters

#Food_Forest #How_to #Discover

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🍓 Pineapple Guava: fragrant fruit, beautiful blooms, and real health benefits

• Feijoa sellowiana, also known as Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen, is an evergreen shrub or small tree that brings together beauty, fragrance, and edible rewards.
• With its soft pink, edible flowers blooming in late spring and strongly scented fruit ripening in late summer to fall, it offers interest across multiple seasons.
• The fruit is especially unique. When fresh fruit blended with a little sugar, many describe the flavor as forest strawberries with hints of mint or pineapple - some even say it reminds them of Juicy Fruit gum. The texture is smooth and slightly gritty, similar to a pear.
• Nutritionally, Feijoa fruit is low in calories, high in fiber, and an excellent source of Vitamin C and antioxidants. You don’t need to guess when it's ready - the ripe fruit drops to the ground.
• Pineapple Guava is easy to grow and adaptable. It tolerates drought, thrives in full sun or partial shade, and withstands heat as well as cold down to 10F. Whether planted in the ground or grown in a large patio container, it needs minimal care - just occasional watering and light feeding.
• It also serves multiple purposes in the landscape: a dense, evergreen hedge for wind protection, a privacy screen, or a standalone ornamental that attracts birds and butterflies. It can be shaped into a small tree or kept compact depending on your space.
• A beautiful, edible, and low-maintenance addition to the garden that earns its place year after year.

🛒Taste the fragrant forest-strawberry flavor - grow Pineapple Guava

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries!
• ▫️Flavor of Feijoa Superfood

#Edible_Forest #Guava #Discover

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🌱 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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What are Health Benefits of Alpinia galanga (Galangal)

🌿 Galangal, also known as Thai ginger, is more than just a fast growing ornamental ginger and flavorful root - it's also a powerful healing plant with centuries of use in both kitchens and traditional medicine. Here are some of its top health benefits:

• Digestive aid - Galangal stimulates digestion, reduces bloating, and relieves nausea. It's especially helpful after heavy or oily meals.
• Anti-inflammatory properties - Contains compounds like galangin that help reduce inflammation, making it useful for joint pain and inflammatory conditions.
• Antioxidant rich - Packed with flavonoids and polyphenols that fight oxidative stress and may help slow aging and support overall wellness.
• Immune support - Traditionally used to fight colds and infections thanks to its antimicrobial and antiviral properties.
• Respiratory health - Used in Thai herbal remedies for clearing the lungs, soothing sore throats, and reducing coughs.
• Brain function - Some studies suggest galangal may help protect brain cells and improve cognitive performance due to its antioxidant profile.
• Circulatory support - Acts as a natural stimulant and may help improve blood flow and circulation.

🛒 Grow your own Thai ginger – fresh, healing, and flavorful!

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies

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🕊This sacred perfume tree is perfect for small spaces: Parijat blooms with heartbreak and heaven

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  Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, known as Parijat, Night Jasmine, or the Sad Tree, is more than a fragrant flowering shrub - it's a story wrapped in petals. This small tree from India with highly perfumed flowers is one of the most desired fragrant plants.
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  Parijat blooms at night and drops its white-and-orange flowers by dawn, like scattered tears on the ground. In Hindu mythology, it was brought to Earth by Krishna, sparking divine jealousy. Another legend says it rose from the ashes of a heartbroken princess, blooming in sorrow each night.
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  Parijat grows 5-10 feet tall and thrives in sun or partial shade with moderate water. Its heavenly scent draws butterflies and hearts alike, and its ghostly, glowing flowers are used in Buddhist temples and traditional medicine - stems for headaches, leaves for liver ailments, and blossoms for fevers and faintness.
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  Parijat is a tree of romance, ritual, and resilience. Cold-tolerant to the 30s F, it can be container-grown in cooler zones. Just give it well-draining soil and a bit of fertilizer each month, and let the magic unfold!

🛒 Add a piece of mythology to your garden with Parijat

#Perfume_Plants #Trees #Discover

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

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