Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍴 Papaya mint salad: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

• 
  🟢Cube ripe papaya into bite-sized pieces.
• 🟢Toss gently with fresh mint leaves, a drizzle of lime juice, and a pinch of black pepper.
• 🟢Chill before serving for a refreshing, lightly spiced tropical snack.



Papaya Mint Salad

Ingredients

• 1 ripe papaya, peeled and cubed
• Fresh mint leaves
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Cube ripe papaya into bite-sized pieces.
2. Toss gently with fresh mint leaves, a drizzle of lime juice, and a pinch of black pepper.
3. Chill before serving for a refreshing, lightly spiced tropical snack.

🛒Add Papaya trees to your garden

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Papaya

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👍 What makes happiness

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." - Charles Spurgeon

🐈📸 Marco the Cat at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🍆 10 reasons to grow this Indian secret tree - the miracle Fruit of the Gods you never knew about

• Sacred and secret Indian divine Berry - Jambolan (Syzygium cumini) - goes by many names: Java plum, Malabar plum, Black Plum, Jamun, Jaman, Jambul, Duhat, even Lilly Pilly! Which one do you know it by?
• Sweet-tart and healthy fruit. The tree is a heavy producer of juicy, sweet-tart black fruits that can be eaten fresh or turned into tarts, sauces, and jams. In Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, both the fruit and plant are valued for their powerful health benefits. The flavor is unique, with a mile herbal note (maybe Oregano?).
• A tree steeped in tradition. According to Hindu belief, Rama survived on this fruit during his 14-year exile, which earned it the title Fruit of the Gods. Lord Krishna himself is often described as having skin the color of jambul. In India, its leaves are still used to decorate marriage pendals.

♥️ Jambolan health and life benefits

• ▫️1. Fights diabetes - helps manage blood sugar naturally.
• ▫️2. Weight loss - low in calories, high in fiber, keeps you full and curbs cravings.
• ▫️3. Fiber-rich digestion aid - improves gut health, prevents constipation, and soothes indigestion.
• ▫️4. Vitamin C boost - strengthens immunity, brightens skin, and supports healthy hair.
• ▫️5. Controls heart rate and blood health - potassium regulates heart rate and blood pressure, while iron supports hemoglobin and circulation.
• ▫️6. Slows aging - loaded with antioxidants, it protects cells and supports vitality.
• ▫️7. Liver and kidney detox - traditionally used for cleansing and protection.
• ▫️8. Skin and oral care - helps with acne, blemishes, mouth ulcers, and freshens breath.
• ▫️9. Respiratory relief - eases coughs, asthma, and colds.
• ▫️10. Quick privacy screen! Here's what most gardeners don't realize: Jambolan is the ultimate low-maintenance, fast-growing tree with dense glossy leaves. It thrives in any soil, stays pest free, and in just a couple of seasons can grow into a dense, bushy privacy screen - perfect if you want quick shade, an ornamental barrier, or a living fence with health benefits that practically takes care of itself!

🛒 Plant Jambolan: shade, fruit, beauty, and health - all in one tree!

📚 Learn more:
The Divine Berry - large, bushy, exotic fruit tree in no time

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits

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🐱 Caught on camera: secret life of a beauty salon cat

"I spend half my life at the beauty salon. The other half I waste." - Dolly Parton

🐈📸 Niki's evening Spa routine at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🌿 What is Neem and why do millions use it daily? The tree that makes toothpaste and bug spray.

• 💚 Ever notice Neem listed in toothpaste or skin cream? Or even in natural insecticides and garden treatments? What is this tree and why is it everywhere? Neem products come from the Neem Tree - Azadirachta indica, native to India. It's been used for thousands of years in medicine, farming, and daily life.
• 💚 How can you use Neem?

Almost every part of the tree has a purpose.

▫️The leaves are brewed as tea, applied to skin for soothing, and used in villages to ward off mosquitoes or protect stored clothes from insects. They are bitter but medicinal, valued for treating malaria and even for lowering blood sugar in diabetics.

• ▫️Dental cure. Neem twigs, thin and pencil-sized, are chewed and used as toothbrushes to strengthen gums and fight bacteria. Today, toothpicks and dental sticks are still made from them.
• ▫️Neem oil for your Garden. The seeds produce neem oil, a natural insect repellent and fungicide for the garden that doesn’t harm bees or butterflies.
• ▫️Bark extracts are used in medicine
• ▫️Ripe fruits are eaten fresh and considered beneficial too.

• 💚 Why do people plant Neem?

It’s more than a medicine chest. In India, Neem is planted along streets and in villages as a source of shade, air purifier, and natural pest control. One tree supports health, provides garden protection, and even supplies food.
• 💚 Is it easy to grow?

Yes. Neem tree thrives in hot, dry conditions and needs little care. Once established, it only needs low to medium water and grows well even without irrigation. It can be grown as a street tree, in the yard for shade, or in poor soils where other trees struggle. Hardy, fast-growing, and evergreen, Neem is one of the most practical trees you can add to a tropical or subtropical garden.

🛒Plant a Neem Tree and Explore Neem benefits

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

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🍴 Avocado coconut popsicles: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

• 🔵Puree avocado with coconut milk and sugar.
• 🔵Pour into molds and freeze.
• 🔵Enjoy the creamiest tropical ice pops ever!

🛒 For home-grown ingredients you will need:
Home grown Avocado
Home grown Coconut

Avocado Coconut Popsicles

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)

Instructions

1. Puree avocado with coconut milk and sugar.
2. Pour into molds and freeze.
3. Enjoy the creamiest tropical ice pops ever!

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Avocado

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➕ Life is about creating yourself

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw

🐈📸 Cash the Cat at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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👑 The crown of thorns with no thorns!

• ⭕️ Euphorbia geroldii, also called the Thornless Crown of Thorns, is a rare gem from Madagascar. Unlike its spiny cousins, this semi-succulent grows smooth stems. The branches are soft, graceful and droopy, with wide glossy leaves.
• ⭕️ The real show comes from its blooms - pairs of scarlet bracts with golden centers that appear almost all year long.
• ⭕️ Easy in pots, even shaped as bonsai, it's a collector's plant that looks both exotic and approachable.
• ⭕️ Surprisingly for Euphorbias, it loves shade and water!
• ⭕️ And yes - no thorns, just flowers.

🛒 Add the thornless crown to your garden

#Container_Garden

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🍷 The solution to all of problems

"Here's to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." - Homer Simpson

🐈📸 Bob the Cat looking for troubles and solutions at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🌺 This flower opens in a few seconds! (Time lapse)

"The earth laughs in flowers." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

🎥 Phymosia umbellata - Cranberry Mallow Malva Aparasolada - one of the most impressive Malva (Hibiscus) shrubs

🛒 Explore Hibiscus species

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Cotton Candy Hibiscus
• ▫️Why this Hibiscus is changing color
• ▫️How to make your Hibiscus plants thrive and bloom
• ▫️How to get rid of pests on Hibiscus

#Nature_Wonders #Hedges_with_benefits #Quotes

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