Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Night jasmine that disappears with sunrise: Parijat. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis - Parijat, Night Jasmine, Sad Tree, Tree of Sorrow

💔 Night jasmine that disappears with sunrise: Parijat
  • 💔 Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Parijat, Night Jasmine, Sad Tree or Tree of Sorrow... What secret is hidden in this flower?
  • 💔 Parijat is a small tree or shrub from South Asia known for its intensely perfumed white flowers with bright orange centers that open at dusk and fall by dawn.
  • 💔 What is Parijat famous for?

    • Mostly for its scent and stories - but locals also use it in traditional remedies. The flowers are beloved in temple garlands and perfumery. Leaves, flowers, bark, and seeds are used in Ayurveda for treating fevers, sciatica, arthritis, and more. Extracts also show anti-inflammatory and liver-protective effects in modern studies.
  • 💔 Why do people plant Parijat?

    • It’s both fragrant and spiritual. Parijat is sacred in Hindu myth - some say Krishna brought it from heaven, others that it sprang from a grieving princess’s ashes. People plant it near temples or in small gardens not just for the scent, but for its cultural symbolism and graceful beauty.
  • 💔 Is Parijat easy to grow?

Yes - if your climate cooperates. Parijat grows up to 10 feet tall, handles full sun or light shade, and thrives in well-drained soil with regular, moderate watering. It blooms best with monthly fertilizer and tolerates light cold (into the 30s F). In cooler areas, grow it in a container. Regular pruning helps it stay compact and flower more.

🛒 Plant Parijat - the tree smell like heartbreak and heaven

📚 Learn more:

#Perfume_Plants #Trees #Discover

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Papaya mint salad: quick n fun exotic. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Papaya mint salad: quick n fun exotic
🍴 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.


🛒 Add Papaya trees to your garden

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Papaya

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What is Neem and why do millions use it daily? The tree that makes toothpaste and bug spray. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Neem Tree - Azadirachta indica

Neem Tree - Azadirachta indica

🌿 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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Why gardeners say this is the best Mulberry ever. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry - Morus alba x rubra

💗 Why gardeners say this is the best Mulberry ever
  • 🍇 Illinois Everbearing Mulberry (Morus alba x rubra) is a recent discovery we’re excited to share. It may be the best variety we’ve grown, and if you only plant one mulberry, this should be the one.
  • 🍇 Very hardy and adaptable. Illinois everbearing is a cross between the white and red mulberry, and it seems to have inherited the best qualities of both. It is suitable for USDA zones from 5 to 10! It survives -20F and even colder, yet it also thrives in heat and poor soils. That wide adaptability makes it one of the most dependable fruiting mulberries for many regions.
  • 🍇 Quick shade, quick fruit, long season. The tree grows fast, about 3 to 5 feet a year, turning into a 20 to 30 ft shade tree in just a few years. It has a long, everbearing harvest season and early start: some people have even had fruit the first year after planting. The berries are about an inch and a half long, shaped like stretched out blackberries. They ripen steadily through summer, not all at once, which is why it is called everbearing. That means you can walk out and pick handfuls from July right into September.
  • 🍇Delicious and abundant. The flavor is what really sets it apart. Sweet, juicy, with a little tang, many gardeners say it is the best tasting mulberry they have had. You can eat them fresh, dry them, or cook them down for jam. Birds love them too, so you may end up sharing. But there will be enough for all: it produces abundant yields of 15 to 25 pounds per tree by year two or three.
  • 🍇 Easy to grow. It is a low maintenance tree, generally free of pests and diseases. Once established it is easygoing.
  • 🍇 Universal and long-lived. Plant it for the fruit, plant it for the shade, or plant it for the wildlife it draws in. Its foliage is also attractive, with deeply carved, oak-like leaves that add ornamental value to the tree. Illinois everbearing is not just a productive tree, it becomes part of the rhythm of your summer garden. While most mulberries live a few decades, some Illinois Everbearing trees may endure much longer with good care.


🛒 Pick your Mulberry tree

📚 Learn more:

📱 Dwarf Everbearing Mulberry

#Food_Forest

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Zero Sugar fruit: forget lemonade - new perfect summer drink discovered! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Costa Rican Guava, Cas Guava - Psidium friedrichsthalianum

Zero Sugar fruit: forget lemonade - new perfect summer drink discovered!
  • 🍋 Costa Rican Guava, or Cas Guava (Psidium friedrichsthalianum) is the boldest fruit you can grow for refreshing drinks. Its flavor is sharp, tangy, and unforgettable - perfect for anyone who loves acidic fruit. Cas Guava has sugar at all, unless you decide to add some.
  • 🍋 The trees are super prolific - even young ones fruit heavily, and we make gallons of juice at Top Tropicals.
  • 🍋 The best part? You can freeze the fruit or boil it into a concentrate with a bit of sugar. That drink lasts in the fridge for months without going bad, thanks to Cas Guava’s natural antibacterial punch.
  • 🍋 Cas Guava juice is Costa Rica’s traditional Agua de Cas - tart, refreshing, and perfect for summer heat. And if you save enough, you’ll still be sipping it through the winter.


♨️ Agua de Cas Quick Recipe
We boiled this fruit and the drink lasted for months!
  • ▫️Boil halved fruits in water with sugar to taste
  • ▫️Simmer 5-10 minutes, let sit, then mash the softened fruit to release all the flavor
  • ▫️Strain through a colander, bottle, and refrigerate - just dilute with water when serving


✔️ Why choose Cas Guava?
  • • Packed with vitamin C - four times more than lemons - for a powerful immune boost.
  • • Rich in antioxidants to combat stress and inflammation.
  • • Hardy and low-maintenance, thriving in poor soils and resisting pests.


🛒 Grow your own Cas Guava

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Guava

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🌿 The Jungle Cactus with a secret life

Collage of four jungle cactus plants: top left Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa (Curly Locks Orchid Cactus), top right Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Queen of the Night), bottom left Cryptocereus anthonyanus (Zig-Zag Cactus), and bottom right Disocactus ackermanni (Red Orchid Cactus).

Jungle cactus collage: top left Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa (Curly Locks Orchid Cactus), top right Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Queen of the Night), bottom left Cryptocereus anthonyanus (Zig-Zag Cactus), and bottom right Disocactus ackermanni (Red Orchid Cactus)

Most people picture cactus as desert plants: hot sun, sharp spines, dry sand. But that’s only half the story. There’s another branch of the family that lives in the shade of rainforests. These are the jungle cacti — epiphyte plants that climb trees, trail from branches, and throw out flowers so big and showy they look closer to orchids than to cactus blooms.

See one up close and it’s a surprise. The stems can be flat, zig-zagged, or even curly. Some trail like ferns, others pile into a shaggy basket. And when the flowers open — often at night — they’re wide, fragrant, and gone by morning. It’s no wonder gardeners like them from a first sight.

✔️ Jungle Cactus Q&A

Aren’t all cacti desert plants?

Not these. Jungle cacti are epiphytes and grow in rainforests, clinging to trees and catching rain. They never touch desert sand.

What kind of light do they need?

Outdoors, filtered sun under a tree works best. Indoors, give them bright but indirect light — east or north windows are usually safe. Direct summer sun can scorch the stems, whether inside or out.

How much water is safe?

They take more water than desert cactus but still hate wet feet. Outdoors, a rain shower is fine if the pot drains fast. Indoors, water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Always use a loose mix like Adenium mix so roots get some air.

Do they bloom indoors?

Yes. In fact, many bloom better inside where conditions are steady. They set buds when a little root-bound, and cooler nights help. Outdoors in frost-free zones, flowers come with seasonal shifts. Indoors, expect surprise buds after a cool spell by the window.

Best way to display them?

Hanging baskets show off trailing stems both inside and out. Shallow pots work well on shelves or ledges indoors. In warm climates, they can even be tied to a tree branch outside — exactly how they grow in the wild.

Extra note on indoor vs. outdoor care?

Indoors, watch for dry heated air in winter — they like a bit of humidity. A tray of pebbles and water under the pot helps. Outdoors, protect from heavy midday sun and bring them in if nights dip below the mid 30s F.

Jungle cacti are easy to keep and full of surprises. Whether trailing from a basket or blooming after dark, they prove that not every cactus belongs in the desert.

Read Garden Blog about Cacti

Add Jungle Cactus to your collection

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Rare Orchid Tree you may never find again and everyone wants. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Bauhinia madagascariensis - Red Butterfly Orchid Tree

🌺 Rare Orchid Tree you may never find again and everyone wants
  • 🌺 Bauhinia madagascariensis, the Red Butterfly Orchid Tree, is one of the most dazzling flowering trees you can grow.
  • 🌺 Its scarlet blooms open like bright butterflies, each petal painted with a golden stripe at the base. When in full bloom, the tree looks alive with fluttering wings.
  • 🌺 It's fast-growing, can be kept as a small tree or a large bush, and thrives in full sun. A rare orchid tree species and a true collector’s prize. Grow it in a pot or in the ground.


🛒 The butterfly tree of Madagascar will bloom 365 days a year for you

📚 Learn more:

#Trees #Butterfly_Plants

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Moringa vs spinach: which one wins for nutrition? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Moringa oleifera, Horseradish tree

🌳 Moringa vs spinach: which one wins for nutrition?
  • ✔️Moringa is sometimes called the Tree of Life, and for good reason. Almost every part is edible - leaves, pods, seeds, even the flowers. It isn't just a tree, it's like a whole pantry and medicine cabinet rolled into one.
  • ✔️ The leaves pack vitamins, minerals, and protein.
  • ✔️ The pods look like drumsticks and end up in curries.
  • ✔️ Even the seeds are handy - pressed for oil or used to clean water.
  • ✔️ And here's the bonus: it grows fast, covers itself in fragrant white flowers, and looks beautiful right in your garden.
  • ✔️ A tree that feeds you, heals you, and makes the yard smell good.


🛒 Want more energy? Grow Tree of Life - Moringa - at home

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover #Trees

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You wont believe this Bombax tree is real! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Red Kapok tree - Bombax (Ceiba) malabaricum

💥 You wont believe this Bombax tree is real!
  • 💥 If you have ever seen a mature Bombax tree (Bombax ceiba), you were impressed!
  • 💥 A fire in the canopy. The Red Kapok tree, or Bombax (Ceiba) malabaricum) - is one of the most striking flowering trees in the tropics. In late winter and spring, when its branches are bare, it bursts into bloom with huge, crimson flowers that light up the entire crown. These flowers are not only spectacular to look at but also rich in nectar, drawing in flocks of birds, bees, and butterflies. Their size, color, and fragrance make the tree a true seasonal landmark wherever it grows.
  • 💥 More than just beauty. Beyond its beauty, the Bombax tree has many uses. Its blossoms, bark, and leaves are valued in traditional medicine for treating coughs, skin issues, and inflammation. The tree produces large woody pods filled with silky floss that has long been used for stuffing pillows, cushions, and life jackets. Its wood is strong yet lightweight, making it useful for carving, canoes, and even musical instruments.
  • 💥 Sacred and symbolic. The Bombax tree also carries cultural weight. In Hindu mythology, it is associated with Lord Indra, the god of rain and storms, and in many regions it is considered sacred, often celebrated during festivals.
  • 💥 A tree you never forget. With its towering trunk, impressive buttress roots, and dazzling red blooms, the Bombax tree is more than just an ornamental - it is a tree of beauty, tradition, and utility.


🛒 Plant your Bombax

#Remedies #Discover #Trees

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Patience is bitter. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Patience is bitter
🐈🐈🐈 Patience is bitter

"The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit." - Moliere
"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." - Aristotle

🐈📸 Mr B the cat is patiently waiting for the harvest at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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