🥑 How to grow cold-hardy avocados and how cold-hardy are they?

Growing avocados in colder regions is possible with the right variety and care. By selecting Cold Hardy varieties, ensuring proper care, and taking protective steps during cold spells, you can successfully grow avocados outside of tropical climates.

The more established your tree, the better it will tolerate colder weather.

🌡 What is Avocado cold hardiness?

Avocados are sensitive to freezing temperatures but some Mexican varieties are cold-hardy, surviving temperatures as low as 15F once established. With proper care, some can endure brief cold snaps down to 10F.

• 👉 Cold hardiness depends on several factors, including:

• 🟢 Duration of cold: How long the tree is exposed to freezing temperatures.
• 🟢 Sun exposure: Trees with more sunlight tend to handle cold better.
• 🟢 Wind protection: Wind can make cold weather more damaging.
• 🟢 Tree health: Proper care, including fertilization, can improve cold tolerance.

❄️ How to protect avocados from cold

If you're growing avocados in a cooler climate, it's essential to protect them from harsh cold. Here are some tips:

• 🟢 Bigger is Better: Larger, more established trees are generally more cold-tolerant than young ones.
• 🟢 Wind Protection: Cold winds can be more damaging than the temperature itself. Plant your avocado in a sheltered spot, such as on the south or southeast side of a building, where it’s protected from strong winds.
• 🟢 Good Fertilization: A healthy tree is more likely to withstand cold. Make sure your avocado receives regular fertilization throughout the growing season to keep it strong.
• 🟢 Watering: Avocados need regular watering, but during winter, they require much less water. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to root rot in cold conditions.

✍️ Specific protection for young plants

• 🟢 Covering and mulching: When a freeze is expected, mound mulch around the trunk to insulate the roots and cover the tree with a blanket for warmth. For extra protection, use Christmas lights or a small heater under the cover, following safety precautions.
• 🟢 Microclimates matter: Plant your tree closer to a building for better cold protection. Placing it in the warmest part of your landscape will help it get more heat during winter.
• 🟢 With proper care and protection, you can enjoy fresh avocados even in cooler climates!

🛒  Shop Cold Hardy Avocados

📚Learn more:

• · Can I Grow Avocado Outside the Tropics?
• · Avocado Variety Guide
• · Posts about #Avocado

#Food_Forest #Avocado #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

💡 How to produce my own vanilla?

🫘 Secrets of Vanilla pollination finally revealed!
Vanilla is the World's most popular flavor and one of the most expensive spices and flavorings.
Every tropical gardener wants to have a vanilla plant and of course the most common question they ask - how to make my vanilla produce vanilla for me? In this video we will show you how:
📱

🛒 Shop Vanilla Bean Orchids

📚 Learn more:

• · Where does Vanilla come from?
• · The secret of how to make Vanilla Orchid bloom

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Food_Forest #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

💻 Easy Latin: unlocking plant names - why scientific names matter and how to decode them

• ✔️ Plants need scientific names (or Latin names) to keep things clear and avoid confusion. Common names can vary from place to place, and one name might refer to different plants.
• ✔️ A scientific name is like a plant's social security number - it's unique and makes sure everyone knows exactly which plant you're talking about. For example, if you say "Trumpet tree," you could be talking about Brugmansia, Tabebuia, Oroxylum, or even Dolichandrone. With a scientific name, there's no guessing! It's the perfect plant ID to keep things simple and precise.
• ✔️ So, if you're looking for a specific plant to add to your wishlist, be sure to find its scientific name first - that way, you'll be sure to get the right plant!

🛠 Examples of Latin names and their meanings:

🍋 Citrus sinensis – "Citrus" is the genus for citrus fruits, and "sinensis" means "from China," indicating the origin of the sweet orange.

🌸 Plumeria rubra – "Plumeria" is named after French botanist Charles Plumier, and "rubra" means "red," referring to its flower color.

🍁 Acer palmatum – "Acer" means "sharp," referring to the sharp-pointed leaves, and "palmatum" means "hand-shaped," referring to the leaf's shape.

By understanding the Latin names and their meanings, you can learn about a plant's origins, growth habits, and other key traits!

📚 Learn more:
Easy Latin name guide

#How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

📱 How to get your own Dragon Fruit plantation:


#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🌵🌵🌵 Why we planted a whole field of this Dragon Fruit: how to get your own Dragon Fruit plantation

• 💛 Do you like Dragon Fruit? Our favorite variety is Parlora.
• 💛 It's a yellow Pitaya cactus from Ecuador, and hands down the most flavorful dragon fruit out there. While most varieties are pretty but kind of bland, this one is sweet, juicy, and packed with flavor.
• 💛 We love it so much at Top Tropicals, we planted a whole plantation! All it takes is a simple trellis – just a few posts and some chicken wire - and you can grow your own and enjoy this delicious fruit year-round.

📚 Learn more:

• · Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit
• · Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden
• · Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: Dragon fruit
• · What does Dragon Fruit Flower look like?
• · What does a dragon taste like? Learn why you need to grow your own.
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
• · What to do with a lot of Dragon Fruit

🛒Grow your own Tasty Dragon Fruits

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🦩 Which adenium is ever-blooming? Discover Flamingo Glow

• 🦩 If you've visited our Top Tropicals Farm in Sebring, you've surely noticed our two beautiful ever-blooming Adeniums Flamingo Glow - the favorites that always draw admiration (and wishlists) from everyone! Our 2 Flamingo Glow mother plants we have in 7 gal pots are in bloom most of the time, almost year around, except for the Winter dormancy period.
• 🦩 We're excited to share some great news: these two stunning Flamingo Glow adeniums cross-pollinated and have produced seeds, and their offsprings are now already blooming! The well-sized 3 year old seedlings have inherited the same vibrant, glowing color as their parents, and we now have a few plants available for sale.
• 🦩 Desert Rose Flamingo Glow is a dazzling Top Tropicals hybrid (A. arabicum x A. obesum) that adds a splash of tropical elegance to any collection. Its soft pink blooms glow like a flamingo at sunset, gradually deepening from delicate blush to rich rose with darker splashes that illuminate the petals. Compact and easy to grow, this variety has a naturally dwarf habit and forms a beautifully rounded caudex, perfect for containers or bonsai-style displays. A living jewel that glows brighter with time!

📚 Learn more: #Adenium

🛒 Claim Your Flamingo Glow and discover more Adenium colors

#Container_Garden #How_to #Shade_Garden #Adenium

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

📱 Thornless Bougainvillea Tree Video:



#Trees #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🌸 What bougainvillea doesn't need pruning and grows into a tree? Kristi's Garden Secrets - sound on! 🎤

• 🌸 Tired of pruning your thorny bougainvillea that takes over your yard? Here’s one that breaks all the rules.

No thorns, no pruning - and it grows into a bushy little tree!
• 🌸 It's called Bougainvillea arborea, or Thornless Bougainvillea Tree.
• 🌸 It stays tidy, blooms lavender flowers with a light scent, and it won’t overgrow your space. A total gem if you want beauty without the chaos!

🛒 Plant the Bougainvillea That Behaves!

📱 Watch in high quality on YouTube

#Trees #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🕊 Top irresistible vines for a hummingbird haven. Part 2.

Full list of Hummingbird favorite vines for the previous post ⤴️

Antigonon leptopus - Mexican Coral Vine 📸
Aristolochia - Dutchman's Pipe
Bignonia capreolata - Crossvine 📸
Camptosema - Dwarf Red Jade Vine
Chonemorpha fragrans - Frangipani Vine
Clerodendrums - Bleeding Heart and others
Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea
Combretum aubletii - Monkey Brush Vine
Dipladenia (Mandevilla)
Faradaya splendida - Glory Vine
Gmelina philippensis - Parrot's Beak
Hiptage benghalensis - Helicopter Flower
Ipomoea - Prince Kuhio Vine 📸
Lonicera - Honeysuckle 📸
Mansoa alliacea - Garlic Vine
Pandorea jasminoides - Pandora Vine
Passiflora - Passion Flower 📸
Petrea volubilis - Queen's Wreath
Pyrostegia venusta - Flame Vine 📸
Quisqualis indica - Rangoon Creeper
Senecio confusus - Mexican Flame Vine
Solandra - Butter Cup
Stephanotis floribunda - Bridal Bouquet
Tecomanthe dendrophylla - New Guinea Creeper vine
Tecomaria capensis - Cape Honeysuckle 📸
Thunbergia - Sky Vine, Clock Vine 📸
Turn Your Garden Into a Hummingbird Paradise!

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🕊 Top Eight irresistible vines for a hummingbird haven. Part 1.

Below is the Hummingbird Haven Plan designed for continuous blooms, vertical interest, and year-round hummingbird attraction.

Centerpiece (Tall Structure / Arbor)

• 🦋 Thunbergia, especially Thunbergia mysorensis (Clock Vine). Provide strong overhead support for its hanging blooms. Let this showstopper trail over a sturdy pergola or arbor. Its long, red-and-yellow flowers will be your garden’s main hummingbird magnet.


Side Support (Trellis or Fence)
• 🦋 Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine) - A hardy, fast-growing native that clings to supports. Train it on a trellis for early-spring blooms that attract the season’s first hummingbirds.
• 🦋 Tecomaria (Cape Honeysuckle) - A vigorous, evergreen bloomer that loves full sun. Its bright red-orange tubular flowers draw hummingbirds throughout the year and are perfect for training along fences or trellises.


Mid-layer (Fence, Arch, or Large Pot Trellis)
• 🦋 Passiflora (especially vitifolia or coccinea). Needs full sun, rich soil, and regular water; prune to manage size and boost flowering. Let it twine near seating areas for bold red blooms and close-up hummingbird visits.


Ground-Level Accents
• 🦋 Ipomoea (including Prince Kuhio Vine) - Thrives in warm, frost-free zones with sun and moisture. Plant at the base of structures or in containers to sprawl or climb with vivid purple-pink blooms.
• 🦋 Lonicera (including L. sempervirens - Coral Honeysuckle) - Plant at the base of a trellis or fence, near the arbor. This cold-hardy native has red-orange or yellow tubular blooms from spring to fall and adds a delicate contrast to tropical textures.


Wild Touch / Quick Filler
• 🦋 Antigonon leptopus - Mexican Coral Vine - Loves sun and drains well; drought-tolerant but frost-sensitive. Great for fences and open trellises as a fast-growing, summer-to-fall bloomer buzzing with activity.
• 🦋 Pyrostegia venusta (Flame Vine) - Bursting in fiery orange, perfect for fences or pergolas. Plant along a back fence or side trellis where it can sprawl wide and fill empty space. Thrives in full sun, blooms in winter-spring, and complements vertical stars like Thunbergia and Passionflower.

📝 These vines feature tubular, nectar-rich blooms that hummingbirds adore.
Add a shallow birdbath or feeder nearby, and you'll have a full-service nectar station!

See full list of Hummingbird favorite vines in next post ⤵️

🛒Turn Your Garden Into a Hummingbird Paradise!

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals