Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🐱 Count your age by friends

"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears." - John Lennon

🐈📸 Cats Bob and Cash are buddies at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

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🌷 Four best perennials that will bloom for you all summer

📸 Pictures for the previous post: Crossandra, Heliconia Lady Di, Plumbago, and Spathoglottis ground orchids.

🛒 Discover more flowering perennials

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🌷 Four best low-growing perennials that bloom all summer

• 🌼 1. Crossandra


Crossandra is one of those plants that never really takes a break. Its ruffled orange blooms pop almost nonstop in warm weather, making it a reliable color source for borders, pots, or even as a filler around taller shrubs. Unlike many flowering plants that fade in midsummer, Crossandra keeps going through heat and humidity, thriving where others give up. It's compact, easy to trim, and works beautifully in small gardens or patios.
• 🌼 2. Heliconia psittacorum Lady Di


Heliconia Lady Di adds a tropical accent with its upright, torch-like blooms in fiery orange and yellow. What makes this variety practical is its manageable size compared to giant heliconias - it fits well in small gardens and large pots. Its flowers last long, both on the plant and as cut flowers, making it popular for summer arrangements. Once established, it keeps sending up flower stalks all season, giving a steady display of color and drama.
• 🌼 3. Plumbago


Plumbago is a gardener's friend in hot climates because it covers a lot of ground and throws out flower clusters all summer (sky-blue, white or red). It's versatile - train it as a shrub, hedge, or let it spill over walls and trellises. The flowers attract butterflies, and the plant is low-maintenance, tolerating pruning, sandy soil, and neglect. If you need a reliable plant to soften fences or add a cool color contrast to reds and oranges in the garden, plumbago is a winner.
• 🌼 4. Spathoglottis ground orchids

Ground orchids like Spathoglottis are practical because they give you the exotic look of orchids without the fuss. These hardy, clumping perennials send up spikes of purple, pink, or yellow blooms that last for weeks, repeating through summer in warm climates. They’re perfect for edging walkways or filling beds where you want constant color with minimal care. Unlike potted orchids that bloom once and rest, Spathoglottis keeps producing flowers right in the ground, almost year-round in frost-free areas.

🛒 Discover more flowering perennials

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🍴 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 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 

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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

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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 

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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

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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

#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 

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