Quisqualis vine - Rangoon Creeper - Flamingo pink and fruity fragrance in one!
Who said utility areas have to be ugly? Our Quisqualis indica - Rangoon Creeper - turned the roof of our water system into a wall of flowers! This shrubby vine covers itself in clusters of pink, crimson, and white blooms that change color as they age.
The fragrance is sweet, fruity, and absolutely unforgettable. Every time we walk by, we can’t help but stop and smell the... creeper!
Got a fence, trellis, or an eyesore to hide? This is your plant!
Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!
Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Vine
Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!
Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Flower: did you know this Florida native passion vine is more than just a butterfly host? Birds love it too - they’ll happily snack on the little fruits and sing you thank-you songs all day long!
And yes, the fruit is edible for people as well! The berries are small, but they make a fun and exotic treat.
The plants has a tiny flower and a tiny fruit – both only about half an inch – but together they create a mighty native habitat.
It's a triple win: butterflies, birds, and people can all enjoy something from this charming little plant. Plus, it’s the larval host for Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies, and its tiny greenish flowers provide nectar all year long. Fast-growing, easy, and full of life – a real gem for any Florida garden.
This vine is delicate and compact, perfect for a medium trellis or climbing a small tree. Unlike the big, aggressive passion vines that can cover a whole fence, this one stays manageable.
This Passion vine is not just charming and wildlife-friendly, it’s also tough as nails. Cold hardy and easy to grow, this native vine takes whatever Florida throws at it – heavy rains, long droughts and heat, poor sandy soils, even total neglect – and still thrives. A perfect choice if you want beauty, wildlife, and resilience all in one little plant.
Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise, Pride of Barbados, Peacock Flower
🔥 How to get a mini flamboyant look in a small yard
🔥 Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise, Pride of Barbados, Peacock Flower, or Flower Fence - is the national flower of Barbados, and for good reason!
🔥 Why everyone is planting this butterfly magnet
🔥 It puts on a show of fiery red, orange, yellow, or pink blossoms that look like miniature flamboyant trees.
🔥 Flowers appear almost year-round, making it one of the longest-blooming shrubs.
🔥 A true butterfly magnet - your garden will be full of wings!
🔥 Compact, heat- and drought-tolerant, and low-maintenance.
🔥 Available in different colors - red-orange, yellow, pink - so you can choose your favorite splash.
What flowers do NOT attract bees? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
What flowers do NOT attract bees?
Butterfly on a flower that doesn't attract bees
❌� What flowers do NOT attract bees?
Most tropical flowers bring in pollinators, and bees are usually first in line. But what if you’d rather avoid them? Maybe you’re allergic, or just don’t want bees buzzing around. Good news: some flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, or even flies - but not bees.
👉 Quick rules:
✔️ Night-blooming + strong fragrance = moths or bats, not bees.
✔️ Red tubular flowers with little scent = hummingbirds or butterflies, not bees.
✔️ Rotten or fermented smell = flies, not bees.
✔️ Carnivorous plants = trap insects, no bee nectar.
1. Night-blooming, fragrant - moth and bat flowers
Bees forage by day, so many night-fragrant flowers skip them.
▫️Brugmansia - Angel’s Trumpet - big, hanging blooms, moth and bat pollinated.
Rare Orchid Tree you may never find again and everyone wants. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Rare Orchid Tree you may never find again and everyone wants
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 sunny show-off hummingbirds love. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
The sunny show-off hummingbirds love
Caesalpinia mexicana - Mexican Bird of Paradise
🌞 The sunny show-off hummingbirds love
🌞 Caesalpinia mexicana - Mexican Bird of Paradise - the sunny show-off you didn't know you needed. Many gardeners have popular and more common common Bird of Paradise Caesalpinia pulcherrima, with red flowers, but this one is rare in gardens.
🌞 While most Bird of Paradise plants rely on looks alone, this one ups the game with fragrant blooms. From spring through summer, it's covered in butter-yellow flowers that stand out against soft, feathery foliage. Hummingbirds love it, and when the blooms fade, it makes woody seed pods that snap open like nature's fireworks.
🌞 It's native to northern Mexico, which means it handles heat, sun, and dry conditions without a fuss. You can grow it as a compact shrub or let it stretch into a small tree. Either way, it’s easygoing, low-maintenance, and beautiful all season.
Blue lips smell like violets - Mazabuka, Sclerochiton harveyanus. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Blue lips smell like violets - Mazabuka, Sclerochiton harveyanus
Sclerochiton harveyanus - Mazabuka, Blue Lips
👄 Blue lips smell like violets
💙 Sclerochiton harveyanus - Mazabuka, or Blue Lips blooms with quirky blue-to-purple flowers that really do look like lips. And in the tropical plant world, blue flowers are rare. And they are lightlyviolet-lavender-fragrant!
💙 Even better? It's a total shade lover. No need for blazing sun - this beauty is happy to bloom in the cool, leafy spots of your garden.
💙 Loved by bees and birds, and just the right mix of weird and wonderful.
Health benefits of a simple plant: Coral bean. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Health benefits of a simple plant: Coral bean
🍒 Health benefits of a simple plant: Coral bean
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.
Traditionally, Erythrina herbacea - Coral Bean has been used in folk remedies for calming the nerves, easing muscle pain, and even promoting better sleep.
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.
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!
National treasure of Thailand: Golden Shower Tree. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
National treasure of Thailand: Golden Shower Tree
🌞 National treasure of Thailand: Golden Shower Tree
☀️ Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree is known as the national flower of Thailand. It is one of the most spectacular flowering trees for tropical and subtropical gardens.
☀️ From late spring through summer, it puts on a breathtaking display of golden-yellow flower clusters that hang in long, pendulous chains, often over a foot long. When in full bloom, the entire tree appears drenched in gold.
☀️ This deciduous tree drops its leaves in the dry season, allowing the brilliant flowers to take center stage. The leaves re-emerge after flowering, followed by long, dark brown seed pods that can reach up to two feet.
☀️ Cassia fistula is fast-growing, typically reaching 20-30 feet tall, and thrives in full sun with well-drained soil. It prefers a dry season to initiate heavy blooming and is tolerant of drought once established.
☀️ Aside from its beauty, the tree has cultural and medicinal significance in Asia in Ayurvedic medicine.
☀️ Fun facts:
▫️In Thailand, it’s called Ratchaphruek and symbolizes royal identity.
▫️Its golden flowers are often used in local festivals and ceremonies.
▫️It attracts bees and butterflies and provides seasonal shade.
