Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date:

The bloom that broke all the rules: Black Sheep Adenium. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Black Sheep Adenium

Black Sheep Adenium

Black Sheep Adenium

Black Sheep Adenium

Black Sheep Adenium

Black Sheep Adenium

🐑 The bloom that broke all the rules: Black Sheep Adenium

Photos of Black Sheep adenium for the previous post 👆

🛒 Shop adeniums

#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Adenium

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

The legendary Black Sheep of the family. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Black Sheep Adenium

Black Sheep Adenium

🖤 The legendary Black Sheep of the family
  • 🐑 Not your average desert rose, Black Sheep Adenium shows up to the garden party dressed in midnight velvet!
  • 🐑 Its petals are so dark they almost swallow the light, with a smoldering red glow at the center that dares you to look closer.
  • 🐑 Mysterious? Yes. Dramatic? Absolutely. This flower doesn’t blend in - it steals the show!
  • 🐑 The perfect plant for those who like their beauty bold, broody, and a little rebellious. You'll want to whisper secrets to it under moonlight. It's not just a plant. It's a statement! See photos of actual Black Sheep Adenium in next post 👇


🛒 Own the drama. Grow the legend: Black Adeniums

❗️Black colored adeniums start as reddish color buds, flower opens as red-black and darkens as matures.
📚 More black and dark-flowered adeniums

#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts #Adenium

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Botanical bedhead: curly, crazy, and full of surprises. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, leaves

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, leaves

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, fruit

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, fruit

Botanical bedhead: curly, crazy, and full of surprises
  • This wild-looking jungle cactus doesn't grow straight - it spirals, twirls, and twists! Meet Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Orchid Cactus, or Curly Locks.
  • A natural mutation of Epiphyllum guatemalense, Curly Locks creates a tangled cascade of curly stems that look like botanical noodles!
  • Perfect for hanging baskets, it blooms fragrant, orchid-like flowers at night and produces juicy, edible pink fruit.
  • It's self-pollinating and thrives in bright, indirect light. Let it get root-bound to encourage blooms, and water moderately.
  • A must-have oddity for cactus lovers and collectors!


🛒 Get the curly cactus now

📚 More about exotic epiphytic cacti:
Disocactus ackermanni - Red Orchid Cactus
Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night
Pseudorhipsalis (Wittia) amazonica - Blue Flame

#Fun_Facts #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

How to grow the Fern with Elephant Ears. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

🍀 How to grow the Fern with Elephant Ears

Continued from previous post
  • 🐘 If you love dramatic foliage but don't want the diva attitude, this gentle giant is for you!
  • 🐘 Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern - is native to tropical Africa, it loves warm temps, high humidity, and indirect light. It thrives in partial sun to bright indirect light and should be kept evenly moist. As it matures, mount it on a wooden plaque, since as one of the largest staghorn ferns in cultivation, it can become a massive specimen! Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern is sure to impress your gardening friends.
  • 🐘 A fantastic choice for shaded patios, trees, or fern walls - it brings jungle vibes without being fussy. More sculptural than spiky, elephantotis is a must-have for collectors, houseplant lovers, and fern fans who want something out of the ordinary. It's big, bold, and undeniably cool.
  • 🐘Fun_facts: The bigger the fern, the better it gets - this species just keeps getting more majestic with age!


🛒 Claim your gentle giant

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

So rare, it should come with a passport! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

🌿 So rare, it should come with a passport!
  • 🐘 The most laid-back member of the staghorn clan is Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern.
  • 🐘 The Gentle Giant of the Fern World, this rare Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern has tall shield fronds and deeply veined, round fertile fronds that look like elephant ears instead of stags horns.
  • 🐘 It features huge, rounded shield fronds that resemble elephant ears - soft, wavy, and deeply textured. Unlike its antler-shaped cousins, this species has broad, floppy fronds that hang down like giant green sails.
  • 🐘Epiphytic by nature - grows mounted on wood, hanging baskets, or trees, just like in the wild.


Continued in next post...

🛒 Bring the Elephant home

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

The fern that dreams are made of. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Dreaming of Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

Dreaming of Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

🐘 The fern that dreams are made of. Literally.

Ever dreamed of an elephant with fern ears? Well... now it exists. And it hangs on your wall.
Platycerium elephantotis - the Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern that's big, bold, and totally mind-blowing.
Check it out in the next posts➡

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Have you ever seen a Half-n-Half Parrot's Beak? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Gmelina philippensis variegata - Half-n-Half Parrots Beak

Have you ever seen a Half-n-Half Parrot's Beak?

‼️ Just landed: Half-n-Half Parrots Beak - rare variegated form! Limited quantities - first time ever!
  • 🐦 We just got our hands on a super rare twist of a beloved classic - Half n Half Parrot's Beak! This is not your average Gmelina philippensis. It's a variegated version you've probably never seen before, and it's ready to steal the show!
  • 🐦 Classic Parrot's Beak is already a fan favorite with its whimsical, hanging branches and cartoonish yellow blooms that really do look like parrots mid-laugh. Now imagine all that - with variegation!
  • 🐦 Why is it special? Because each leaf is half green, half creamy-white - a stunning two-tone effect . It's got the same iconic yellow parrot-beak flowers, but with a brand-new flair.
  • 🐦 Compact growth and ivy-shaped foliage make it ideal for bonsai. The leaves reduce beautifully with training. Develops character as it ages: spiny branches, textured bark, and an artistic form perfect for styling.
  • 🐦 Fast grower with a naturally tidy canopy, it produces eye-catching yellow flowers shaped like parrot beaks, hanging in chain-like racemes. This rare form is perfect for collectors, bonsai lovers, or anyone who wants a showpiece plant that sparks conversation.
  • 🐦 Note: Gmelina is pronounced "Melina" - the G is silent, but the plant is anything but!


📚Check out the Classic Parrot Beak in earlier post and in the Video

🛒 Limited quantity available - grab your Half n Half before they’re gone!

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Which epiphytic cactus puts out the biggest bloom show. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

❤️ Which epiphytic cactus puts out the biggest bloom show

  • 🌺 Disocactus ackermanni, also called the Red Orchid Cactus, puts on a jaw-dropping show with huge, blazing red flowers that can reach 6 inches wide! It's a cactus that acts nothing like one - and then bursts out in flowers the size of your hand!

  • 🌺 It blooms from Spring through Summer and steals the spotlight every time. The plant grows like a lush, green fern with flat stems that drape and cascade like a living chandelier.

  • 🌺 It may be a cactus, but it loves water and shade - more diva than desert. Native to the tropical forests of Mexico, this epiphyte thrives in a hanging basket and turns heads wherever it grows.

  • 🌺 Why collectors search for it? Because it's rare, eye-catching, and just plain fun to grow. No spines, no drama - just bold flowers and easy charm. This is one of those plants that visitors always ask about. If you're a collector, it's not a want – it's a need.


🛒 Get the Red Orchid Cactus everyone talks about

📚 More about exotic epiphytic cacti:
Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night
Pseudorhipsalis (Wittia) amazonica - Blue Flame
Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Orchid Cactus, Curly Locks

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Which epiphytic cactus puts out the biggest bloom show. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Disocactus ackermanni - Red Orchid Cactus

❤️ Which epiphytic cactus puts out the biggest bloom show
  • 🌺 Disocactus ackermanni, also called the Red Orchid Cactus, puts on a jaw-dropping show with huge, blazing red flowers that can reach 6 inches wide! It's a cactus that acts nothing like one - and then bursts out in flowers the size of your hand!
  • 🌺 It blooms from Spring through Summer and steals the spotlight every time. The plant grows like a lush, green fern with flat stems that drape and cascade like a living chandelier.
  • 🌺 It may be a cactus, but it loves water and shade - more diva than desert. Native to the tropical forests of Mexico, this epiphyte thrives in a hanging basket and turns heads wherever it grows.
  • 🌺 Why collectors search for it? Because it's rare, eye-catching, and just plain fun to grow. No spines, no drama - just bold flowers and easy charm. This is one of those plants that visitors always ask about. If you're a collector, it's not a want – it's a need.


🛒 Get the Red Orchid Cactus everyone talks about

📚 More about exotic epiphytic cacti:
Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night
Pseudorhipsalis (Wittia) amazonica - Blue Flame
Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Orchid Cactus, Curly Locks

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible? Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible? Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible? Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible?
🌭 Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible?

Despite the tempting name, the sausages that grow on the Sausage Tree don't actually taste like the sausages you're thinking of, but... in a nutshell, they are still edible! Let's dive into the details...

  • 🌭The Sausage Tree (Kigelia pinnata, also known as Kigelia africana) is a striking tropical tree native to sub-Saharan Africa, renowned for its large, sausage-shaped fruits that can grow up to 2 feet long and weigh up to 15 pounds.

  • 🌭While the Sausage Tree's fruit is technically edible, it is toxic when raw. To safely consume the fruit, it must undergo specific processing methods:


    • Drying: The fruit is dried thoroughly to reduce toxicity.
    Roasting or Baking: These methods help neutralize harmful compounds.
    Fermentation: In some cultures, the fruit is fermented, often with sugarcane juice or honey, to create traditional beverages like muratina in Kenya.

  • 🌭Even with these preparations, caution is advised. It's essential to consult with local experts or traditional practitioners before attempting to consume Sausage Tree fruit.

  • 🌭Various parts of the tree, including the fruit, bark, and leaves, have been used to treat ailments such as ulcers, skin infections.

  • 🌭In some African cultures, the fruit is associated with fertility and is used in rituals. The tree's presence is often considered auspicious.

  • 🌭Although the Sausage Tree might not be winning any awards for your dinner table, it's definitely a showstopper in the yard. Think of it as the ultimate conversation starter and the weirdest, most fascinating collectible you'll ever grow!


🛒 Grab your Sausage Tree now - impress your guests!

📚 Learn more about Sausage Tree:
Meet the tree everyone's talking about: sausages growing on a tree!

#Nature_Wonders #Trees #Discover

🏵 TopTropicals
< Previous pageNext page >Most recent entryBlog table of contents