Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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The biggest in the world Vanilla dilloniana monster grew even bigger! 2025 update. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana in 100 gal container

Vanilla dilloniana flowers

Vanilla dilloniana flowers

👹The biggest in the world Vanilla dilloniana monster grew even bigger! 2025 update.
  • ⭐️ Vanilla dillioniana - The Biggest Vanilla Orchid grown in 100 gal pot by Robert Riefer's "Intelligent Design" in 2017 video got so big that Robert had to step it up again - in a giant 250 gal pool on wheels! Here are some photos of this world-famous Vanilla plant in full bloom.
  • ⭐️The Mother plant originated in 1927, awarded in 2011 with CHM certificate of Horticultural Merit by American Orchid Society.
  • ⭐️ Leafless Vanilla Orchid is an amazing exotic vanilla that forms a multi-branched, leafless vine reaching lengths up to 15 ft. The light green flowers are similar to Vanilla barbellata but the petals and sepals are longer and the fluted lip is a deep reddish-purple with a yellow crest.
  • ⭐️ Vanilla dilloniana is a very rare species and considered vulnerable, endangered across its range.
  • ⭐️ The plants we have for you at Top Tropicals are grown from cuttings of this very plant - in very limited quantities, don't miss the chance to get the offspring of this legendary plant!


🛒 Get your own super rare Leafless Vanilla dilloniana - propagated from this exact historical plant!

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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Watch the biggest Vanilla Orchid in the world moving to 100 gal pot! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

🏆 Watch the biggest Vanilla Orchid in the world moving to 100 gal pot!

Vanilla dillioniana - The Biggest Vanilla Orchid grown in 100 Gal Pot! "Intelligent Design" by Robert Riefer.
Today we take a tour in Robert's garden, where he shows us the secret of growing the biggest vanilla orchid in the world. To find out how, watch this video filmed in 2017, and check out updates of this monster plant in the next post!
📱

🛒 Get your own super rare Leafless Vanilla dilloniana - propagated from this exact historical plant!

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders #How_to

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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