Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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  ⭐️ Stapelia gigantea, the Starfish Flower, is one of those plants you notice from across the yard and immediately walk over to investigate. The blooms are huge - often close to a foot across - and look exactly like soft, fuzzy starfish dropped right onto the plant. Pale yellow petals with fine maroon lines give it that wild, otherworldly look.
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  ⭐️ Yes, it has a scent - just enough to fool flies, which is exactly what the plant wants. They’re the pollinators, and this flower knows how to get their attention. For us humans, the real show is the size, shape, and texture. It’s a living prop straight out of a sci-fi movie.
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  ⭐️ Even without flowers, the plant itself looks cool: thick, 4-angled succulent stems that sprawl and stack into a low, sculptural mound. In the ground it can spread a couple feet wide, and in a pot it becomes the ultimate conversation piece. And despite looking like a cactus, it’s actually in the Milkweed family. When it’s happy and sets seed, the pods open to release silky little parachutes floating away on the breeze.
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  ⭐️ Strange, bold, and absolutely unforgettable - this is one plant nobody walks past without asking about it.

• ✦ Starfish flower: the bizarre bloom you cant stop staring at
• ✦ Starfish flower in bloom

• 🟢Scoop out ripe Sugar Apple flesh and mash lightly with a fork, removing seeds as you go.
• 🟢Stir in a splash of chilled coconut milk.
• 🟢Serve it half-frozen like a tropical slush, eaten straight from the bowl.

Sugar Apple Spoon Mash

Ingredients

• 1 ripe Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa)
• 2 to 3 tbsp chilled coconut milk

Instructions

1. Scoop out the ripe Sugar Apple flesh and remove all seeds.
2. Mash the pulp lightly with a fork.
3. Stir in the chilled coconut milk.
4. Serve immediately or half-freeze for a tropical slush.

• ▫️ Why everyone wants the Sugar Apple?
• ▫️ Annona squamosa - Sugar Apple - in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️ Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple
• ▫️ What does Sugar Apple look like and how does it taste?
• ▫️ This is why Atemoya is better than any other Annonas
• ▫️ What's inside this bumpy Annona fruit? Delicious Health benefits

• ⭐️ It's end of November and let's see what's in bloom today.

Gardenia nitida - the Shooting Star Gardenia - is looking absolutely perfect right now. This is one of the most unusual gardenias you’ll ever run into. Native to tropical Africa, slow-growing, elegant, and honestly… it doesn’t even look like the regular gardenias people are used to.
• ⭐️ The leaves are the first giveaway. Instead of the thick, waxy look of common gardenias, this one has big, soft, diamond-shaped leaves that give the whole plant a delicate, almost tropical-orchid vibe. The shrubs grow into neat, rounded shapes, so they do great in containers or smaller garden spaces.
• ⭐️ And the blooms… they’re happening right now! Long, skinny white tubes that flare open into bright little starbursts. They show up in clusters, and when the sun hits them, they really do look like tiny shooting stars across the plant. The fragrance is sweet, rich, and drifting all over the walkway even before you get close.
• ⭐️ It blooms several times a year, but this moment - right now, heading into winter - is one of its best. If you like rare fragrant plants, this is one of those collector pieces you don’t see every day, especially looking this full and this fresh.

• ✦ You thought you knew Gardenias, until you saw this one
• ✦ Shooting Star Gardenia: a rare scent from Africa

• 🍉 Red dragon fruit might look similar on the outside, but the flavors are all over the place once you start trying different varieties. Halley's Comet is one of the reds that actually tastes rich - sweet, juicy, and full of that deep berry-like flavor people hope for in dragon fruit. It ripens fast, so you have to catch it at the right moment or it turns soft overnight.
• 🍉 Red-fleshed types are also loaded with antioxidants, which is why the juice stains everything it touches. If you like bold flavor, check out other good reds below. These are some of the top varieties growers recommend for sweeter, stronger taste:

• 🔴🔴 Red skin, red flesh(Hylocereus costaricensis) - Sweeter, juicier, and more intense in flavor. The deep red juice can stain, but it’s loaded with antioxidants.

Varieties: American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Eureka Red, Costa Rican Sunset, Mac Edwin, Halley's Comet, Makisupa, Mega Red, Physical Graffiti, Sweet Red
• 🔴🟣 Red flesh, purple/magenta flesh(Hylocereus x costaricensis) - Hybrids, usually between red and white varieties.

• · More about Dragon fruit plant from Plant Encyclopedia
• · When do I get the fruit from my Dragon Fruit?
• · Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it. Varieties.
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?

• 🟢Spread coconut, peanuts, lime bits, and palm sugar on a Piper betle leaf.
• 🟢Fold and chew for a refreshing, spicy-sweet treat.

Betel Leaf Bites (Quick and Fun Exotic Snack)

Ingredients

• 6 fresh betel leaves (Piper betle)
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp palm sugar sauce or thick palm syrup
• 1 tbsp finely diced lime (with rind)
• 1 tbsp finely minced ginger (optional)
• 1 small chili, sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the betel leaves and pat dry. Keep whole leaves for folding.
2. Place each leaf shiny side down. Add a pinch of shredded coconut, roasted peanuts, diced lime, and a small dollop of palm sugar sauce.
3. Add ginger or chili if you want extra heat.
4. Fold the leaf into a small triangular packet.
5. Serve freshly folded and enjoy the refreshing sweet-spicy-lime flavor.

• ▫️Piper betle in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️How to grow your own Pepper plants. Five most valuable Pipers
• ▫️Plant Smarter: Grow Your Own Brain Boosters
• ▫️10-minute recipe Bo La Lot with a leaf you’ve never cooked before