Our honest advise on Holiday Gift Plants

Q: Any suggestions on gift plants? With Holidays around the corner, I've been thinking of getting a present for my grandma, she lives in FL and is an experienced gardener. I also have a friend that lives in CA, also warm climate, but she doesn't have a green thumb. Any "easy" plants I can try for her?

A: Live plant is a perfect gift, as we all know. However when ordering a plant online as a present, for a happy experience, you should have three things to consider:

1. Gardener's experience. Planting instructions are included with every order, and usually success is there if you follow them. But all plants go through shipping stress (some more, others less) and need time, patience and love to recover. Also, a plant will need a new home after shipping: a pot and a good soil mix. It would be wise if you add potting mix with a gift order; the plant should be planted in a permanent pot as soon as possible, but normally can wait a day in a packing bag until its new owner gets a pot, if it is not ready yet.
2. How easy the plant is? If buying a plant for a beginner, chose something easy, as well as showy. Adeniums - Desert Roses, Jasmines, Clerodendrums, Cordylines are always a good choice. Calatheas, Gingers and Heliconias are always showy, even when not in bloom. Spice trees and herbs are fun, easy to grow and one can enjoy their aroma right away without waiting on them growing bigger. Miracle Fruit is an awesome present, it comes with detailed instructions how to grow the Miracle!
3. How easy the plant ships? Some plants can be easy in cultivation, but they don't take shipping well. After being in a dark box for a few days, most plants usually recover well in experienced hands. When making a present, you want something showy, not just a stick to arrive. Besides Adeniums and Jasmines, many fruit trees usually take shipping without a problem - such as Mango or Sapote trees. You may not want to start with Avocado, Papaya, Carambola, or Cacao - unless they go to an experienced grower - these may take some time and skill to etanblish. Fig trees are super easy in shipping, but figs may drop leaves in Winter - for this same reason, you may think twice about deciduous plants like Sugar Apples, Grapes, Mulberries or Persimmons to be sent as gifts. On the other hand, if you are sending a deciduous tree to a gardener who can appreciate the variety, this may be a good choice - dormant plants take shipping with less stress!

   Holiday special: On the picture: Adenium Xmas Santa. A Holiday Special Desert Rose with Christmas-colored flowers - deep-red and white.

   Still not sure which plant to choose? You may buy a Top Tropicals Gift Certificate, it ships well and has no expiration date!

Tour of Top Tropicals - Part 2 - Nursery

Visit Top Tropicals nursery and see spectacular flowering plants and tropical fruit trees in pots that we ship to you.
This is the second video of a 3-part story about Top Tropicals. The First Part showed some of our garden specials.

Make sure to get back soon to see -
Part 3: Meet customer service team and shipping department crew...

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

Winter Flowering Plants

Take advantage of the late season tropicals! Brighten up your winters with spectacular flowers and winter producing fruit trees!

Many Floridians move up North during hot summer months, our snow-bird season usually starts late September and ends by Mother's Day in May. Many of our local seasonal customers planting those flowering and fruiting species that they can fully enjoy while staying in Florida. Below you will find a few specials that are in bloom right now.
Check out full list of winter bloomers and late season plants, and download a PDF chart of the most interesting tropical plants that will flower and fruit for you in Fall, Winter and early Spring. Some of them are ever-blooming, others are late- or early season.
Visit our Garden Center in Ft Myers FL and see those blooming specials right now at our front office display!

Florida winters and gardening

From Anna Banana, our Garden Center customer advisor.
Cool weather - no sweat. Here in Florida we are blessed to have warm winters. We just went to the beach for Christmas! Winter time is not only a good beach time, but also the best planting time here. Why? I always refer my customers to Murray Corman's article Tropical Planting Breaks the Rules. "...Wintertime does not just mean hard work for tropical gardeners. It is also a time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Winter-blooming plants and the visitors they attract - birds, bats and butterflies - make the garden as enjoyable in winter as any other time of year. Tasks performed during the spring and summer up north have to be done during the fall and winter here. Why? The answer is elementary: It's too hot! Taking advantage of the coolest months of the subtropical year for heavy chores like planting trees has a twofold benefit: The gardener can make hay while the sun shines without getting heat stroke and the plants appreciate the moderate temperatures, enjoying a break from the stress of 93 degrees in the shade..."
Continue reading...

Winter flowering plants - are a blessing for a tropical gardener. See below what's blooming now! See our recommendations for winter flowering and fruiting plants (PDF).

How much water?

Q: I have purchased many tropical plants from you throughout the summer and now I need to think about how not to kill them overwintering in my NY apartment. I was told that overwatering can be a big problem for house plants in winter. How much should I water, and how many times per week?

A: Overwatering in the number one cause of the houseplant death. But be sure not to underwater, either.
- Don't water on the fixed schedule, get to know your plant's needs instead. Most plants only need watering when the top 1/2" of potting mix is try. gently poke your finger into the soil to test it. Some experience gardeners go by weight of the pot - a very light pot will have a dry mix.
- Aim to make the potting mix moist, but not wet. Most plants hate sitting in soggy potting mix, so always let excess water drain away.
- Potting mix in terra cotta pots dries out more quickly than that in plastic or ceramic pots, because terra cotta is a porous material.
- Most plants need less water in winter because they are not actively growing and need this period of winter rest. However some plants are winter bloomers and they may need regular watering providing bright light to produce flowers, for example clerodendrums.

Overwintering tropicals indoors and air humidity

Q: My rainforest plant collection thrived outdoors in our humid summer (I live in Maryland) but of course I had to bring them indoors for winter and now with snow outside they are suffering. Some leaves dried and fell of. Please advise how not to lose my babies over winter!

A: When overwintering tropical plants indoors, think about 3 factors: light, temperature, and humidity.
Light. Providing bright light is obvious, and all indoor gardeners are doing their best to have as much well-lit spots for their plants as possible.
TemperatureTropical plants, especially those from rainforest, do not enjoy significant fluctuations in temperature, so avoid following places: - neat hear register (or air conditioning vent) - in drafts - on a windowsill behind curtains at night
Humidity. Most tropical plants need more humidity than is available in the average, centrally heated home, but some rooms, such as bathrooms and kitchens, are more humid than others. To created humidity, fill a tray that is the same width as a plant, with pebbles or gravel. Pour in water, keeping the level at just below the top of the pebbles, then place your plant on top. The water will produce humidity as it evaporates. Alternatively, mist the leaves using a hand mister in the morning, so leaves dry before night. If you have hard water, use distilled or rain water. Grouping plants together will also increase humidity.

Winter mulching in Southern landscapes

"My rule of green thumb for mulch is to double my initial estimate of bags needed, and add three. Then I'll only be two bags short." (Author unknown)

Q: What is the best time for mulching in Florida? What type of mulch do you recommend and how much should I use?

A: Every gardener knows that spreading mulch in the garden helps to protect the soil in general, prevents weeds from growing, plus it has specific benefits during harsh winter conditions. A layer of mulch will keep the soil insulated, roots protected from possible freezing, so you’ll also end up with better results in spring by laying down mulch in the cold months.
When? We lay mulch in our Florida garden right now. It is cool so we work twice more efficient. After rainy summer-fall season, most of mulch around plants had broken down and in many areas soil is exposed: easy target for weeds.
In general, in warm climates Fall and Winter mulching is the most effective. Mulch creates an insulating barrier between the soil and air, thereby protects plant roots from rapid fluctuations in soil temperature.
How much? There is never too much mulch. Just make sure to put it 2-3 inches away from the trunk to prevent rotting and mold.
What kind? Different types of mulch can be used, including wood chips, shredded leaves, straw and hay. Yes, leaves and hay too! Remember all green parts of a plant (= your leaves and grass) are full of Nitrogen so important for plant vigor, it eventually will go back into the soil as extra benefit. Unless you want to spend a fortune on a fancy red or cypress mulch, you may use these natural materials that are handy in every garden. After raking leaves, pile them up and in couple weeks of drying and breaking down leaves will become a perfect, soft mulch that is best to use around fragile and herbaceous plants. After mowing your lawn, save the cut grass and use the hay as mulch. It always works the best in our garden, keeps weeds away better than wood chips, and in spite of a common belief that cut grass is full of weed seeds, we never seen grass or weeds sprouting from that hay.
Happy mulching and stay warm!

"Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower." (John Harrigan.)

Q: Our growing season is very short so I decided to start some of tropicals from seed indoors. When should I start?

A: It is always a good time to start from seed. If you want to feel happier, get into gardening. If you want to feel God, start plants from seeds and watch New Life grow from a tiny grain.
Traditionally, people prefer sowing seeds in Spring, especially temperate species for vegetable garden: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers... My grandmother up North started them in early Spring in small pots on a windowsill, then once the temperatures raised just above freezing, she planted them out in garden beds, and that early start always helped her to have the best early harvest in the neighborhood.
When we deal with tropical plants, "just above freezing" is not warm enough. Which means, you have to grow small babies indoors for quite a while, providing additional heating when needed. Heating pads always work best... When we had large size monitors and TV's, I always put couple trays on top of hot monitors, and even on warm top of a refrigerator, if space by the radiator was all taken. But that was in very cold apartment...
If you keep your living space around 75F (ideal for many species), this is a perfect temperature to get your seeds started. Tropical plants are not like annual tomatoes that try to grow through the season as fast as possible. They may take time. So the sooner you start, the more chances to get small seedlings just in time when Spring air outside is warm enough - at least in 70's.
A great advantage of starting tropical seeds indoors is controlled temperature and moisture. In the plant world, environment extremes are not good for germination process. Mild conditions of your home or a greenhouse create better chances for successful growth. Seeds won't get overheated in hot Summer sun, and won't get rotten because of a sudden heavy rain. Just keep in mind that some species require light for good germination.

Conditions for the best seed germination:
- Soak seeds for a few hours. Adding a few drops of Sunshine Seed Germination booster is very beneficial and improves germination rate by 30-50%
- Well-drained mix, you may use our Professional Seed Germination Mix. Put seeds not too deep (1/2 inch deep or less) to allow air circulation
- Keep warm (75-85F) and in bright light
- Keep soil slightly moist but not soggy.

See more info on seed germination

Check out our seeds selection.

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Full Sun Garden vs Shade Garden

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." (Warren Buffett)

Q: I live in California and I have a large area of my garden in full shade. Are there any plants that will be happy there? I am looking for something colorful. I also have a smaller area in front of the house that has full sun almost all day long, but I am afraid this can be too hot for flowering plants? Can you recommend something?

A: Full sun gardens have a strong, bright look while shade gardens have cooler, subdued appearance. Both types of gardens are fun to design and maintain as long as you pick the right plants.
Full Sun Garden is the easiest to grow. Depending on exposure, it may require some plants that can tolerate the hottest summer days and the dry conditions in your area. The good news is, the majority of tropical and subtropical plants prefer full sun, so you have a large selection to pick from - fruit trees, flowering trees, shrubs, vines, and small perennials. The more sun, the more flowers and fruit you will get! However, keep in mind that sun gardens require more water, but generous mulching will help to minimize watering.
Shade Garden is much more restful in appearance, but sometimes may be a little more difficult to work with. As shade trees grow bigger and thicker, it may become too dark; nothing will grow in total darkness. In this case you need to prune back some branches to let more light in. Filtered sunlight or dappled light coming through the leaves of the trees is beneficial and considered light shade, which would be the best light conditions for shade loving plants to thrive. Although shady cooler spaces attract more insects and will require more attention to control them, they also have some advantages over sun gardens. You can enjoy working in cooler conditions, and your garden will require less water. Many foliage plants look more deeply colored and healthier than in full sun; white flowers shine instead of looking washed out!
Our favorite shade plants are fragrant brunfelsias , clerodendrums, and of course colorful gingers and heliconias. You may also consider ornamental foliage of Calatheas, lush Alocasias, Colocasias, and colorful Cordylines. Check out our shade loving plant list for more colorful suggestions. These are also great for indoor gardens!

On the photo: Calathea lancifolia Rattlesnake