Q: I would like to buy a noni tree, something that would produce much fruit as soon as possible.
I live in NJ, would you ship here?
A: Noni is one of the most suitable fruit trees for potting culture. A 1-3 gallon size plant will
flower and fruit for you within a year. These are Noni's special features:
- flowers and fruits at young age, nearly year around
- tolerates shade and grows large ornamental leaves in filtered light
- suitable for indoor culture
- easy in cultivation, drought and water tolerant, not susceptible to insects
- medicinal properties are endless and cannot be under-appreciated
This plant can be shipped to any state, and will produce fruit for you under minimal care. Just
provide warm frost-free conditions, as this tropical tree is very cold sensitive.
Q: I've just moved from Virginia to Sarasota, Florida. I'm
looking for a vine similar to Wisteria to grow in my new garden. I've so enjoyed my
Wisteria vine and I'm hoping to find something equally spectacular for my FL
garden. Truth is, I'm getting older and won't be able to keep up with the
hard-core maintenance Wisteria needs to keep it in under control. Is there a
similar vine you can recommend that is just as showstopping as Wisteria?
A: The vine that immediately comes to mind is Petrea Volubilis or Queens wreath. It looks similar to Wisteria, and though a fast and strong climber, it's not invasive or
destructive at all. An occasional pruning is all it will need to maintain it.
Much like Wisteria it gives a glorious show of flowers when spring arrives.
Masses of long, mauve flowers will continue to appear on and off in summer with
another burst of flowers in the fall. Flowers are up to a foot in length!
Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies will all be impressed with you for
growing this charmer.
Snip off the gorgeous flowers, put them in shallow bowls of water
around your home and be the envy of all your friends and house guests!
This vine prefers the warmth of Zone 10 to thrive, but it will survive
in areas of Zone 9B when it borders zone 10A, especially if it's placed in a
protected area. It grows best in full sun but will tolerate part shade. It's
great for coastal gardens and once established, it has good drought
tolerance, medium salt tolerance, and good wind tolerance. It has no major pest
problems, which is always a bonus.
Grow and shape it as you like: a large bush, a small tree or a
breathtaking espalier. Some people plant Petrea vine by a tree to create that much
sought-after ethereal wisteria effect. This is no doubt a very charming vine
and a must-have for those who are in love with Wisteria but scared of its
vigorous growth and ongoing maintenance.
For Wisteria lovers we also recommend its spectacular tropical relative
Millettia reticulata - Evergreen Wisteria.
How to propagate plants from cuttings. Top (Tropicals)
secrets.
Q: After pruning my jasmine, I have so many branches and I don't
have a heart to through them away, can I use them to make more plants? Please
tell me what size cuttings and do I need to remove leaves? Should I just
stick them in the ground? Will they root? I don't know if you will be willing to
share your secrets?
A: We are always happy to know that you grow more plants, and
make our World better! These are some useful tips for the propagation of
tropical plants using cuttings:
- Cuttings and leaves. Use cuttings 2-5" long. Strip leaves from
the bottom. Cut larger leaves in half to reduce evaporation.
- Soak cuttings for 15-30 min in SUNSHINE solution.
- Mix. Use special well-drained mix with lots of soil conditioner: we
have a special professional propagation mix for cuttings.
- Mist. Put community pots or trays with cuttings in mist, or if you
don't have mist - cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to create a
mini-greenhouse.
- Shade. Keep propagation pots in bright shade and never allow direct
sun rays.
- Rooting hormone: yes, use it if you have it. Not only it promotes
root formation but also prevents from fungus so the cuttings won't rot. We use
Dip-N-Grow.
- Rooting and food. Check in 2-3 weeks for roots. Once you see the
little roots, begin fertilizing with a special Baby-Plant Food and make sure never exceed recommended doze otherwise
you may kill the cuttings.
- Establishing. Once roots start growing, plant in 4" pots in a well-drained potting mix and watch the beauty grow! Gradually move to
the full sun only when little plants establish and start new growth.
If you are lucky to make more rare plants than you can use, contact us, we will buy them from you or trade for your dream plants!
In fact, one of our customers from many years ago started selling us baby
plants that he propagated from our plants, and now has a successful business
(Karma Nursery); we buy a lot of plants from him every month!
Q: I live on Sanibel Island, Florida and I'm looking for an
exotic vine to cover the side of my house. A friend suggested Chalice vine. What
can you tell me about it and will it tolerate the salty soil and salt spray of
the island?
A: Chalice vine, or Cup of Gold - Solandra maxima - is a large,
woody, scrambling tropical vine with huge, cup-shaped flowers. Variety
Variegata has also amazing cream and green variegated foliage. The flowers are
fragrant, especially in the evenings, with a lovely coconut-like aroma. This
unusual vine will give you intermittent waves of large, wide flaring golden
trumpets.
Even when not in flower, it is beautiful as new growth is bright and
purple-bronze in color. It has a large and loose spreading habit. As this vine
ages, flowers will appear along the entire length of branches off the main
vine. So, just think about it - up to 100 feet vine and you will have about 500
flowers at the same time! They are very fast growing and usually bloom from
February until May. Plant them... Sit back and wait... Four months of heaven!
They are great for seaside gardens as they are very tolerant of salt
spray and salty soils. Will, in fact, thrive in most any well-drained soil.
Give it a large, sturdy pergola or trellis, or train it to grow up the
side of a house where it will spill down over windows and doorways to take
your breath away... Chalice vine is impossibly exotic!
Q: Please help! We just moved into a new house in Florida and
don't have any mature trees yet, but the sun is already brutal! Can you suggest
any super-fast growing shade tree that can make shade over my driveway as
soon as possible?
A: Check out Giant Potato Tree - it is very fast growing, has very large leaves plus
very pretty purple flowers as a bonus year round! The pictured tree was
planted from 3 gal only 6 months ago, and already covers with shade the whole
car. It is small to a medium size tree, but one of the fastest growing.
If you are looking for a larger tree and willing to be more patient, here
is the full list of tropical and subtropical fast growing shade trees. Most of
them may take a few years until they reach a mature size, however, in order
to enjoy your shade tomorrow, you must plant the tree today!
Q: When I visited Hawaii I saw their everblooming bougainvilles,
flowering non-stop! How come our bougainvilles in Florida are not flowering
as much? Is there any special secret to make them bloom?
A: Bougainvilleas prefer drier climate and especially drier
summers. Florida summers are rainy and humid. The steaming greenhouse conditions
are favorable for most tropical plants (except desert plants like most cacti).
Bougainvilleas also grow vigorously in Florida heat and frequent rains, but
most cultivars prefer dryer conditions for profuse flowering. These are a few
tips that can help you grow happy Bougainvilleas and enjoy their showy
flowers even in humid climates:
- In Florida, Bougainvilleas bloom mostly in Winter. If you are a
snowbird, this plant is definitely for you!
- Choose sunny, dry, and elevated location for Bougainvilleas, never a
low spot and never a shade spot. Give it as many hours of sun as possible.
- Use only well-draining soil. Usually, sandy soils work well when
mixed with some compost. If your soil is too heavy, add soil conditioners like
perlite, bark, sand.
- Take advantage of cultivars that are well adapted to humid climates:
Dwarf
Everblooming Pixie, Thornless B. arborea.
- Remember Bougainvilleas are the easiest and the most rewarding potted
plants.
- Use bloom boosters along with well-balanced slow release plant food.
We recommend these: Pink-N-Good flower booster and smart-release granulated Tropical Allure.
- Do not overwater and keep the plant on a dry side.
Q: I've just recently moved to Florida from North Carolina. I
don't know much about tropical plants. Can you perhaps suggest an easy and
pretty flowering plant for a beginner which I can plant around my garden pond for
a tropical feeling?
A: For adding that tropical look to your garden, few plants beat
beautiful ginger! Alpinia purpurata, the Dwarf Red Cone Ginger with its bright red floral
spikes and lush, lance-shaped foliage is no exception. This striking
perennial will add a tropical effect to your garden that will definitely take your
breath away.
The Dwarf Red Cone grows between 3 and 4 feet tall and blooms 8-9
months of the year! The blooms will hold on the plant for up to 3 weeks! It makes
a very attractive and distinctive backdrop for other plants.
Red Cone Ginger likes partial shade and moist, humid conditions, but
will tolerate full sun. It is fast growing, easy to grow and resistant to
disease, heat, and insects. The plant is a wonderful accent in a garden and works
well as a focal point specimen, show-stopping when planted around garden
ponds or near entryways. This ginger also works very well in containers and
planters. Either in mass plantings or smaller groups, all gingers add tropical flair which never disappoints.
In addition, the beautiful flower spikes make for great, long-lasting
cut flowers and is an interesting addition to bouquets.
An added bonus? Dwarf Red Ginger is super easy to propagate. If stems
are cut at the base and placed in water, they will generally root within a few
weeks. Eventually, you can make a whole flowering hedge just from one
plant!
Who does not like a plant that is non-fussy and not only beautiful but
easy to grow?
Dwarf
Red Ginger is more than just a pretty face!
A word from the owner... ...When I first started growing tropical fruit trees, I noticed that
Lychee just can't be grown from seed, period. The seed germinates readily, a
little happy seedling grows like crazy... but only for the first couple weeks.
Then it stops. Then it shrinks. Then it dies.
My teacher, tropical fruit tree expert Murray Corman (Garden of Delights), made fun of me for growing Lychee
from seed, and explained his sarcasm with two words - "Need Mycorrhiza!" It
appears that in Nature, Lychee seedlings can only grow around its mother plant
which has this magic plant-friendly fungus around its roots! The only way to
succeed with some seedlings is using this amazing Nature symbiosis... Check
out Mycorrhiza - and try it, works 100% in all stubborn cases!
Myco Mix is an amazing underground secret to a better garden! This
professional growing medium with Mycorrhiza is a must for establishing plants,
recovering weak plants, and for transplanting applications, including seedlings and
cuttings...Learn more...
Q: I live in Southern Ohio and love growing lots of tropical plants.
In the warm months, they all go outside under the protection of tall trees,
but in the cold months, they all come inside in a snug but very brightly lit
sun-room. For many years I have successfully kept a dwarf Meyer's lemon which
amazes my friends, and I am wondering if you could suggest some other dwarf
tropical fruit tree which I might be able to grow that would amaze them even
more?
A: Without hesitation, I would strongly suggest a particular
variety of carambola (star-fruit) called Dwarf Hawaiian, as it is truly special as tropical fruit trees go.
First and foremost, they begin fruiting at a very young age, often while only in
a one-gallon pot, and even less than a couple of feet tall with a very little
trimming. Better even is that they are perfectly happy living perpetually in
a pot. I have one myself which is content in a 12 inch pot and which fruits
freely throughout the year. Also, even though it should be too much to be
expected, the fruits are of the highest quality and are as sweet as candy. I
also like the fact that the fruits hang decoratively on the tiny tree for quite
some time before finally ripening, rather like ornaments. One of these little
trees in-fruit is an amazing sight and ought to make anyone take notice,
especially in a sun-room in Ohio! They really are very easy to grow, and if you
have a Meyer's lemon which does well, you'll certainly have no particular
issues with a Dwarf Hawaiian carambola.
However, I have found that in order for them to remain extra dwarf and
fruit especially precociously, this variety needs to be grafted and not
cutting grown. Fortunately, Top Tropicals has recently obtained a number of these
extra wonderful grafted trees which are of the highest quality I have seen in
some time, all of which will likely begin fruiting very shortly. They simply
are wonderful little trees! Check them out...
Lobster Claw, Parrot's beak... Tropical flowers never fail to astound
and amaze with their forms and colors. Lobster Claw plant (Heliconia rostrata)
is no exception, with large, brightly hued bracts that cluster up a stem. It
is also called Parrot Beak and has inconsequential tiny flowers covered by
the showy bracts. It is native to Central to South America and is one of the
most recognized and widely grown species of showy heliconias, and one of the
most beautiful! The inflorescence it produces is one of the most colorful you
will ever encounter. Pendulous blooms of striking red and yellow bracts often
reach 3’ in length! The flowers last a long time and make an excellent cut
flower. It is an easy grower in tropical areas but some room is required
because the stalks can reach 7 feet in height. It can withstand temperatures in
the high 20s. Can be grown in large pots, it starts blooming once the plant
reaches 4-5’ tall and the amazing inflorescences will appear one after
another creating a spectacular show to enjoy. Grow in full to partial sun and rich
soil with lots of water and fertilizer.
A word from the owner...
Q: I live in Southern Ohio and love growing lots of 
