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When you visit TopTropicals Garden Center, the first Purrrrson that greets you will probably be Marco. He likes to chill out right at the parking lot under the shady oak!
Marco is a long-hair Russian Blue, and it is too hot for him in Florida. So he gets a fashionable Lion Cut every couple of months!
See more PeopleCats of TopTropicals
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We have been getting many messages from customers saying they really love the postings of our Cats and Dobi Duck... and they want more updates. So we decided to open this new section for the animal fans.
As you well know, TopTropicals is not just a plant Nursery. Like most of the gardeners and all Cool Plant People, we love our pets and we have many of them here, enjoying the Garden. Our cats and the Duck are members of TopTropicals Team. They help customers, participate in packing plants, and of course keep the nursery mice-free. As employees of the marketing department, they get their paychecks, free lunches, and other company benefits like full healthcare coverage and stuff... They are taken care of by TopTropicals Shipping Crew every day: whether its a meal or taking a medicine, it's all scheduled in our daily task list!
This First Issue of PeopleCats Fan Club is dedicated to our Shipping Department cat - Lady Bug. Originally she came to our nursery 3 years ago in a box with her other 3 baby brother-sisters and they just opened their eyes. Someone dropped the box with the litter at our gate... guessing this is the Good Place! When Lady Bug grew up, she became a Shipping Department Supervisor, helping Chief the Cat to manage plant shipments.
Lady Bug went missing a few days ago and all our team is crying for her. We are praying she is OK. We miss you, Lady Bug! Please come back and bug us again!
As a friendly reminder to our local walk-in customers: you are welcome to visit TopTropicals ZOO, just please do not feed or pick up the animals! Some of them are of old age, have special needs or special diet. All our pets are friendly, however, we ask you to please do NOT pet them. They work hard all day long and may have their own rules and emotions.
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Q: I have a bunch of Ladybugs in my garden, I wonder if they eating my plants? Do I need to get rid of them?
A: Ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) is, in fact, one of the best insects you can find in your garden, it is a natural predator that takes care of many bad bugs, including aphids. Keep them happy and bring them to your garden. Ladybugs actually are cultivated as natural pest control, and you can even buy them for your yard, instead of chemicals!
The wonderful insects that dine only on landscape pests and don't harm good bugs or plants are called 'beneficials', and ladybugs definitely fall into this category, but not the way many people think. It's the ladybug's larvae that are voracious predators of soft-bodied problem insects, especially aphids.
One of our PeopleCats, "Innocent" Ladybug (a.k.a. Bug) is wondering who else she can bug next...
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January kaleidoscope: Top Tropicals plants... and cats
Plants in Winter
Q: My plants Mango and Sapodilla (I got from Top Tropicals) got cold frost recently up to the roots recently in a cold wave in NJ. The leaves are dry. The plant was kept in a green house. But the heater was off for a night. During that time the in the pot got frozen. Will the plants survive? Will they come back during spring?
A: Unfortunately, the chances are slim. It is hard to determine now if they will survive. Those plants can take a very short cold. They might survive when the root system was not frozen solid. To ensure your plants cold protection in the future, this is what we recommend:
Meet Top Tropicals Team. Part 1 - PeopleCats! Did you know that here at Top Tropicals we care not only about plants, but also animals? Most of our PeopleCats and PeopleDogs either came to us from nowhere in hope of survival, or have been rescued. TopTropicals is proud to support all of our People. A portion of every dollar you spend on a plant purchase goes to our Cat Community maintenance, food and other needs of these Little People. We will keep you updated with more pictures and videos on our PeopleCats (that also includes one dog Bob). They all are members of our Team, helping us to grow plants for you, pack them and send to you from our Shipping Department. Visit our Facebook, YouTube Channel and LIKE all of our People!
Check out this video: Top Tropicals PeopleCats
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