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Index > Garden Blog

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Ever heard of Chupa-Chupa?

By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

...I wonder how many knowledgeable people here have even heard of the national fruit of Brazil? Ever heard of the chupa-chupa tree? Almost no-one in this country has, unless they are either Brazilian by birth, or perhaps visit there regularly, exploring the abundant fresh-fruit markets. It is a magnificent fruit tree, and deserves to be better known here...
The flesh inside is bright orange, very sweet, and especially juicy! ...Something you might imagine as an unlikely cross of cantaloupe and pineapple, and that it is especially juicy similar to a good pineapple...

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Field Grown Marco

Marco loves growing plants and be involved in different projects outside. He is good at finding spots either on top, or inside some inappropriate objects. Yet simple boxes, that most cats find super comfy, do not interest him. Is has to be a plant container, saucer, or even a charcoal grill full of ash... He can sit in some weird places for hours like on top of a fence pole, or lay in the middle of a busy walking traffic while everybody have to step over or walk around him... We have quite a collection of Marco's special places and will be sharing with you!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

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The most fragrant flowers

Q: Hope you can help me with the following question with an upcoming newsletter. Would you please let us know of the strongest (pleasant) fragrant plants you currently have in stock? Fragrance that fills the space.

A: The most fragrant flower that "fills the air around" in definitely Chanel #5 - Cananga odorata a.k.a. Ylang Ylang. Just one tree when in bloom can fill the air with fine perfume for yards away.
Another strongly scented perfume tree is Joy Perfume - Magnolia champaca (both orange and white flowers are sweetly fragrant).
If you are looking for a smaller size plant, then the most fragrant are -
- Jasmine sambac
- Night-fragrant white-flowered Brunfelsias - B. americana, B. nitida, B. Gigantea, B. lactea and others.
- Night blooming Jasmine - Cestrum nocturnum is another favorite shrub with night-fragrant flowers, the scent is super strong and super sweet.
- Artabotrys hexapetalus - Ylang Ylang vine with wonderful lemony fragrance that fills the air.

See Full list of fragrant plants.

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Meet People of TopTropicals. Duck of the Day: Dobi says Good-Bye!

Our Duck Dobi finally decided to join her whistling duck community and said good bye to us...

Everyone who visited Top Tropicals Garden Center met Dobi - the all-time greeter! She has been raised by Kristi from a little fluffy duckling and ruled TopTropicals Cat Community and Plant Nursery for almost 2 years! Now that she finally feels strong and confident, she said she feels good about getting her Duck Freedom. She promised to come back in Spring, like all ducks do - they come to their Home Pond where they have been raised.

Bon Voyage Dobi, enjoy your duck friends, and we will be waiting for you!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

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Kwai Muk: the Ugly Delicious Fruit

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I have been hunting for a rare and exotic edible to grow on my property here in South Florida for some time now. I found an interesting tree called Kwai Muk while browsing your website. I do not have a lot of space left to plant but this tree seems to be smaller in size and also somewhat cold and wind tolerant which is a bonus as far as I am concerned. It also sounds like the fruit is exceptional. I would love to grow one. It is similar to Jackfruit?

A: ...The piece de resistance of Kwai Muk is the excellent fruit it produces. Some people seem to think it is some of the weirdest looking fruit out there! This may be true, but what it lacks in appearance, it certainly makes up for in taste. It is called sometimes "the ugliest and yet the best tasting fruit". The creamy pulp is absolutely delicious and mostly eaten fresh. I have heard people say the flavor reminds them of mango, apricot, jackfruit, fig, quava and strawberry. Sweet and tangy loveliness with a hint of sherbet. The fruit looks like mini jackfruit on the inside but is about the size of a fig. The flesh inside also closely resembles jackfruit....

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Klaksa - the Mini Cat

Klaksa is a miniature 6 lb cat that lives together with Jim and Google. You can see all three of them wishing you Merry Christmas at the top of this Newsletter. Klaksa is the tiniest Purrson and yet she is the most energetic one. It is almost impossible to take a picture of her because she never stops moving for a second!
Klaksa came in 2016 as a little kitten, but she never grew up since! She saw Google and Jim and said she could be a good addition to this "Man in Black" team. So she stayed.
Klaksa likes to attach/cling to someone. The boys can't avoid her company even if they wanted too! But who can say no to woman's attention?

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

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EASY GROW-BOX

How to quickly germinate tropical seeds in winter

By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

Q: I live in the New England area where the winters are very long and dreary. I plant both a veggie and flower garden during the warmer seasons and am especially fond of growing chili-peppers. On account of most chili's longer growing seasons, I need to get already established plants in the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough. My problem is that despite my best attempts to germinate and grow seedlings ahead of time - even in my sunniest window - I just can't seem to keep the soil evenly warm enough to get them to germinate, no matter how warm the room is kept. And on the occasion they do come up, the seedlings always seem to remain weak and stunted, likely owing to the especially low humidity of winter. I also tried using an electric seed-starting heating pad, and the results were only a little better. Are there any tips you could give me?

A: Yes, I understand your issues and can sympathize! While it might be surprising to some, even here in sunny S.W. Florida, there are long stretches of winter weather where the ambient temperatures are simply too cold for germinating many of the more tropical seeds, such as the notoriously warm-weather chili-peppers. Also, I am likewise a fan of chilis, and always have at least a few different kinds growing at any given time. I have two great suggestions...

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Google the Cat. The Brain.

Google is the second oldest cat of TopTropicals, after Jim. Google lives in the same house with Jim where they both help us to develop new features for our website.
Google is the most intelligent cat on Planet Earth. Originally we got him from an animal shelter after his first adoption failed: someone returned him back to the shelter... It was hard to believe because he was so cute... but soon enough, we realized why someone was spooked away... Google is TOO smart! When he looks at you and rolls his eyes, you instantly have a feeling that he can literally see through you, and read your mind... It didn't scare us, of course. On opposite, Google became very helpful with writing database codes, engineering difficult construction tasks, and other comprehensive projects that require a brilliant intellect. Since 2007, Google has been a personal assistant of one of the TopTropicals owners, and their minds are worth each other. Google never leaves his desk until he makes sure every complicated task is completed.
Google loves little children (for conversations), shrimp (for snacks) and hi-tech projects (for fun).

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

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Plumeria cold protection

Q: We have a purple-flowering plumeria which resides on our sunny deck during the warm months and then Winter vacations on our back porch where we can close the plastic film windows and where it stays above 50 degrees (overnite) until it can get moved outside again. We live in zone 8+ in South Carolina and I would love to plant it outside. Do you think if we ghost-covered it when alerted that we would have an overnite freeze, that it would survive being planted in the ground and recover to flower when warm? I don't believe the soil in our yard has ever frozen below the top 1/2 inch or so, and never for more than a few hours at a time. What do you think?

A: Plumerias are tropical plants, which means, they need frost-free environment. Even if the ground is frozen only on "the top ½" or so" - this may be enough to kill the plant. From our experience, plumerias can withstand a few hours of windchill frost (not frozen soil), but even if they survive, they may get some branches damage, and recovery may take so long that the plant may not even bloom the next year. So I wouldn't take that risk even with a ghost-cover cold protection. We have customers who grow tropical plants in the ground in colder areas, but they have greenhouse protection: this means, the soil is warm and the air temperature is maintained above 45-50F. For example, this Greenhouse in Virginia.

We recommend to continue growing your rare plumeria in container and move it inside when temperatures drop below 50F (recommended) and for sure when they drop below freezing. Plumeria can take a cold night (a few hours of upper 30's) as long as it is followed by a nice warm sunny afternoon with at least upper 50s. Otherwise, keep it indoors. The good news is, since plumerias are deciduous and have no leaves in winter, low light level won't affect the plant.
Just make sure to minimize watering and keep the plant on a dry side until it starts growing new leaves in Spring. You may continue fertilizing once a week with half-doze of Sunshine boosters - Sunshine TotalFeed. This will maintain the plant healthy and prepare for the blooming season in Spring.

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Jim the Founder

Jim is the oldest cat of Top Tropicals. In fact, he is one of the Founders. In 2004 a tiny kitten showed up at first TopTropicals Nursery - a small quarter acre in Ft Lauderdale... Jim looked very important and confident and told us that he wants to stay with us because he sees a great future for TopTropicals... and he was right. Since then, Jim traveled with us through all nursery locations we ever had!

Jim used to lay on top of a warm monitor and help with our first website designs... if you look at his favorite monitor in the picture, you now can imagine how old this cat is!
In spite of his age, Jim is very active and likes to eat a lot. He believes that a good meal is key to a healthy living, and prefers variety. He eats everything: meat, fish, soup, pasta, pizza, veggies, cucumbers, salad... eats well and stays healthy!
Jim happily participates in all costume parties. Yes, it is him in a Santa costume greeting you at the top of this newsletter!

Don't miss out: Loquat Big Jim - we only have 4 plants, they all named after Jim!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.