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Index > Garden Blog

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Soil, media, substrate or just plain dirt, which is correct?

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

...Dirt. What is it really and does it matter what you use to grow your plants? What is the right dirt for growing plants? In the growing industry, we refer to it as soil, media or substrate. In the real world, we just call it dirt. But is it? Is it just dirt or is it something special? We will try to give some good insight in this article...

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New Video:
Secrets of Longevity

Best Hot Humid Weather Spinach Crops:
Longevity and Okinawa Spinach

by David Mortimer, Tropical Edibles Expert

...This video is all about the greens. Most find it difficult to grow vegetables year round in hot climates. In this video we show you two different spinach varieties that not only handle the heat but thrive in it...

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Even more: Longevity Spinach recipes!

...Can healthy food taste delicious? Healthy Longevity Spinach... it tastes like... spinach. You can add it to your salads, but let's face it, you can only eat so much of... a salad. So try it cooked!..

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Bottlebrush to Little John
or the story of a Dwarf Plant

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Bottlebrush... Bottle washing brushes... Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a more outdated concept! For reuse, all glass containers have been cleaned industrially for many years. Young people have never even heard of, especially used, such a thing. Nevertheless, Bottlebrush not only lives, but is often used by many people. In today's world, Bottlebrushes are not brushes at all, but... beautiful ornamental plants!..
...This plant was originally selected as a chance seedling in the 1980s by Ken Dunstan of Alstonville, New South Wales and was also called Callistemon Alstonville Dwarf, Tom Thumb and, at last, Little John. They said that the choice of this name was the song "Little John, Bottle John" by the American singer and songwritter Terry Grosvenor on lyrics by Laura E. Richard. Little John was the 1986 Shrub of the Year in Australia and was originally introduced as a plant that only grew to 3ft tall...

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New Video:
Shaping your Mango Trees

by Ed Jones, the Mango Guy (and the Boosters Guy)

Learn how to shape your mango trees using a technique known as tipping. Tipping your mangos will help to develop more branches and will give the tree more places to flower and produce fruit.

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See more by Ed Jones:
How to prune mango trees for best shape and production

...Why should you prune your mango trees? There are at least 3 reasons.

  1. A good foundation is the key to strong growth and a shapely tree.
  2. If you get your mango tree started off on the right foot with a strong foundation, it becomes much easier to keep it shaped nicely.
  3. It will be forced to produce more branches allowing for more places for fruit production.

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    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!

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    See all available mango varieties from our store.

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Flowering vine around garage trellis

Q: I want to grow flowering vines up and around my garage; however I want to make sure whatever I put will grow long enough to make it all the way around the top. I attached photo of my garage and where I mounted the bolts for the trellis. What plants do you recommend for doing something like this that will eventually grow long enough to complete the arch over the garage? Right now I have mandevillas there but I know they aren't the right species. I know bougainvilleas will work, but I was hoping to do something less thorny since it’s near the walkway.

A: There are several vines that can fit your project. These are just a few suggestions:

1017 Aristolochia gigantea - Giant Pelican Flower
Camptosema grandiflora - Dwarf Red Jade Vine
Cissus rotundifolia - Arabian Wax Leaf (very fast glowing)
Clerodendrum speciosum - Red Bleeding Heart
Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea (very fast glowing)
Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans
Senecio confusus - Mexican flame vine
Stictocardia beraviensis - Hawaiian Sunset Bell (very fast glowing)
Thunbergia alata var. aurea Sunlady
Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine
Trachelospermum jasminoides - Confederate Jasmine
Urechites lutea - Yellow Mandevilla

Check out full list of flowering vines

Photo above: Clerodendrum speciosum - Red Bleeding Heart

Photo above: Senecio confusus - Mexican flame vine

Photo above: Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea

Photo above: Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine

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Season star:
The Purple Tango of Hypnotizing Jacaranda

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Hypnotizing bluish-purple, trumpet-like flowers create the magical image of the tree. Incredible, long-lasting purple blooms in spring give way to rich, yellow hues in the fall, making the Jacaranda Tree a season-to-season star that stands out. Fern-like foliage lends volume to its bold, dramatic silhouette for a landscape look unlike any other. When the trumpet-shaped blooms finally fall, they form a lilac carpet beneath the awe-inspiring Jacaranda for luxuriant curb appeal...

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Top Tropicals Top House Plants

Photo above: Clerodendrum indoor garden of Ludmila Ezhova, St Petersburg, Russia.

Enjoy the Tropics Year round!
Bring them inside...

Q: I just discovered your amazing website and spent hours browsing your beautiful tropical plants! I wish I could have them all! But it's getting cold here (I live in Chicago area), too late? Can you recommend something of a small size, colorful, that I can easily overwinter indoors? Thanks for bringing this beauty into our lives!

A: Don't get discouraged even in colder climates. Yes, you can grow tropical plants indoors! Remember that all traditional houseplants are in fact tropical plants that grow in tropics in a wild habitat. Humans didn't invent them as indoor plants, they originally collected them from the rain forests and jungles! Most of tropical plants, including trees and fruit trees, can be grown in containers and even indoors. It's just a matter of space limitations and amount of time you are willing to spend caring of your exotic babies. Many gardeners up North are very successful with their tropical plant collections.
Below are a few suggestions of compact growing, easy species for your indoor collection. Enjoy the Tropics Year round!

See more plants well-suitable for indoor culture and our specials at the end of this newsletter.

Photo above: small tropical indoor garden of Julia Nikolayeva, St Petersburg, Russia.

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Cold hardy Aronia and its Superfruit:
a Magic gift from the Native Americans

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...A very cold hardy fruiting plant (USDA hardiness zone 3-9), Chokeberry has been cultivated for ages as both ornamental and food plant. Enjoy them in an array of foods as they are rich in vitamins. Masses of fragrant, white flowers bloom in spring; gorgeous red fall colors and extra large berries follow the glossy summer foliage. Persistent, purplish black berries are high in nutrients and can be used for pies and jellies. This is one of the true super fruits, high in antioxidants with huge health benefits. This fruit is widely used in Eastern Europe in holistic medicine for lowering blood pressure. Fruit should be consumed with caution as excessive amount can cause significant and immediate blood pressure drop...

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Edible Landscape: fruit bearing hedge

Photo above: Biquinho Pepper (2 months old plant)

Q: My mom had to remove a hedge for some renovations and after being heartbroken about losing my little bird haven, I've decided to plan on a fruit bearing hedge that offers some privacy and places for the little fledgling to wait for food. Any suggestions? I was thinking blueberries or citrus but open to any ideas.

A: Below are a few suggestions for a fruit bearing hedge planted with fast-growing, tropical species. They will contribute to a nice edible landscape for both your family and the birds - they will be very happy!

Larger size hedge (small trees), grows full-size within 1 season:
- Loquats
- Dwarf Mulberries (very cold hardy too) such as Dwarf Everbearing

Medium size hedge (shrubs or vines), 2-3 seasons to grow full size:
- Black Surinam Cherry Lolita
- Blackberries and raspberries

Low hedge (4-5 ft tall, 1 season, fast growing):
- Biquinho Pepper
- Wiri Wiri Pepper

Citrus is probably not a good idea, not bird's favorite, and blueberries require a special acidic soil here in Florida, so they will need extra maintenance, special soil, and heavy mulching.

Blackberry hedge

Surinam Cherry Lolita, 2 year old plant

Loquat (5 years old bushy specimen)

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A Native Virgin - Sweetbay Vanilla Magnolia
(Magnolia virginiana)

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Fossilized specimens one of Magnolias have been found dating to 20 million years ago. Magnolia virginiana as a true American pioneer - it was the first magnolia to be scientifically described, and is the type species of the genus Magnolia; as Magnolia is also the type genus of all flowering plants (magnoliophytes), this species in a sense typifies all flowering plants...
...The flowers carry a very strong vanilla scent that can sometimes be noticed several hundred yards away! Fresh off the tree, the flavor of leaves is unique and fun to use. If you have a Florida Sweet Bay, your cooking will have flavors folks outside Florida can never hope to duplicate. It likes moist soils, so if you have a wet spot on your land - plant this tree. The lifespan of individual trees has been estimated at 130 years! No bugs, no pests!..

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