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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

March 17 - Double Holiday!
St Patricks and St Gertrudes Day

The picture above was sent to us from our customer Arnette

For 15% Spring Gardening Discount, use code:

STPATRICKS22

Exp. 3-18-22, Min order $150.

Did you know that March 17 is not only the day of St Patrick, but also of another Saint? Saint Gertrude of Nivelles!
Cat lovers revere Gertrude of Nivelles most of all. After all, gentle Gertrude is the Patron Saint of Cats and Cat lovers. The idea seems to have started in the 1980s, more than 1300 years after she lived. Some sources say the first publication to link Gertrude and cats was a 1981 catalog, Metropolitan Cats, put out by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Since then, the idea that Gertrude is the patron of cats - and cat owners - has spread. She is the Patron of Cats, Gardeners, Travelers... and Those with a Morbid Fear of Mice and Rats.
Most of us can find themselves in this list! St Gertrude's feast day of March 17 is observed by gardeners, who regard fine weather on that day as a sign to begin spring planting!

And yet one more holiday close enough... Today, March 16 is a birthday of our columnist Alex Butova - the Witch of Herbs and Cats and supporter of PeopleCats. Alex was born on a purrrfect day! Happy Birthday, Alex!

The picture above was sent to us from Alex

Date:

This Sunday Event Special:
Ukrainian Sunflower Collection

Local pick up

Sunflower Collection - in support of our Ukrainian Team. Profits will be sent to Ukraine.

  1. gal community pot includes 6 varieties:

Sunflower var. Horizon grows 4-6 foot (yellow)
Sunflower var. Sunfill Purple grows 4-6 foot (purple)
Sunflower var. King 8-15 foot (yellow)
Sunflower var. Terracotta grows 4-6 foot (orange/red)
Sunflower var. Black Beauty 4-6 foot (dark red)
Sunflower var. Lemon Eclair grows 4-6 foot (yellow)

Date:

A Really Fig Deal for You...

Saving on your favorite plants is Easy.
Easy like Sunday Morning...


It's time for our favorite day and another Easy stroll through Top Tropicals Garden with savings of

up to 50% and MORE!

Fig tree fruits and cat

Easy Sunday Fig Deal
50% OFF

Figs are a superfood that have been associated with health and prosperity since ancient times. Linked to Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility, figs are not your typical fruit. In fact, figs are technically a collection of inverted flowers!

Figs satisfy your sweet cravings and offer a variety of health benefits including:
- reduce high blood pressure
- improve digestion
- increase bone density
- they are naturally fat-free and cholesterol-free food that is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium (Source: webmd.com).

Figs trees are easy to grow and are cold hardy subtropical fruit trees that can tolerate some hard freeze once established. They have very low water demands and require minimal care. These trees will fruit for you right away!

Beers Black
Celeste
Ischia
Lattarula Italian Honey
LSU Purple
Violette de Bordeaux Negronne
Yellow Longneck Honey

The trees are in 1 gal pots, ready to step up. They have well-developed root system, and are ready to fruit this year!

Actual plants for sale

Fig tree, Ficus carica

Seven Fig Deal:
6 plants at 50% off + 1 plant FREE!

Regularly $230.65
Easy Sunday Collection price $98.85
(half price plus one plant FREE)
This is savings of $131.80 per set!
Told you, that's a really Fig Deal!

Remember, this Easy Sunday Deal expires on Tuesday, 3-15-22.

Fig tree fruits

Date:

Grow Your Own Food

How to garden in South Central Florida

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

Plant horoscope: Pisces

...We are very excited about the garden season this year and feel like we have the best chance yet of producing some nice veggies since we have been here. I sure hope so as there is nothing better than fresh food from your own garden. If you are not growing your own fruits and vegetables, I would recommend that you give it a try...
...When we lived in Indiana, we had a nice little garden in front of our house and we also had about a half acre planted with tomatoes, potatoes, squashes of all kinds, corn, popcorn, pumpkins, and many other veggies...
...Since my wife and I moved to Florida in 2019, we have continued growing our own vegetable garden. Now, I must say that it has been quite the experience trying to learn when to plant things here in south central Florida. It seems that the summer sun can be so hot that even plants like tomatoes, that love the heat, can't survive?...
Based on our experience, here are some secrets how to do it right...

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Tomatoes

Date:

The brightest lives of Sunflowers

Ukrainian 
Sunflowers

"...Despite knowing they won't be here for long, they still choose to live their brightest lives - sunflowers..."
- Rupi Kaur -


Photo above: Ukrainian Sunflowers. This photo was sent to us today from Ukraine by Alex & Lena, and Oksana (daughter of our Catalog Editor Marina Rybka). Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their country.

Date:

What are your Lucky Zodiac plants? Plant Horoscope - Pisces

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

Plant horoscope: Pisces

...As the endless diversity of fish in Earth's reservoirs, the characters of those born under this sign of the Zodiac, are also incomprehensible. That is why compiling a horoscope for this sign is especially difficult. The main feature of Pisces is movement and unpredictability, which depends even not on themselves, but rather on external influences. Unlike other water signs, Pisces do not live on the surface, their world is there, in the water space...

CONTINUE READING >>

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subject

Magnolia virginiana (Vanilla Magnolia) plant horoscope Pisces sign

Date:

Top Tropicals Team in Ukraine

Top Tropicals Research tem: Fedor 
Shablij

The tragedy hits quite close to home for Top Tropicals as we have a number of friends and associates who are currently in the Ukraine. These kind and hardworking people have contributed significantly to the success of Top Tropicals, most specifically our line of Sunshine Boosters fertilizers...
Top Tropicals has a research and development center in Ukraine. Where we develop SB plant fertilizer and number of new and exciting products, including Carefree Garden Complete Greenhouse/Grow Room Controller...

Our Ukrainian Team members are:

Fedor Shabliy - a brilliant chemist. Under his supervision the Sunshine Boosters series was developed, and then tested by local farmers in the Ukraine.
Oksana Shabliy (chemist)
Anton Tkachenko (mechanical and electronic engineer)
Roman Bidyuk (software developer)
Igor Kayun (software developer)
Igor Sushelnitsky (software and electronic engineer)
Olga Ozerova (project manager)
They have families, kids...

CONTINUE READING >>

Top Tropicals Ukraine Research tem

Top Tropicals: Learn more about this subject

Ukraine 2022: Protecting windows from shuttering

Cardboard window shutters to protect against broken glass...

Sunshine Boosters Special

With all this in mind, we are earmarking a percentage of all Sunshine Booster sales for this team of friends to aid in their living expenses and full recovery. In order to give back to our team in Ukraine, we are offering the following Sunshine Boosters Garden Series items at a discounted price:

Your purchase helps support Ukraine!

Sunshine C-Cibus 1 gallon
Sunshine Mango Tango 1 gallon
Sunshine Megaflor 1 gallon
Sunshine Robusta 1 gallon
Currently priced at 33% off reg price!

In addition, we will also donate $5.00 from each purchase to help Support Ukraine.

Spring is the time to fertilize and all of you will be getting some food for your plants. So get your plants Sunshine Boosters - the Fertilizer that Works, developed in Ukraine. Help us to support our Ukrainian Research Team! As always, we appreciate the support of our loyal community of Top Tropicals customers and enthusiasts.

Top Tropicals: Shop our online 
store

Date:

New Exotic Adeniums

Saving on your favorite plants is Easy.
Easy like Sunday Morning...


It's time for our favorite day and another Easy stroll through Top Tropicals Garden with savings of

up to 50% and MORE!

The Flower of Prosperity and Good Fortune...

The Adenium obesum, Desert Rose, is a highly prized ornamental plant, perceived in some cultures as a sacred symbol of prosperity, abundance and good fortune. Since the Desert Rose is strong and adaptable to climatic conditions, it represents strength, persistence and resilience. We could all use a little more of these qualities in our lives...

Adeniums (Desert Roses) are the easiest plants in cultivation yet they bring you so much joy with their colorful flowers and showy caudex. There are hundreds, if not thousands of amazing colors and new hybrids are created every year. Many gardeners want to collect them all! And we can help you to grow your collection. We have many new varieties in stock and are offering two special Collection Deals!

Special Deals for Desert Rose Collectors

The plants are well developed, with large caudex, grown in 1 gal pots, normally $42.95 each,
with Collection savings of $30 and $65!

3 Adeniums Collection

Regularly $128.95,
Collection price $98.95 - savings of $30 per set!

Varieties included in this collection:
RED Adenium Red Wine
WHITE Adenium Jasmine
BLACK Adenium Black Widow

5 Adeniums Collection

Regularly $214.95,
Collection price $149.95 - savings of $65 per set!

Varieties included in this collection:
PURPLE Adenium Mee Stang
LIGHT YELLOW Adenium Yellow Gold (Vanilla Gold)
STRIPED PINK Adenium Bua Champoo
ORANGE Adenium Yellow Gift (Sai Thong)
RED-BLACK Adenium Red Dragon

Now wait... Save even more with Easy Sunday:

Combine both collections and save ANOTHER $15! Use this limited time offer coupon:

ADENIUM15

Remember, this Easy Sunday Deal expires on Tuesday 3-1-22!

Date:

What are your Lucky Zodiac plants? Plant Horoscope: Capricorn sign

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

Plant Horoscope: Capricorn sign

...We continue our story about Lucky Zodiac Plants. Today we introduce lucky plants for the first two signs of the calendar year - Capricorn and Aquarius...

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subject

Clitoria, plant horoscope Aquarius sign

Date:

How to survive Winter in South Central Florida

A touching story

by Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

Top Tropicals: How to survive winter in South Central Florida

...As much of the country is still in the midst of winter, I believe the worst has passed for us here in the South Central part of Florida...
...This Winter, almost all of zone 9b and some of zone 10a had frost and many had a hard freeze...
...Now, many of us here in this part of the state enjoy growing subtropical plants and trees. There are many that grow well here and most can handle a frost or even a dip to the high 20s for a short time. Smaller and more recently planted trees and bushes are most at risk...
...At the Top Tropicals nursery here in Sebring, home to over 20,000 plants, we scrambled for several days to try to protect as many of our plants as possible. We moved smaller plants into some of our hoop houses that had propane heaters...
...After 2 weeks of moving plants in and out of protection, we were all pretty worn out; happy that everything survived and hoping that we would not have to do that again anytime soon. Slowly, things at the nursery are beginning to resemble our old normal. Seeds are being planted, cuttings are continuing to grow and grafting season will be upon us soon. We are all very happy for that...
...What to do and not to do when the freeze is coming and you have mango, avocado, and other tropical fruit trees and tender tropicals? Here is some news from the Orchard and many more coming... check it out and stay with our updates to learn more!

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Top Tropicals: Learn more about this subject

Top Tropicals: Winter greenhouse 
protection