New Video:
The Hong Kong Orchid Tree

Bauhinia blakeana

"...Edging the golf course of the club was a glorious sweep of glowing purple. Even before I was near enough to identify the trees, the rich, heady perfume which filled the air told me they were Bauhinias. The sight left me breathless and it was then I realized how difficult was the attempt I was making to describe in mere words the trees I know better how to paint..." (D. Cowen, "Flowering trees and shrubs of India")

Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree, is the most beautiful of all orchid trees, and the most wanted one. It has the largest flowers, brightly colored. Winter bloomer. These trees start flowering in very small size, when only 2-3 ft tall!
Certainly seeing flowering Bauhinia blakeana is one of the best things a plant collector will love about winter. It truly is the most beautiful orchid tree!

Read more: Bauhinias: Orchid trees with Butterfly flowers
Spectacular Hong Kong Orchid Tree - Eye Candy and "Clever Leaf"

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Five Favorite Winter Bloomers

#5. Parrots Beak

Gmelina philippensis - Parrots Beak. An extraordinary fountain-like shrub with pendant branches, large long leaves and exotic flowers comprised of yellow blossoms which emerge at the end of a tube-like structure of overlapping bracts. The flower resembles parrot's beak!

#4. Royal Queens Wreath

Petrea - Royal Queens Wreath, Tropical Wisteria. Spectacular tall clusters of purple flowers similar to those of Wisteria come in racemes reaching over 1 foot long!

#3. Chinese Hat

Holmskioldia sanguinea - Bronze Chinese hat. Rare variety with orange-bronze flowers. Unique flowers are the main interest: each is a narrow tube backed by a broad, circular calyx, just like an oriental hat!

#2. Jacaranda

Jacaranda - all-time favorite winter flowering tree. Hypnotizing bluish-purple, trumpet-like flowers create the magical image of the tree...

#1. Royal Poinciana

Delonix regia - Royal Poinciana, Flamboyant. one of the most popular tropical trees covered with bright red orchid-like flowers from late winter through early summer. A must for any tropical garden, this tree however requires space since it spreads its branches 30-40 ft wide or more.

Bauhinias: Orchid trees with Butterfly leaves

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Have you seen butterflies? Yes, of course. Have you seen orchids? Yes, of course. And have you seen a tree with flowers that look like both a butterfly, and an orchid?...
...Bauhinias are beautiful and diverse. Their flowers are showy and slightly perfumed; their leaves always cleft in the characteristic Bauhinia manner... And they are gorgeous - all together and each in their own way... They turn your garden into a colorful paradise and make you feel like living on exotic island...
...Some of them are everblooming and start flowering in 1-3 gal pots!...

CONTINUE READING >>

Coastal Plants. List of plants that do well in coastal areas

Q: How can I get a list of plants that do well in coastal areas (i.e. next to sea)?

A: Many tropical plants live by the sea in natural habitat and don't mind ocean breeze. We have a large selection to pick from. The following groups of spectacular flowering trees will enjoy coastal environment:
Cordia trees
Plumerias
Orchid trees (Bauhinias)
Caesalpinias
Callistemons (Bottle brush trees)
Cassias
Many palm trees

See full list of salt-tolerant plants available at this time.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

New Boosters for the New Year!
Sunshine Total Feed: Orchidasm and Citron

How to grow everblooming orchids?

Q: I ended up with a large collection of orchids that I was given as presents... They grow well but unfortunately after the showy blooms were gone, I don't see any more flowers, just green leaves. What do I need to do to make them bloom again? Should I fertilize them with Azalea bloom booster?

A: Orchids culture is different from garden ornamental plants. First big difference, they are epiphytes, growing in a loose bark medium rather than soil, and benefit from daily mist. Second difference is a type of fertilizer. You can not use a regular garden fertilizer on orchids, because they are very sensitive to salts. Orchids need special, acidic type of fertilizer, very mild in action.
Luckily, Sunshine Boosters formulas are exactly what orchids need! They are amino-acid based, have very mild formulas, and do not create nutrient lock up (building up salts is one of the biggest enemies of tender orchids).
A new Sunshine Boosters Orchidasm TotalFeed is scientifically balanced orchid food that contains all necessary nutrients, including micro-elements, for healthy, happy, vigorous orchids. It can be used as often as daily with every foliage spray. From our testing experience, after using Orchidasm Booster, orchids not only got happy and thriving - they also bloom more often - up to several times a year, shooting new flower spikes one after another! (while normal blooming cycle for most orchids is once a year). It gets even better - the flower display lasts twice longer!
To enjoy these beautiful flowers year around - treat them with Love, give them some Orchidasm!

See more information with pictures in Sunshine Boosters Orchid Blog

Secrets of a healthy Citrus tree

Q: We planted several citrus trees in our yard - Meyer Lemon, Grapefruit and Blood Orange. The trees came from the store full of flowers and even had a few fruit, but a year after planting - no more flowers! The old leaves are green, but new growth doesn't look healthy, leaves are yellowish and have spots, maybe eaten by bugs (?), and how do we get them to fruit?

A: Citrus plants are not the easiest trees to grow; they are susceptible to various diseases, pests, and deficiencies, especially in areas with high humidity/rainfall like Florida. Fungi, viruses, leaf minors, chlorosis - this is not a complete list of citrus common problems. In commercial groves, these conditions are kept under control by using harsh chemicals on solid schedule.
For home gardeners, growing citrus trees may become a challenge. Many people don't want to use harsh chemicals on their edibles; and those who do, may not always have time to apply treatments on a professional schedule. So as much as we all love a fresh juicy orange, growing your own may become quite a pain!
Sunshine Citron TotalFeed is your simple, eco-safe solution to a healthy looking, productive citrus tree with organic fruit! Amino-acid based formula provides all necessary elements to strengthen the tree and make it resistant to possible problems.
Did you know that treatment of leaf chlorosis (yellow leaves with dark green veins), commonly treated with iron supplements, in fact requires a complex combination of nutrients - both balanced NPK and micro-elements?
Use Sunshine Citron in combination with Sunshine GreenLeaf and Sunshine SuperFood and never see yellow chlorotic leaves again!
Apply Sunshine Epi on regular basis (every 2 weeks) and help your tree boost its immune system and stay virus-free.
Add Sunshine Honey, and you will have large, juicy fruit that are much sweeter and more flavorful than those from the store! All these boosters are compatible with each other, and perfectly natural. Eat your fruit safely and enjoy...

Read more about treating citrus tree defficiencies in Sunshine Boosters Citrus Blog.

New video: Ground orchids.
All-summer colors for shady gardens

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Did you know orchids can be grown in the ground?
Orchids have a mystique that seems to set them apart from most other flowers... they are elegant and almost unreal in their perfection... The symmetry of the flowers has led to the orchid being a symbol of a perfect beauty.
But not every gardener has luck growing traditional orchids. Some complain about their special maintenance: "Mount them on a tree, do not overwater... and all that hassle just for once-a-year flower?" Sounds familiar?
Terrestrial orchids (a.k.a. ground orchids) grow in regular garden soil instead of in the air on tree branches. And they bloom almost year round!...

Ground orchids are available from our store.

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!

Remember to get plant food for your orchids and Ground orchids!
In the photo: Sunshine-Home, plant booster for tender house plants and orchids.