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Date:

1-22-2023: New Lunar Year

Happy New Lunar 2023 Year Cat Rabbit

Customer message: Happy new year! My family is Chinese and we celebrate the lunar new year this weekend… the year of the rabbit. Wasn't sure if this email was sent in error (maybe your founder is Vietnamese? I think they celebrate the year of the cat...

Answer: You are right, it is a Year of the Rabbit in Chinese calendar, and it is also a Year of the Cat in Vietnamese, both starting from January 22nd, 2023. While in Chinese culture it is called a Year of the Rabbit, the Cat was seen as more relevant to the daily lives of Vietnamese farmers, who valued the cat's ability to protect their crops from rats, squirrels... Here at Top Tropicals we have a multi-national team, and although we don't have a Vietnamese person yet, but we have lots of cats - all kinds!

Happy New Year of the two furry friends:
RABBIT and CAT!

Cat, Rabbit and Flowers

Flowers in the photo above: Clerodendrum philippinum - Cashmere Bouquet, Scent Malli. Very fragrant off-white flowers, carnation-like, coming in big clusters. Shade tolerant shrub, great for shade gardens as well as indoor culture to enjoy tropical fragrance year around.

Shop Fragrant Plants

Date:

Project Ian

A letter from a gardener:
"We just want our paradise back!"

PeopleCats Botanical Garden

"...My name is Ian, and I am a 21 y/o Natural Resource Management student at South Dakota State University. In 2006, my family found a small barrier island lush with foliage and virtually untouched by the modern world, and we fell in love. Little Gasparilla Island became a piece of our family and now after 16 years, we still spend months out of each year enjoying the island's natural beauty.
Enter Hurricane Ian.
With the eye of the hurricane traveling directly over the island, many homes and materialistic items were destroyed, but more importantly, the once beautiful "jungle" is now more comparable to a barren desert.
This is where I was hoping to get some help... to restore the beauty of Little Gasparilla. After almost 3 weeks, neither the county nor FEMA has made it out to survey our island. And it is almost as if we feel forgotten. After fending for ourselves for clean-up, I am ready to get to work on landscaping. Plants are my passion and it pains me each day to wake up and see that 90% of our Australian and Norfolk Island Pines are completely gone, along with most foliage and palms.
We just want our paradise back, and many of us will work for it by any means necessary..."

We replied to Ian who suffered from Ian... We are willing to help his beautiful island, as well as everyone who is looking for help restoring our Florida beauty. Check out our deals and re-leaf discounts we send in our Newsletters. Remember to attend our Garden Festival on Nov 19, with some big discounts as well as free plants for after-Ian re-leaf!

We will make Florida beautiful again.
We will call it Project Ian!

Check out Fall Festival 11/19

PeopleCats Garden and pond

Date:

Fall Festival rescheduled:
now November 19th

Fall Festival Event

Due to hurricane Ian aftermath in SW Florida, many gardeners aren't able to attend our Garden Event that was originally scheduled for this coming Saturday Oct 8. So we decided to reschedule it for November 19, 2022 so everyone can come. Please update your calendars!

We have spent weeks planning this special event and the show will go on, as soon as everybody gets back on their feet. Stay strong and come back, we will help you to restore your gardens!

NEW: Festival RE-LEAF special

FREE plant for every guest - no purchase necessary!

Throughout years of living in Florida with its sometimes harsh weather - hurricanes, flood, freeze, drought - we have lost plants too, and we feel your pain now! To help everyone to restore their gardens after hurricane Ian, we are offering a FREE plant program. Yes, it's absolutely free, and no purchase required. This promotion will be run during our Fall Festival and every guest will receive a free gift plant!

Philemon Cat with Fall Festival on the Monitor

More about this Event

ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR

Outlook.com - Office 365 - Google

PeopleCats in the Garden

Date:

PeopleCats Botanical Garden Grand Opening
Guided tour with Mark Hooten

PeopleCats Botanical Garden at TopTropicals

Top Tropicals Garden Center is pleased to invite you to visit our new PeopleCats Botanical Garden on the grounds of Top Tropicals in Ft Myers. It is named in honor of the relationship with our beloved Cats, who we treat like People. You'll see our Garden PeopleCats roaming the property. As a matter of fact, they rule the garden!
The Garden has many mature trees and plants so you can see what they look like before your purchase them in our Garden Center. And of course, our PeopleCats will be guiding you in the Gardens!

Peoplecats - cat Marco at Top Tropicals gate

More info about PeopleCats Garden

PeopleCats Garden - Top Tropicals Ghost light in the forest the spirit is always watching!

Photo above: blue light in the forest - TopTropicals Garden Ghost, the spirit is always watching!

Date:

Top Story: The little mango tree that could

Mango Tree

By Ed Jones, the Mango Guy

"...Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking..."
- Wangari Maathai -

This is the story of the little mango tree that could. From the beginning, it has been a fighter and has come through its latest battle with a few scars, but it is still going...
...On January 30, the unthinkable happened. Cold weather was coming. We had a low of under 25F on that Sunday morning...
...Then, on April 4, 2022 we had a very bad hail storm... Hail stones up to 3" fell for 20 minutes...
Learn more about what happened and see this mango tree today... What helped it to survive and also what will help it to grow back into a beautiful tree?

CONTINUE READING

For information on how to shape your mango trees, see this video:

Annona - Golden Sugar Apple youtube video

SHOP MANGO TREES

Subscribe to our Channel:

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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REAL DEALS:
More specials
with instant 30% OFF!

Real Deal PeopleCats

No min order. Exp. 5-22-22.


Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree1213 Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree from Top Tropicals

Jackfruit tree Super Thai (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
4334 Jackfruit tree Super Thai (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$72.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $51.06


Buy Jackfruit tree Super Thai (Artocarpus heterophyllus) from Top Tropicals

Persimmon tree Native American, Low chill, Diospyros virginiana
3500 Persimmon tree Native American, Low chill, Diospyros virginiana
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Persimmon tree Native American, Low chill, Diospyros virginiana from Top Tropicals

Bauhinia variegata purple - Orchid Tree
2728 Bauhinia variegata purple - Orchid Tree
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$42.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $30.07


Buy Bauhinia variegata purple - Orchid Tree from Top Tropicals

Vernonia fulta - Tropical Aster, Ironweed, Bitterleaf
5647 Vernonia fulta - Tropical Aster, Ironweed, Bitterleaf
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Vernonia fulta - Tropical Aster, Ironweed, Bitterleaf from Top Tropicals

Monstera deliciosa (Philodendron pertusum) - Swiss cheese plant
2988 Monstera deliciosa (Philodendron pertusum) - Swiss cheese plant
Grown in
6-10"/1-3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Monstera deliciosa (Philodendron pertusum) - Swiss cheese plant from Top Tropicals

Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian Candles
2710 Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian Candles
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian Candles from Top Tropicals

Jasminum mesnyi - Japanese Jasmine
1120 Jasminum mesnyi - Japanese Jasmine
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Jasminum mesnyi - Japanese Jasmine from Top Tropicals

Alocasia Imperial Red
6785 Alocasia Imperial Red
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Alocasia Imperial Red from Top Tropicals

Justicia Fruit Cocktail
2100 Justicia Fruit Cocktail
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$17.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $12.57


Buy Justicia Fruit Cocktail from Top Tropicals

Kopsia arborea (pruniformis) - Pin-Mala
2509 Kopsia arborea (pruniformis) - Pin-Mala
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$22.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $16.07


Buy Kopsia arborea (pruniformis) - Pin-Mala from Top Tropicals

Alpinia x purpurata - Hot Pink Cone Ginger
6020 Alpinia x purpurata - Hot Pink Cone Ginger
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Alpinia x purpurata - Hot Pink Cone Ginger from Top Tropicals

SHOP NOW!

Date:

New Video:
Golden Sugar Apple - Pineapple Annona

Annona - Golden Sugar Apple youtube video

In this video we talk about a rare hybrid of Annona - Golden Sugar Apple. This rare Annona is a species originally brought to us from Costa Rica. We believe it to be a natural hybrid between A. muricata and A. glabra...
Fast growing, it forms a nice bushy specimen. It has a large, up to 1 lb fruit, green when unripe, turning dark yellow to orange on ripening. The pulp is golden to orange when ripe, with a strong Pineapple scent, and resembling Jackfruit in texture. Flavor is like the custard apple but with pineapple, papaya, apricot and melon overtones. Note that some people dislike the taste, others find it good... The tree tolerates flooding. It is also cold hardy! The plant would be very interesting for rare fruit collectors as it offers a large, exotic fruit of unusual color and taste, and appears to be much more hardy and water tolerant than similar looking but sensitive A. muricata, A. montana and Rollinia.

WATCH NEW VIDEO

Annona - Golden Sugar Apple youtube video

SHOP NOW!

Subscribe to our Channel:

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!

SUBSCRIBE!

REAL DEAL:
This weekend specials - 30% OFF!

Real Deal PeopleCats

No min order. Exp. 5-17-22.


Hibiscus acetosella - African Cranberry Hibiscus, red leaves5551 Hibiscus acetosella - African Cranberry Hibiscus, red leaves
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57

Buy 1 get 1 free
Buy Hibiscus acetosella - African Cranberry Hibiscus, red leaves from Top Tropicals

Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea
1318 Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea from Top Tropicals

Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine
1292 Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine from Top Tropicals

Capsicum annuum x chinense - Biquinho Pepper
6669 Capsicum annuum x chinense - Biquinho Pepper
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, fruiting size

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Capsicum annuum x chinense - Biquinho Pepper from Top Tropicals

Cassia (Senna) bicapsularis - Butterfly Bush
1332 Cassia (Senna) bicapsularis - Butterfly Bush
Grown in
6-10"/1-3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Cassia (Senna) bicapsularis - Butterfly Bush from Top Tropicals

Pseuderanthemum seticalyx - Australian Nerve Flower, Shooting Star
6086 Pseuderanthemum seticalyx - Australian Nerve Flower, Shooting Star
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57

Buy 1 get 1 free
Buy Pseuderanthemum seticalyx - Australian Nerve Flower, Shooting Star from Top Tropicals

Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine
1046 Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$27.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $19.57


Buy Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine from Top Tropicals

Datura Metel - Horn-of-Plenty
2014 Datura Metel - Horn-of-Plenty
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot, large plant

$27.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $19.57


Buy Datura Metel - Horn-of-Plenty from Top Tropicals

Perilla frutescens - Shiso, Shishi Herb, Beefsteak Plant
5646 Perilla frutescens - Shiso, Shishi Herb, Beefsteak Plant
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$17.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $12.57


Buy Perilla frutescens - Shiso, Shishi Herb, Beefsteak Plant from Top Tropicals

Pogostemon patchouli - Pucha-Pat
2097 Pogostemon patchouli - Pucha-Pat
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$27.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $19.57


Buy Pogostemon patchouli - Pucha-Pat from Top Tropicals

Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea var. Bicolor Fuerte
6632 Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea var. Bicolor Fuerte
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot, large plant

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea var. Bicolor Fuerte from Top Tropicals

Aframomum melegueta - Grains of Paradise, African Cardamom
5912 Aframomum melegueta - Grains of Paradise, African Cardamom
Grown in
6-10"/1-3 gal pot, large plant

$42.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $30.07


Buy Aframomum melegueta - Grains of Paradise, African Cardamom from Top Tropicals

SHOP NOW!

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

SHOP NOW!

Date:

Christmas Fairy Tale from PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Penelope, the Squirrel Cat

Early one morning I was sitting out back on the porch and I heard a high pitch screeching. As I am looking everywhere for this sound, and what is making the sound, I see a small little squirrel baby poke it’s head from between my house and my roof... Now I am not the only one who heard and saw this baby. There were two little sets of cat eyes standing beside me who were also intrigued but for a very different reason than I was...
This is how we became pet squirrel owners. It was never intended for Penelope to stay for long, however the more we bottle feed her and interacted with her the more attached she became to us...
Every time she saw us, she would purr! That’s right, squirrels do purr, just like cats! They also play just like cats...

CONTINUE READING >>

TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo

Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community and Zoo!
Make your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!

Photo above: Jim is exploring jungles of Tecoma Stans.

Date:

Event Mementos (Saturday 12/4)

We thank all of our guests for joining us last Saturday for the Holiday Sale. We met lots of great people who got lots of great plants and goodies! Our vendors offered wonderful treats and entertainment and everyone could find something special! The food was not only tasty but also COLORFUL!
Special Thanks to our PeopleCats who ran the show, as always!
Come back again to our next event in a few months, info coming soon.

SEE EVENT MEMENTOS >>