Florida Starter Garden in Winter

Photo above: Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree

What plants are good to order in Winter?

Photo above: Christmas time in Ukraine (left) and Florida (right)

We remember 9/11. We must never forget.

As September 11th arrives once again, our hearts are heavy with memories of the fateful day that forever changed our nation. We remember the lives lost, the heroes who emerged, and the enduring resilience of our country.
As we pay tribute to the past, we recommit ourselves to building a brighter future. Remember to focus on the beauty that surrounds us every day - the kindness of a stranger, the laughter of loved ones, the warmth of a sunrise. In these simple moments, we will find solace and inspiration.

NEW VIDEO:
ABC7 Fort Myers News:
Rare Tropical Fruit Trees at Top Tropicals

We received lots of orders from our customers for butterfly attracting plants after our recent ABC7 News segment about Butterfly plants. We are glad you liked the story and the plants!

Today's topic is on tropical fruit. Enjoy this quick tour and learn more about different varieties of rare tropical fruit and what can be grown in your yard. We have them all! And we can ship them to your door.

Fruit and plants introduced in the video:

Persimmon
Coffee
Sapodilla
Sapote
Vanilla
Pomegranate
Yellow Dragon fruit
Litchi
Tamarind
Chocolate Tree
Raspberry
Grape

Watch the news segment by Rachel Anderson for ABC-7: Rare fruit trees at Top Tropicals.

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!

In the photo: Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus, the sweetest and the most flavorful rare Yellow Pitaya. The taste is said to be superior to most cactus fruits.

Ten steps to Happy Gardening in 2023

Beginning of the year checklist

To assist our customers in creating a happy and enjoyable gardening experience this year, we consulted with our horticulturist to compile a list of ten recommended items. Here are the results...

1. A favorite. Get yourself a favorite small flowering plant that is compact, manageable, and easy. Such as Ground Orchid. Keep it in a pot or plant in the ground by the entryway where it can be seen often and enjoyed.
2. A fruit of your labor. You need at least one (or one more) fruit tree for your garden, or for container culture if you live in colder climate. Growing and especially harvesting tropical fruit will make you happy. The Winner of the last year was Cherry Lolita - an easy, compact fruit tree that can produce almost year around. Some fruit trees will fruit right away!
3. Be exclusive. A rare plant is a must for every gardener. It can be a useful gem such as Noni Tree or an unusual-looking like a Bat Lily - Tacca. Show your friends and neighbors something different they have never seen!
4. Make it cool. Finally plant that shade tree by your driveway. Yes it takes time to grow, but the sooner you plant it, the sooner you get that shade! There are some fast growing species, some only take a couple of years to the mature size.
5. Beauty. If you have an ugly fence or unwanted view in your yard, cover it with a flowering vine. Look at the beauty every day and make your life better. Replace a boring standard hedge with colorful flowering shrubs that will make you smile.
6. Scent. Add some fragrant plants to your landscape and inhale their healing magic.
7. Tropical. For a shady corner, select a showy tropical with lush foliage such as Philodendron or Monstera, or all time favorite Banana. Get a feel of tropics.
8. Happiness of giving. Buy a gift plant for someone you care about but don't know how to thank them. Live plant is the best expression of love and gratitude. If you are unsure what plant to pick, ask our Team or simply buy a Gift Certificate that will never expire - let them chose the plant they like.
9. Food for all. A set of quality liquid fertilizers is a must - try Sunshine Boosters that can be used year around. They will make your plants healthy, strong, fast growing, cold hardy and disease-resistant. You can choose formulas for different plant types from our selection, or simply buy online a Nutrition Kit of 8 bottles that will cover all your needs and save you 50% on fertilizer cost!
10. Share. Subscribe your friend to TopTropicals Newsletter so they can get a weekly Piece of Tropics in their mailbox. Cool Cat Photos come as a bonus!

Make sure to always have on hand at least 2 main formulas of Sunshine Boosters - Robusta for vegetative growth, and C-Cibus that will satisfy plant needs for both fruit production and profuse flowering

Fertilizing indoor plants in Winter

Grow Purple! In the photo: Arundina graminifolia - Bamboo Orchid, Bird Ground Orchid - Winter flowering orchid that grows in regular soil. These plants are in bloom right now, picture taken this week!

Fertilizing in Fall:
Plants need food too!

Q: I know that I am not supposed to fertilize plants in winter. But I just bought several ground orchids from you, they are blooming now and I wonder if I can give them some food to support their bloom energy? When should I do the last application of fertilizer? I will keep them in a sun room during Winter until Spring.

A: Traditionally, end of October to November is the time when we give the last dose of fertilizer to our tropical plants. Liquid fertilizers, and especially amino-acid based Sunshine Boosters, are safe to apply year around. This means, you can continue feeding your plants with Sunshine Boosters through the Winter without risk of over-feeding or burning roots. Why?
The answer is very simple: even with their metabolism slowed down in Winter, plants will use all that food.
Sunshine Boosters have special mild formulas that are scientifically designed and based on Amino Acids. Plants will use all essential elements from the solution as needed.
Liquid fertilizer is diluted in water, and will be applied only when you water the plant. During Winter, water needs are lowered = watering times are less frequent, with less amount of water = the plants will get less water and less fertilizer accordingly.

Importance of micro elements
in combination with plant food during winter

In the photo: winter chlorosis on Kumquat leaves that is very hard to treat and should be prevented instead

Keep in mind that feeding your plants regularly during Winter will help to avoid "winter chlorosis" and other deficiency problems. So called "cool-temperature-induced chlorosis" (CTIC) is especially common in Spring on young, actively growing leaves. Unless chlorosis is prevented by micro-element applications, affected leaves may remain in this condition for the rest of the growing season.

Make sure to select proper type of fertilizer for your over-wintering plants. We have special formulas for foliage, flowering plants, fruit trees, young seedlings, even for for orchids and bromeliads. Check out our selection!

Ground Orchids for every Home
10% OFF 3 days only!

Ground orchids are the easiest and the most rewarding flowers for a tropical garden. They grow in regular garden soil or potting mix, take both sun and shade and bloom nearly year around. And look at these colors! Watch the video:

Ground orchids:
all-summer colors for shady gardens

10% OFF your entire order!

Top Tropicals has the largest selection of beautiful ground orchids of all kinds of colors, at low prices. Check them out today, while supply lasts! They sell fast!
To make it affordable for everyone, we are offering additional 10% discount coupon so you can collect them all! Hurry up, this offer expires in 3 days! For 10% off any order over $150, use this code:

ALLORCHIDS

Exp. 2022-07-28. Min order $150.

Ground orchids - new arrivals!

See all new arrivals

5561 Arundina graminifolia - Bamboo Orchid, Bird Ground Orchid

Grown in 4-6" pot, blooming size $37.00

6845 Bletilla striata x formosana Kate - Yokohama Ground orchid

Grown in 4-6" pot, blooming size $37.00

5412 Spathoglottis Berry Banana - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $27.95

5793 Spathoglottis Lemon Kiss - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $27.95

5411 Spathoglottis Moonlit Grape (Cabaret) - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Grown in 4-6" pot, blooming size $27.95

5236 Spathoglottis Purple Passion (Grapette) - Krakatau Ground Orchid

Grown in 4-6" pot, blooming size $27.95

6609 Spathoglottis Rainbow - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Grown! in 4-6" pot, blooming size $27.95

5410 Spathoglottis Snow Angel - Coconut Cloud Ground Orchid

Grown in 4-6" pot, blooming size $27.95

6844 Spathoglottis Tropical Pineapple - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Grown in 4-6" pot, blooming size $27.95

5338 Spathoglottis Tropical Punch - Sorbet Ground Orchid

Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $27.95