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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb?

Basil

Basil

 Catnip

Catnip

Rosemary

Rosemary

Balm

Balm

Cilantro

Cilantro

Sage

Sage

Tarragon

Tarragon

Lemon grass

Lemon grass

Mint

Mint

Thyme

Thyme

🥬 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 🍲
  • 🌿 Arugula - Green salads, pasta sauce
  • 🌿 Balm - Iced drinks, salads, poultry stuffing
  • 🌿 Basil - Tomato salad, any past dish? home-made pesto, garnish
  • 🌿 Catnip - Sauces and stews, for tea
  • 🌿 Chervil - Soups, green salads, as a garnish
  • 🌿 Chives - Cream cheese, potato salad, green salads, sauces
  • 🌿 Cilantro - Stews, rice, salads, salsa
  • 🌿 Dill - Fish dishes, pickles, potato salad
  • 🌿 Lemon grass - Oriental stir-fry, for tea
  • 🌿 Marjoram - Italian dishes, stews, soups
  • 🌿 Mint - Add to potatoes, peas, cucumber, carrots, mint sauce, mint tea
  • 🌿 Oregano - Italian and Greek dishes, green salad
  • 🌿 Parsley - Butters, pasta dishes, as garnish
  • 🌿 Rosemary - BBQ, roast lamb/chicken, fish, fried/baked potatoes
  • 🌿 Sage - Stuffing, add to poultry, mix with cream cheese
  • 🌿 Sorrel - Soup, serve with fish, pastries
  • 🌿 Tarragon - Fish, chicken, sauces
  • 🌿 Thyme - Stocks and stews, add to pasta


📸 Basil, Catnip, Rosemary, Oregano, Cilantro, Sage, Terragon, Lemon grass, Mint, Thyme

🛒 Shop tropical herbs and spices

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is the most popular and the easiest tropical fruit tree grown as a house plant?

Coffee tree in a cup

Coffee tree in a cup

Coffee tree flowers

Coffee tree flowers

Coffee tree in a pot

Coffee tree in a pot

Coffee tree fruit

Coffee tree fruit

☕️ What is the most popular and the easiest tropical fruit tree grown as a house plant?

No doubt about it - it's a Coffee tree!
  • 🔸 Coffee is the most popular fruit tree suitable for indoors.
  • 🔸 Coffee is shade loving plant, easy to grow, providing regular water.
  • 🔸 Coffee grows into a beautiful dark green shrub or small tree.
  • 🔸 The white, fragrant, star-shaped flowers are clustered and resemble gardenias to which they are related.
  • 🔸 The whole fruit is edible, it is a small fleshy berry changing in color from green to yellow to red.
  • 🔸 The seeds are the actual "coffee beans", they can easily be dried, roasted and ground at home.


🎁 Coffee is a perfect gift plant and a great indoor container fruit tree.

🎥 Coffee Tree Showcase · Grow your own: Free Coffee Everyday

🛒 Get your own Coffee Tree

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

5 best plant gift ideas for any occasion

These plants are large, developed and beautiful NOW!

Chonemorpha fragrans - Frangipani vine

The Chonemorpha fragrans, also known as the Frangipani vine, is truly a botanical marvel. With its exquisite clusters of perfume-fragrant, large flowers and lush green foliage, this vine captivates with its beauty and charm. Not only does it adorn gardens with its elegant presence, but its intoxicating scent also fills the air, creating a sensory delight for anyone nearby. The leaves, reaching up to 12 inches in size, further enhance its appeal. As a large, woody vine, it requires sturdy support such as a fence or robust structure to thrive, adding to its majestic presence in any garden landscape or indoor setting.


Bunchosia argentea - Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea - Peanut Butter Tree - gets its name because its small fruits taste like peanut butter. Isn't that cool? This attractive small tree has clusters of yellow flowers that are followed by an abundance of dark red fruit. The rich, sweet flesh has a texture very similar to peanut butter. Yes, it tastes exactly like peanut butter! Sweet, soft pulp with a peanut flavor. One of the most fascinating exotic fruits, as amazing as Miracle fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit is loved by both kids and adults. The tree is small in size, grows only 10-15 ft, or can be kept as a bush. It starts fruiting within 2-3 years from seed! Keep it in a pot if you have limited space; it can be grown indoors, too. Very rare in cultivation.


Magnolia Michelia figo - Banana Magnolia

Magnolia figo commonly known as the Banana Magnolia, is a botanical wonder. Its creamy yellow, banana-shaped flowers release a sweet, fruity fragrance that fills the air with a delightful aroma (slightly resembling banana), making it a standout among flowering shrubs. The glossy, deep green foliage provides an elegant backdrop to the striking blooms, further enhancing its visual appeal. Growing up to 10 feet tall, this dense and bushy evergreen shrub or a small tree adds a touch of sophistication to any landscape, whether as a focal point in a garden bed or a graceful accent in a container. As a very cold-hardy tropical plant, it thrives in zones as low as zone 8. Great container plant.


Cattley Guava tree, Psidium littorale

The Cattley Guava, scientifically known as Psidium littorale, is a delightful small tropical fruit tree that adds both beauty and flavor to any landscape. With its pretty round fruits - miniature guavas - this tree offers a unique culinary experience. The fruits boast a sweet and tangy flavor, making them perfect for jams, jellies, and desserts. You can make lots of guava juice just out of one tree! Cattley Guava is not only a tropical delight but also surprisingly cold-hardy plant. Great container fruit tree.


Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia

Kailarsenia vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia, is a stunning botanical treasure. It stands out for its large, fragrant flowers and remarkable ease of cultivation. Unlike most gardenias that can be not easy to grow, this variety demonstrates resilience, tolerating overwatering, poor soils, and showcasing exceptional cold hardiness. The flowers are like beautiful artworks, and they give off a lovely smell that fills the air. Whether grown in containers or planted directly in the ground, this bushy beauty thrives, offering versatility and charm to any garden or indoor setting. Learn more about Vietnamese Gardenia.

Date:

20% BONUS for a Mothers Day Gift Card!

Top Tropicals Gift Card

Don't stress over last-minute gift shopping! Give your mother the gift of choice with a Top Tropicals gift card, allowing her to select the perfect plants for her garden or home.

For this Mother's Day, we're adding an extra special touch: receive a 20% bonus added to every gift card purchase! For instance, purchase a $100 gift card, and we'll issue one with a $120 value!

Let your mom explore our wide selection of tropical plants and create her own green oasis this Mother's Day.

The Gift Card can be used to buy plants, seeds, and garden supplies.
The Gift Card has no expiration date.

Date:

What is this spiny Hedgehog fruit and how does it taste?

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

🦔 What is this spiny Hedgehog fruit and how does it taste?

👀 This is one of the coolest looking tropical fruit!

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop or Hedgehog Annona. It is also called Wild Custard Apple, Guanabana de Monte, or Wild Soursop.
  • 📍 This fruit is prized for its deliciously sweet and tangy fruit, reminiscent of a blend between pineapple and strawberry. It tastes similar to regular Soursop (or Guanabana), with slightly milder flavor. The pulp is highly scented.
  • 📍 The fruit, up to a pound, has the most unusual looks! Just look at these curious Hedgehog spines! 🦔
  • 📍 The tree is medium sized, with beautiful, large, leathery dark green leaves that emit a strong aroma when crushed.
  • 📍 Mountain Soursop is much more cold hardy than the Soursop, established trees can take some frost, down to 24F when full grown.
  • 📍 Trees produce within just 2-3 years from seed, like many Annonas, and can happily grow and produce in a large container.


👨�‍👧 We guarantee that everyone who sees this fruit in your garden will ask for seeds even before they taste the fruit! And you will have lots of seeds to share because Mountain Soursop is very reliable producer with many seeds in each fruit.

🛒 Order Hedgehog Annona

📚 Learn more about Hedgehog Annona

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Nature_Wonders

🏵 @TopTropicals

Date:

What is the most spectacular flowering shrub?

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise

♥️ What is the most spectacular flowering shrub?

🔥 Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, or Bird of Paradise - is one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs. It is a low-maintenance yet visually striking plant to enhance outdoor spaces.
  • ♦️ Prized for its stunning, vibrant flowers that resemble miniature versions of tropical flamboyant blooms.
  • ♦️ Compact size
  • ♦️ Easy to care of
  • ♦️ Prolific blooming period
  • ♦️ Resilience to heat and drought
  • ♦️ Red, Yellow, and Pink flowering varieties available.


🛒 Get your own Dwarf Poinciana

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

The fragrance no one can resist!

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

💗 The fragrance no one can resist!
  • 🟠 The enchanting fragrance of the Honeysuckle is sweet and captivating, it has a universal appeal that everyone loves.
  • 🟠 The alluring scent can evoke nostalgic memories and create a sense of tranquility, making it irresistible to anyone.
  • 🟠 Honeysuckle is cherished for its fragrant, tubular flowers that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, adding vibrancy to gardens. 🐞🦋🐝
  • 🟠 Its vigorous growth and ability to climb make it ideal for covering walls, fences, or arbors, providing both beauty and privacy.
  • 🟠 One of the garden favorites! Its resilience and adaptability to various climates make it a versatile and enduring choice for gardeners worldwide.


🌡 This is a cold hardy tropical, can take some freeze once established.

🛒 Get Sweet Honeysuckle for your garden

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

If you are missing Northern fruit that dont tolerate hot climate, here is the answer -

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

🍇 If you are missing Northern fruit that don't tolerate hot climate, here is the answer - Mysore Raspberry thrives in heat!

🇮🇳 Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus) is from India.
  • 🔹 Unlike common raspberries from up North that can not tolerate heat, Mysore Raspberry grows very well in hot humid climates.
  • 🔹 Grows very fast into a scrambling shrub with flexible stems.
  • 🔹 Blooms and fruits throughout the year.
  • 🔹 The fruit turns purple black when ripe, it is very juicy and sweet.
  • 🔹 One cluster may contain as many as couple dozen fruit.
  • 🔹 Great for large containers and will produce large amounts of fruit.
  • 🔹 Cold hardy to upper 20s F.


🛒 OrderTropical Raspberry

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Number one Sweet Raspberry for your dessert! For the previous post

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

🍇 Number one Sweet Raspberry for your dessert! For the previous post👆

🛒 Order Tropical Raspberry

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What are the health benefits of Gardening?

 What are the health benefits of Gardening?
🥦 What are the health benefits of Gardening?

Therapeutic effect of gardening is not just a modern discovery. Throughout history, various cultures have recognized the mental and physical benefits of gardening...

🏺 In ancient Egypt, physicians prescribed walks through gardens for patients struggling with mental health issues.

🕯 During the Middle Ages in Europe, monastery gardens were designed not only for sustenance but also for meditation and relaxation.

🔮 Gardening has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while promoting relaxation and a sense of well-being.

😅 The physical activity involved in gardening also provides exercise, contributing to overall health.

🌳 So, whether you're tending to a small indoor herb garden or cultivating a vast outdoor plot, the act of gardening can be a powerful tool for both mental and physical wellness.

🛒 Shop tropical spice plants and herbs 🥗

#Edible_Forest #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals