A: When you start your garden from scratch, you need to plant your trees first. It's a perfect timing!
Getting tropical flowering trees now is really important for making your garden strong and beautiful. Trees are like the bones of your garden, giving it shape and shade. If you plant them in spring, they have enough time to grow strong roots before winter. This helps them survive better.
Trees also give shade to other plants so they can grow well too. It's like building a house - you need to start with the frame before adding other parts. So, it's a good idea to get those trees now before moving on to shrubs and vines.
Remember to provide regular fertilizing program which is the most important during season of active growth. The more food your tree gets, the stronger and faster it grows! For flowering trees, we recommend Sunshine Boosters Megaflor formula.

Photo above: Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree - Delonix regia. "The Royal Poinciana is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)

A: For a garden specimen bush that is medium size and tolerates poor soils, we can recommend to choose from the plants below. These are all easy to grow, not fussy about soil and water, and stay compact and require minimal or no trimming at all.

Calliandra surinamensis - Powderpuff - 6-8 ft
Hibiscus mutabilis Cotton Candy - Mallow Hibiscus - 5-6 ft
Dombeya seminole - Tropical Rose Hydrangea 4-6 ft
Allamanda schottii - Dwarf Allamanda Bush 3-4 ft
Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow - 4-5 ft
Calliandra schultzii - Dwarf calliandra - 4-5 ft
Plumbago auriculata Imperial Blue
Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Red Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise - 2-4 ft
Hibiscus schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus - 5-6 ft
Jatropha integerrima compacta - 4-5 ft
Clerodendrum bungei - Glory Bower - tolerates shade, 4-5 ft
Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower (prefers shade) - 4-5 ft
Magnolia figo - Banana Magnolia - small tree, 6-8 ft
Megaskepasma erythrochlamys - Brazilian plume (tolerates shade) - 5-6 ft
Tibouchina lepidota - Ecuador Princess, Jules Dwarf - 3-4 ft
Leonotis leonurus - Lions Ears - 3-4 ft

Also, for your further reference, check out the reference chart Hedges with Benefits Chart to see different flowering bushes that are great for hedges as well as garden specimens, depending on your specific needs.

Megaskepasma erythrochlamys - Brazilian plume.

Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow.

Leonotis leonurus - Lions Ears.

A: This is indeed a very good question, as many tropical plant collectors grow their treasures outside the tropics. The short answer is - yes! You can start filling your tropical sunroom any time of the year, but some plants are easier to deal with in Winter than others. Below are some guidelines.

Winter bloomers today, left to right: Jatropha, Champaka, Brunfelsia, Calliandra, Leonotis.

1. Plants that prefer Winter shipping to avoid overheating stress:
- All plants with lush foliage such as Philodendrons, Medinilla
- Trees with fine feathery leaves such as Moringa, Jacaranda, Poinciana
- Some fruit trees sensitive to overheating during shipping: Papaya, Stawberry Tree, Starfruit (Carambola), Bilimbi.

2. Subtropical plants that are relatively cold hardy
- Fruit trees: Loquats, Olives, Avocados, Tropical Cherries: Eugenia, Malpighia, Noni (more cold hardy than you may think), Canistel.
- Flowering trees: Champaka, Tabebuia.
- All Bananas
- see all relatively cold hardy plants

3. Winter-dormant and/or deciduous plants: Adeniums, Plumerias, Gingers, Sugar Apple , Peaches and Plums, June Plum and Hog Plum.
See all deciduous/winter dormant plants.

4. Orchids, including Ground Orchids.

5. Winter flowers. Keep in mind that many tropical plants are winter bloomers, and their flowering is most profuse in Winter months, so you can enjoy the blooms right away:
Dombeya, Thunbergia, Gloxinia, Brunfelsia, Calliandra, Tibouchina, Barleria, Leonotis, Clerodendrums, Chinese Hat (Holmskioldia).
See all Winter bloomers.

Winter bloomers today, left to right: Clerodendrum minahasse, Variegated Malvaviscus Summer Snow, Kopsia fruticosa

6. Winter plant care. During Winter the daylight is shorter and temperatures are cooler.
- Reduce watering
- Use only liquid amino-acid based fertilizer Sunshine Boosters (safe to use year around)
- Monitor insects.

7. Shipping in Winter. We ship year around. However, if it gets below freezing in your area, you may use FedEx Hold location, they are temperature controlled so you don't have to worry about a box being dropped off at your cold porch outside.

8. A note for mild climate residents. Most tropical plants can be planted in the ground year around. Some ultra-tropical tender species such Chocolate tree, Ylang Ylang, or small size Mango trees can be grown in pots until Spring and planted out once chances of cold spell are gone. Until then, they can be moved indoors for cold nights.

Think outside the box and bring tropical paradise indoors during the time when we need warmth the most! Tropical plants will brighten your short winter days and help you to have truly HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Winter bloomers today, left to right: Gloxinia, Barleria, and ever-bright Crotons...

A: We appreciate your intriguing question and extend our heartfelt congratulations on your approaching anniversary. Numerous tropical plants lend themselves beautifully to a captivating blend of red, blue, and white hues. Here are our top recommendations for the most delightful combination:

White: Jasmine sambac fragrant bush (var. Arabian Nights is our favorite, it's a free-bloomer and easy to grow)

Blue: Clitoria Vine, it is fast growing controllable vine, everbloomer. There is also a White variety of Clitoria, you can plant them together!

Red: Gloxinia, a smaller perennial that perfectly fits into this combination of three.

More flowers for white-blue-red colors:

White: Gardenias, Jasmines, Almond Bush, Brunfelsia, Clerodendrum Bridal Veil, fragrant Cashmere Bouquet, White Brazilian Plume Flower, Montanoa - Tree Chrysanthemum

Blue: Blue Sage Lead Flower, Blue Butterfly Clerodendrum, Weeping Blue Ginger, Duranta, Thunbergia erecta - Kings Mantle, and its white variety Alba, Blue Sky vine

Red: Cat Tail Acalypha, Dwarf Poinciana, Red Bottlebrush, Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian Candles (it's actually red-and-blue), Red Button Ginger - French Kiss, Brazilian plume, Firespike , Scarlet Flame Passion Flower, Quisqualis (has white and red flowers on the same plant).