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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

Can you eat bird-looking flowers? You can eat the whole tree!

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree Red flower

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree Red flower

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree White flower

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree White flower

🦚 Can you eat bird-looking flowers? You can eat the whole tree!
  • 🐧 Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree - is named for its flowers resembling little birds.
  • 🐧 It produces a mass of large, 3-4", curved flowers from November to June. Flowers can be coral red or white.
  • 🐧 The fun part is - the flowers are edible! As well as the rest of the plant: tender leaves, green fruit (bean pods), and flowers, used in curries, salads, or fried in batter.
  • 🐧 Medicinal uses: bark, leaves, gums, and flowers have medicinal properties.
  • 🐧 Lower branches form a beautiful floral canopy. It is a fast growing, but a small tree that will fit any yard. Great everblooming tree for container culture.


🛒 Get an edible Hummingbird Tree

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Butterfly_Plants #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel
🗂 Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Follow these tags to find your interests:

🦋 #Butterfly_Plants - Butterfly attracting plants.

#Container_Garden - Plants suitable for container garden and indoor culture.

🧯 #Fertilizers - All the truth about fertilizers, plant food supplements, and our recommendations for different types of plants.

🥭 #Food_Forest - Fruit trees, Spice plants, and Edibles.

📖 #Fun_Facts - interesting plant facts and legends.

🌳 #Hedges_with_benefits - Practical approach to your landscape and how to properly select showy and useful plants for your yard.

♍️ #Horoscope - Plant Horoscopes and Cat Horoscopes. Did you know that cats also have their Zodiac signs?

🛠 #How_to - Q&A about growing plants, tropical garden lifehacks.

👀 #Nature_Wonders - Unusual, amusing, outrageous, bizarre plants...

🐈
#PeopleCats - our Favorite PeopleCats (and some PeopleDogs, too).

🌸 #Perfume_Plants - Fragrant plants and perfume trees.

✍️ #Quotes - Interesting quotes.

🥗 #Recipes - Exotic recipes for tropical fruit and edibles.

💊
#Remedies - Medicinal plants.

☁️ #Shade_Garden - Plants suitable for low light conditions.

🌼 #Tree
s - Spectacular flowering tropical trees.

🏆 #Win - Contests, Sweepstakes, and other specials.

Join and share with friends👇
🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel
🔴 🗂 Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Follow these tags to find your interests:

🦋 #Butterfly_Plants - Butterfly attracting plants.

#Container_Garden - Plants suitable for container garden and indoor culture.

🧯 #Fertilizers - All the truth about fertilizers, plant food supplements, and our recommendations for different types of plants.

🥭 #Food_Forest - Fruit trees, Spice plants, and Edibles.

📖 #Fun_Facts - interesting plant facts and legends.

🌳 #Hedges_with_benefits - Practical approach to your landscape and how to properly select showy and useful plants for your yard.

♍️ #Horoscope - Plant Horoscopes and Cat Horoscopes. Did you know that cats also have their Zodiac signs?

🛠 #How_to - Q&A about growing plants, tropical garden lifehacks.

👀 #Nature_Wonders - Unusual, amusing, outrageous, bizarre plants...

🐈
#PeopleCats - our Favorite PeopleCats (and some PeopleDogs, too).

🌸 #Perfume_Plants - Fragrant plants and perfume trees.

✍️ #Quotes - Interesting quotes.

🥗 #Recipes - Exotic recipes for tropical fruit and edibles.

💊
#Remedies - Medicinal plants.

☁️ #Shade_Garden - Plants suitable for low light conditions.

🌼 #Tree
s - Spectacular flowering tropical trees.

🏆 #Win - Contests, Sweepstakes, and other specials.

Join and share with friends👇
🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

The Magic of 3 top tropical trees
from the legends of Caribbean

Yellow Poinciana, Jacaranda, and Royal Poinciana:
Three happy colors of the Tropics

paintings of 3 top tropical trees - Royal Poinciana, Yellow Poinciana, and 
Jacaranda

While traveling through the vibrant and diverse Caribbean, we acquired three exquisite local paintings. Two of these are masterfully rendered on jacaranda wood plates, and the third is beautifully crafted on a calabash. These stunning pieces of art celebrate the three most spectacular and revered flowering trees of the Tropics: Yellow Poinciana, Jacaranda, and Royal Poinciana.

These trees are not only visually stunning but also deeply embedded in Caribbean culture, legends, and folk remedies.

The Yellow Poinciana, with its bright golden blossoms, is often associated with joy and sunlight, symbolizing the warmth of the Caribbean spirit.
The Jacaranda, known for its striking lavender-blue flowers, is a symbol of wisdom and rebirth, often blooming in a breathtaking display that signals the change of seasons.
The Royal Poinciana, with its fiery red and orange flowers, is a symbol of passion and energy, often referred to as the "Flamboyant" tree due to its bold and dramatic appearance.

These trees hold a special place in the hearts of the Caribbean people. They are featured in numerous local stories and songs, and their flowers and leaves are used in traditional remedies and rituals. Owning these paintings feels like possessing a piece of the Caribbean's soul and its natural beauty.

Now, we are fortunate to have not only the paintings but also the actual trees. Watching them grow and bloom in our garden brings a piece of the Caribbean to our home, a constant reminder of our travels and the vibrant culture we experienced. These trees and their representations in art are a testament to the region's rich heritage and its enduring connection to nature.

Get them now while we have them. No need to go too far into Caribbean!

Peltophorum africanum - Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Poinciana

Peltophorum africanum - Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Poinciana. An excellent garden shade tree, beautiful in flower. This variety starts flowering at young age, in 3 gal pot.

Jacaranda mimosifolia (acutifolia)

Jacaranda mimosifolia - Hypnotizing bluish-purple, trumpet-like flowers create the magical image of the tree. Incredible, long-lasting purple blooms. When the trumpet-shaped blooms finally fall, they form a lilac carpet beneath the awe-inspiring Jacaranda for luxuriant curb appeal...

Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia

Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia - "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)

Date:

Did you know that you can eat and drink Hibiscus plants?

Did you know that you can eat and drink Hibiscus plants? Did you know that you can eat and drink Hibiscus plants? Did you know that you can eat and drink Hibiscus plants? Did you know that you can eat and drink Hibiscus plants?
🌺 Did you know that you can eat and drink Hibiscus plants?

Who doesn't adore hibiscus flowers? But guess what? Some hibiscus species are not only gorgeous but also surprisingly practical. They can jazz up your garden and your dinner plate!

🥗 Hibiscus cannabinus - Salad Hibiscus - flowers and leaves used in tasty healthy salads and teas.

🧉 Hibiscus sabdariffa - Flor de Jamaica, Karkade Sorrel, Roselle - flowers and used for famous beverage "Agua de Flor de Jamaica" and Karkade Tea.

🫐 Hibiscus acetosella - Cranberry hibiscus - cranberry-colored flowers and leaves are also tasty and healthy in salads and teas.

Grow your edible flower landscape in no time!

📚 Learn more, with recipes: Most useful Hibiscus plants
🎥 YouTube video: Jamaican Hibiscus Tea: what's in it?

🛒
Shop Edible Hibiscus

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Recipes

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What fruit can you drink? Costa Rican Cas is the Guava for Drinking, yet with a bonus of health benefits!

What fruit can you drink? Costa Rican Cas is the Guava for Drinking, yet with a bonus of health benefits! What fruit can you drink? Costa Rican Cas is the Guava for Drinking, yet with a bonus of health benefits! What fruit can you drink? Costa Rican Cas is the Guava for Drinking, yet with a bonus of health benefits! What fruit can you drink? Costa Rican Cas is the Guava for Drinking, yet with a bonus of health benefits!
🥂 What fruit can you drink? Costa Rican Cas is the Guava for Drinking, yet with a bonus of health benefits!

  • 🥝 The fruit of Cas Guava (Psidium friedrichsthalianum) has unusual tart flavor with passionfruit and pineapple tones, more pronounced than common Guava🍍

  • 🥝 Cas Guava used in pies, salads, fresh juices, ice-cream, jams, and as a base for the refreshing drink Fresco de Cas!🍹

  • 🥝 High pectin content makes firm jellies.

  • 🥝 Hydrating and low glycemic index, suitable for those mindful of sugar consumption.

  • 🥝 Rich source of fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, phosphorus, potassium, copper, vitamin A, and folic acid.

  • 🥝 This small tree or bush is very fast growing and undemanding, usually pest free (unlike most Guavas that can be very bugsy).

  • 🥝 Tolerates hot summers and short frosts, appreciates well-drained soils.

  • 🥝 Easy to grow, drought-tolerant once established, suitable for container cultivation.

  • 🥝 Seedlings start flowering and fruiting at a young age, typically 2-3 years old from seed.


📚 Learn more about Cas Guava

🛒Order Cas Guava

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What was discovered in the Pyramids: Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood

What was discovered in the Pyramids: Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood What was discovered in the Pyramids: Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood What was discovered in the Pyramids: Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood What was discovered in the Pyramids: Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood
🤴 What was discovered in the Pyramids: Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood...

  • 🫘 Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea - existed for more than 4800 year! It's been widely consumed in South Asia, South East Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Documented in India since 2,800 BC; reached Ancient Egypt around 2,200 BC.

  • 🫘 Provides flavorful, nutritious, and healthy food, with potential to become widely popular like Japanese sushi 🍱

  • 🫘 It is a showy perennial woody shrub or small tree, 4-8 ft tall, with soft leaves. Can be grown in container

  • 🫘Pretty flowers are yellow, with purple or red streaks, pods containing oval to round seeds.

  • 🫘 Many culinary uses: the tasty and healthy beans used in rice dishes, soups, stews, tempeh, tofu. Unripe pods eaten in curries, leaves and young shoots cooked as a vegetable.

  • 🫘 Rich source of fiber, protein, vitamins (B, C, E, K), and minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc).

  • 🫘 Medicinal value: various folk medicinal uses for sores, bladderstones, jaundice, skin irritations, bronchitis, coughs, pneumonia, toothache, dysentery, and more.
  • 🫘 Everyone can grow it! The plant is super easy, tolerates poor soils, drought tolerant, improves soil quality like many other beans.


📚 Learn more about Pigeon Pea

🛒Grow your own Pigeon Pea Superfood

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are candles!

Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are candles! Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are candles! Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are candles! Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are candles! Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are candles!
🥒 Why cucumbers grow on a tree? Because they are "candles"! 🕯

  • 🕯 This bizarre tree is a conversation piece and every plant collector should have one!

  • 🕯 Parmentiera edulis - Candle Tree, or Guahalote - is a highly ornamental tree with interesting leaves, pretty cream flowers and...ready?

  • 🕯One foot long fruits resembling a greenish-yellow cucumbers or candles that hang off the tree!

  • 🕯Juicy fruit is edible and has a sweet flavor similar to sugar cane. Eaten raw or cooked; used to make pickles or preserves

  • 🕯The fruit is a remedy for colds; roots used as a diuretic.

  • 🕯Easy to grow and not fussy about conditions. Cold tolerant to light frost.


🎥 10 Plants That Will Make You Happy. Plant #2: Candle Tree.

🛒Get your own Candle Tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Nature_Wonders #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Cat of the Day - Snitch

 Cat of the Day - Snitch
🐈 Cat of the Day - Snitch.

Snitch is our office helper and herbs expert.

"Make sure to tell your cats all the truth about Catnip"

Get some herb tea and have a good sleep!🌜

🛒 Shop Tropical Herbs and Spices for #Remedies

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb?

18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb? 18 most popular herbs: where to use each herb?
🥬 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, ptato 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