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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort
🐱 "Cats are connoisseurs of comfort." - James Herriot.

Good night🌜

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

If you want to be happy, be a cat

If you want to be happy, be a cat
🐱 "If you want to be happy, be a cat. Or at least think like a cat..."

Good night🌜

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
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🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Top 10 Dwarf Condo Mango - great for container culture

Mango Cogshall

Mango Cogshall

Mango Ice Cream

Mango Ice Cream

Mango Julie

Mango Julie

Mango Okrung

Mango Okrung

Mango Pickering

Mango Pickering

Mango Nam Doc Mai

Mango Nam Doc Mai

Mango Mallika

Mango Mallika

Mango Carrie

Mango Carrie

Mango Diamond

Mango Diamond

Mango Keitt

Mango Keitt

🥭 Top 10 Dwarf "Condo" Mango - great for container culture.
  • 🟠 1. Cogshall - an ultra compact grower up to just eight feet tall, will still produce a good size crop. Very colorful and has a mild, sweet flavor. Fungus resistant.
  • 🟠 2. Ice Cream - far and away the most popular of the "condo mangoes." Flavored like the name. Maintained at a height of just six feet (!) making it ideal for container growing.
  • 🟠 3. Julie - the most popular variety in Jamaica and many other Caribbean islands because of its rich, sweet, coconut/pineapple-like flavor. Great for containers, but keep in mind it's very cold sensitive, don't plant it in the ground if you get freeze in winter.
  • 🟠 4. Okrung - Thai compact cultivar, served in Thailand in combination with sticky rice. One of the most popular varieties in Thailand. The fruit is very sweet, with the highest sugar content.
  • 🟠 5. Pickering - great for pot culture. It has a bushy, compact growth habit, maintained in a container at just six feet (!). The fruit has a firm flesh with a fantastic coconut/mango flavor.
  • 🟠 6. Nam Doc Mai - The most popular variety for pot culture. Everyone loves it. Eaten green or ripe, a Thailand favorite.
  • 🟠 7. Mallika - condo mango native to India. Among the best of the new generation of Indian dessert mangos. Intensely sweet, rich and highly aromatic flavor with hints of citrus and melon.
  • 🟠 8. Carrie - the flavor is by far the most outstanding. It has absolutely no fiber and extremely rich in flavor, sweet, aromatic and a pure pleasure to eat. You will savor every mouthful! Its compact size makes it an excellent dooryard tree.
  • 🟠 9. Diamond - It has a great taste very similar to Nam Doc Mai. Very compact, of a dwarf habit, great condo mango.
  • 🟠 10. Keitt - the best all-around late mango. Very productive, good-flavored, and disease resistant. Has a very long and late season. The compact tree is semi dwarf that bears 4-5 pound goliath fruit!


📝 See also earlier post: 5 most Favorite Mango Varieties

🛒 Shop Mango Trees

#Food_Forest

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster!

Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster! Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster! Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster! Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster! Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster!
🦅 Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Bird’s Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster!

  • 🪺 Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest - is one of the most wanted tropical jungle plants. It has impressive foliage: enormous, wrinkly leaves with a unique cardboard-like texture that can grow up to 7 feet long! The bright red berries add to the show.

  • 🪺 Jungle allure: perfect for creating a lush, tropical atmosphere with its striking and bold presence.

  • 🪺 Ideal for spacious areas: thrives in places with good natural light and ample space, making it a standout feature.

  • 🪺 Easy care: low-maintenance epiphyte, requires very little water.

  • 🪺 Tolerates low light conditions, perfect for a shade garden.

  • 🪺 Conversation piece: eye-catching texture adds visual interest and depth to your plant collection with its distinctive leaf surface. The size of the leaves is unbelievable!

  • 🪺 Suitable for indoor and outdoor settings.

  • 🪺 Air purifying: helps improve air quality, making it a functional and beautiful addition to your home.

  • 🪺 Tropical statement: brings a piece of the jungle into your environment, transforming it into a green oasis.


🛒 Order Giant Birdnest

#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Birds Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster!

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest fruit

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest fruit

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest fruit

Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest fruit

🦅 Yearning for Jungle Vibes? Discover the Giant Bird’s Nest Anthurium - look at the size of this monster!
  • 🪺 Anthurium x hookeri - Giant Bird's Nest - is one of the most wanted tropical jungle plants. It has impressive foliage: enormous, wrinkly leaves with a unique cardboard-like texture that can grow up to 7 feet long! The bright red berries add to the show.
  • 🪺 Jungle allure: perfect for creating a lush, tropical atmosphere with its striking and bold presence.
  • 🪺 Ideal for spacious areas: thrives in places with good natural light and ample space, making it a standout feature.
  • 🪺 Easy care: low-maintenance epiphyte, requires very little water.
  • 🪺 Tolerates low light conditions, perfect for a shade garden.
  • 🪺 Conversation piece: eye-catching texture adds visual interest and depth to your plant collection with its distinctive leaf surface. The size of the leaves is unbelievable!
  • 🪺 Suitable for indoor and outdoor settings.
  • 🪺 Air purifying: helps improve air quality, making it a functional and beautiful addition to your home.
  • 🪺 Tropical statement: brings a piece of the jungle into your environment, transforming it into a green oasis.


🛒 Order Giant Birdnest

#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

I knew it, Pilates is my thing! Its just that the ball is the wrong size

🐱 I knew it, Pilates is my thing! It's just that the ball is the wrong size....

Good night🌜

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Iguana attacking!

Iguana attacking! Iguana attacking! Iguana attacking! Iguana attacking!
🦎 Iguana attacking! your plants...

Q: I am having a hard time keeping iguanas eating everything! Any solution to keep them out?

Iguanas may become quite a problem in the garden. Our first suggestion would be - get a Duck as we have (Duck Dobi), she is so dominant and keeps any wild animals away from the property, including gators... and cats! They are scared of her! Dobi thinks she owns the place.

Here are a few other ways to control iguana problem in your backyard:

  • Rid your lawn of dropped fruits. Iguanas love fruit. And they love low-hanging fruit or fruit that's easy to get to. If you have fruit trees, take the time to pick up your yard and dispose of any dropped fruit.

  • Keep a lid on a garbage can. Put your garbage cans in a place they can't get to, or put a cinder block on your can lid.

  • Do not leave pet food out. If you're putting a bowl of dog food or a plate of cat food out for your pets, you're inviting iguanas into your yard.

  • Fill iguana holes. Iguanas like to dig. Wherever you see a hole, fill it. Stuff rocks into the hole first, then fill it with dirt and top it with sod. The iguana may return to dig again, but he won't dig through large rocks.

  • Do NOT feed the iguanas. Don't be friendly with them, so they won't come back.

  • Wire netting around plants. You can use wire netting or screens to prevent iguanas from entering plants and shrubs.

  • Spray them with a hose. When you see an iguana in the yard, spray them with the hose. They also hate loud noises. Constant "harassment" can keep them from returning.

  • Keep your yard clean. Excessive overgrowth or yard storage are great places for iguanas to hide.

  • Do not leave food out, unattended. Iguanas are mainly herbivores but that doesn't mean they won't smell something good and want to eat it. They will TRY anything.


Hopefully these tips help keep your iguana problems to a minimum!

#How_to

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is your favorite Mango variety? - the most Frequently Asked Question about fruit trees

Mango and cat

Mango and cat

Mango Alphonso

Mango Alphonso

Mango Maha Chinook

Mango Maha Chinook

Mango Fralan

Mango Fralan

Mango Fruit Cocktail

Mango Fruit Cocktail

Mango Nam Doc Mai

Mango Nam Doc Mai

🥭 What is your favorite Mango variety? - the most Frequently Asked Question about fruit trees.

❤️ Top 5 Favorite Mango we just love:
  • 🥭 1. Alphonso - the best Indian cultivar in terms of sweetness and flavor. One of the rarest varieties and sought after - sweet large juice fruit. Coconut-like flavor. Shop➡️
  • 🥭 2. Maha Chinook - Many consider it the best mango had ever tasted. Very rare mango variety from Singapore. This variety is semi-dwarf and great for pot culture. Nam Doc Mai close relative.
  • 🥭 3. Fralan - Super reliable producer and hardy tree. Green fruit, sweet and juicy. Fralan means "Thunder" - as the fruit cracks when peeled.
  • 🥭 4. Fruit Cocktail - Flavor is an amazing palette of different fruit, with citrus, pineapple, and guava notes.
  • 🥭 5. Nam Doc Mai - It's not just us, everyone loves this Mango! The most popular variety: semi-dwarf and great for pot culture. Eaten green or ripe, a Thailand favorite. It is hands down the most sought after of the Asian mangoes and for good reason.


❓ What is your favorite Mango variety?
Share yours in comments! 👇

🛒 Shop Mango Trees

#Food_Forest

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Macaron the Cat

Macaron the Cat
🐱 Macaron (don't confuse with French President Macron!) doesn't watch TV news - it's his secret of relaxation and happiness.

Good night🌜

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Top 5 favorite Mango varieties
and Top 10 Condo Mango trees

How to chose the right variety of a Mango tree?

Cat with mango fruit

Q: The most Frequently Asked Question about fruit trees: What is your favorite Mango variety? Which mango varieties are the best? Help me to make a choice!

A: As we mentioned on our Introduction to Mango Varieties page, there are thousands of named mango cultivars available. Similar to the classification of avocados (see our Avocado Variety Guide), mango trees can be selected based on your specific needs. These needs can include tree size and growth habit, disease resistance and hardiness, and most importantly, fruit characteristics such as taste, texture, size, color, storage ability, juice and sugar content.

We are currently working on a comprehensive Mango Variety Guide and will be sharing it with you soon. In the meantime, below are a few tips on selecting the right mango tree.
NOTE: all of the Mango varieties we offer are FIBERLESS!

Top 5 Favorite Mango we just love!

1. Alphonso - the best Indian cultivar in terms of sweetness and flavor. One of the rarest varieties and sought after - sweet large juice fruit. Coconut-like flavor.
2. Maha Chinook - Many consider it the best mango had ever tasted. Very rare mango variety from Singapore. This variety is semi-dwarf and great for pot culture. Nam Doc Mai close relative.
3. Fralan - Super reliable producer and hardy tree. Green fruit, sweet and juicy. Fralan means "Thunder" - as the fruit cracks when peeled.
4. Fruit Cocktail - Flavor is an amazing palette of different fruit, with citrus, pineapple, and guava notes.
5. Nam Doc Mai - It's not just us, everyone loves this Mango! The most popular variety: semi-dwarf and great for pot culture. Eaten green or ripe, a Thailand favorite. It is hands down the most sought after of the Asian mangoes and for good reason.

Cat with three mango fruit

Top 10 Dwarf "Condo" Mango

1. Mallika - condo mango native to India. Among the best of the new generation of Indian dessert mangos. Intensely sweet, rich and highly aromatic flavor with hints of citrus and melon.
2. Ice Cream - far and away the most popular of the "condo mangoes." Flavored like the name. The tree can easily be maintained at a height of just six feet (!) making it ideal for container growing.
3. Julie - the most popular variety in Jamaica and many other Caribbean islands because of its rich, sweet, coconut/pineapple-like flavor. It is a dwarf cultivar, great for containers, but keep in mind it's very cold sensitive, don't plant it in the ground if you get freeze in winter.
4. Okrung - Thai compact cultivar, fruit eaten while green. The fruit is traditionally served in Thailand in combination with sticky rice. One of the most popular varieties in Thailand. The fruit is very sweet, with the highest sugar content.
5. Pickering - great for pot culture. It has a bushy, compact growth habit, and can be maintained in a container at just six feet (!). The fruit has a firm flesh with a fantastic coconut/mango flavor.
6. Nam Doc Mai - The most popular variety for pot culture, we already mentioned in our favorites above.
7. Cogshall - an ultra compact grower. Suitable for container growing on a balcony, or planting in a suburban backyard. It can easily be maintained at just eight feet tall, and it will still produce a good size crop year after year. The fruit is very colorful and has a mild, sweet flavor. It is also fungus resistant.
8. Carrie - the flavor is by far the most outstanding. It has absolutely no fiber and extremely rich in flavor, sweet, aromatic and a pure pleasure to eat. You will savor every mouthful! Its compact size makes it an excellent dooryard tree.
9. Diamond - It has a great taste very similar to Nam Doc Mai. Very compact, of a dwarf habit, great as condo mango.
10. Keitt - the best all-around late mango. It is very productive, good-flavored, and disease resistant. It also has a very long and late season. The compact tree is semi dwarf that bears 4-5 pound goliath fruit!

Mango tree with fruit

Photo above: Pim Seng Mun mango tree is a reliable and heavy producer.

Top 5 recommended vigorous growers and reliable producers

1. Glenn - Excellent eating quality, consistent production, and effortless to grow.
2. Pim Seng Mun - extremely productive mango.
3. Sweet Tart - New patented variety - exclusive offer.
4. Fruit Punch - Multi fruit flavor, delicious!
5. Orange Sherbet - One of the best new varieties for backyard growing. Flavor is sweet citrus-orange and less lemony than Lemon Meringue mango. The tree is moderately vigorous.

Top 5 exotic varieties for rare fruit collection

Now that you have decided to collect them all but have limited space, these are the top 5 of the most interesting rare cultivars:

1. Kar Lon Long - rare and unusual, native to India. Fruits that can weigh up to 5 lbs each! The unique flavor that has been described as being a cross between a mango and a pineapple.
2. Mun Kun Si - similar to Nam Doc Mai but much bigger. Rare variety, very popular among Thai and Vietnamese people. The fruit are extremely sweet, fiberless and somewhat crunchy ("Mun" means crunchy). Very late producer, fruit may still be on a tree as late as January.
3. Pina Colada - very sweet, has rich flavor with a hint of coconut and pineapple.
4. Ugly Betty - awesome mango, great sweet flavor, while the fruit is real ugly! Slightly mis-shaped at the top - hence the name.
5. Giselle - from Zill's breeding program and was a seedling of a mango called Tower. It was described as a juice mango and is named after Gary's wife.

Mango fruit display

Photo above: preparing mango seeds for planting - growing seedlings for future grafting.