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Index > Garden Blog

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Medusas Head Flower - from Greek mythology

Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower

Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower

Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower

Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower

Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower

🦑 Medusa's Head Flower - from Greek mythology...
  • 🐙 Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower - has an intriguing flower!
  • 🐙 The faintly fragrant flowers have long, slender, and curly petals that resemble the snakes on Medusa's head from Greek mythology, giving it the nickname "Medusa Flower." The petals often extend and twist dramatically, creating an eye-catching appearance. The tips of the petals become narrowed and elongated, forming a twisting, sticky string that dangles down from the flower and touches lower leaves.
  • 🐙 The flowers are brightly colored, often in shades of white, yellow, and red, which can attract pollinators and add to their striking visual appeal.
  • 🐙 As suggested by another common name "Poison Arrow Vine," parts of the plant contain toxic compounds. Historically, the seeds were used by some African tribes to poison the tips of arrows for hunting. This gives the plant a certain mystique...
  • 🐙 Interesting pollination mechanism: the elaborate design of the flowers is not just for show; it plays a role in the plant's pollination strategy. The intricate structure can help ensure that pollinators come into contact with the reproductive parts of the flower, thereby facilitating cross-pollination.
  • 🐙 Blooms almost year around


What bizarre plants do you have in your collection? Share in comments👇

🛒 Order Medusa Flower

#Hedges_with_benefits #Nature_Wonders #Butterfly_Plants

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

A cat is more intelligent than people believe, and can be taught any crime

A cat is more intelligent than people believe, and can be taught any crime
🌳 "A cat is more intelligent than people believe, and can be taught any crime." - Mark Twain

And Loki says: "Climbing a tree is the easy part; it's the descent that requires finesse."

Good night 🕯

Share your cats in comments!
📸 🐈🐈🐈👇

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden  #Quotes

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Hamburger Bean:

Mucuna sloanei - Yellow Jade Vine or Hamburger Bean

Mucuna sloanei - Yellow Jade Vine or Hamburger Bean seeds

Mucuna sloanei - Yellow Jade Vine or Hamburger Bean seeds

Mucuna sloanei - Yellow Jade Vine or Hamburger Bean flower

Mucuna sloanei - Yellow Jade Vine or Hamburger Bean flower

🍔 Hamburger Bean: how to cover a fence fast with an exotic vine: Jade Vine here.
  • 🟡 Mucuna sloanei - Yellow Jade Vine or Hamburger Bean. You saw the Sea-Green Jade vine in our earlier post. This one is lemon yellow.
  • 🟡 It is much more hardier than the Sea-Green variety and is super fast growing!
  • 🟡 This is a high-climbing woody vine native to rain forests of South America.
  • 🟡 It has long, rope-like stalks hanging below the forest canopy where night-flying bats can easily access the fragrant blossoms.
  • 🟡 The name Brown Hamburger Bean is because of the beautiful seeds (looking like little hamburgers) that are often collected and polished by natives and made into lovely necklaces and bracelets.


🛒 Shop Jade Vines

#Nature_Wonders #Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Fragrant Fried Eggs for bees and butterflies

Oncoba spinosa - Fried egg tree

🍳 Fragrant Fried Eggs for bees and butterflies 🐝🦋
  • 🟡 Oncoba spinosa - Fried egg tree - is a conversation piece in your garden.
  • 🟡 A medium shrub or small tree.
  • 🟡 Beautiful white and yellow camellia-like flowers look like 'fried eggs' when they drop off and fall on the ground with their yellow stamens facing upwards.
  • 🟡 Flowers are honey-sweet fragrant and attract butterflies and bees.
  • 🟡 The fruits have a sour, edible pulp.


🛒 Get a Fried egg tree

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #Perfume_Plants

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Age is just a number

Age is just a number
🍷 "Age is just a number. It's totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine." - Joan Collins.

Good night 🕯

Share your cats in comments!
📸 🐈🐈🐈👇

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

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Allamanda x violacea Cabernet - Wine Red Allamanda

🍷 Cabernet Allamanda is in full bloom again!

♥️ Allamanda x violacea Cabernet - Wine Red Allamanda that we mentioned earlier - blooms non stop most of the year. We never saw it without flowers! Spectacular vine.

🛒 Add some Cabernet to your garden

#Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Good luck tree that brings money and prosperity? And yet shade, spectacular flowers and edible nuts? It is

Pachira aquatica (Bombax glabra) - Malabar Peanut or Guiana Chestnut

💰Good luck tree that brings money and prosperity? And yet shade, spectacular flowers and edible nuts? It is Guiana Chestnut!
  • 🤞 Pachira aquatica (Bombax glabra) - Malabar Peanut or Guiana Chestnut is a beautiful, fast growing flowering tree with edible nuts!
  • 🤞 Tropical wetland tree native to Central and South America, known for its large, glossy leaves and its distinctive, braided trunk.
  • 🤞 The tree is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to those who own it, and is sometimes referred to as a "money tree."
  • 🤞 Pachira aquatica is also used in traditional medicine and often used for bonsai.


What other plants bring good luck? Share in comments👇

🛒 Order Guaiana Chestnut Money Tree online

#Trees #Food_Forest

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

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Dombeya seminole - Tropical Rose Hydrangea

⬆️ The number one seller of tropical flowering shrubs: Tropical Rose Hydrangea.
  • 🌸 Dombeya seminole - Tropical Rose Hydrangea is one of the showiest landscape plants and a real showstopper
  • 🌸 Known as the tropical hydrangea due to similar flowers. Flowers are pink to rose in color.
  • 🌸 Blooms from fall to spring. Blooms all winter, providing much-desired color
  • 🌸 Grows up to 7 feet tall and about the same in width. Can be pruned to about 5 feet tall. Does well in a container.
  • 🌸 Thrives in full sun to partial shade, tolerates poor soil. Fuller shrub and more flowers with more sun.

  • Fairly drought-tolerant once established.
  • 🌸 Serves as a nectar plant for many butterflies


🛒 Shop Dombeyas

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Tropical Fruit Tree Contest:
enter to win the Jaboticaba Tree!

Tropical Fruit Tree Contest - win Jaboticaba

Everybody loved our previous Tropical Flowering Plant contest, especially the happy Winner who won the Joy Perfume tree for her beautiful Lotus photo entry. Since the winner received her prize, our subscribers have been looking forward to the next Contest, and here it is! Your chance, again!

Post a picture of your own container grown tropical fruit tree and win this potted Jaboticaba in the photo above!

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) is one of the most popular native fruit of Brazil and is used to produce their famous Jaboticaba Vine. Grape-like purple fruit with a thick skin and delicious melting pulp somewhat resembling Northern Black Currant in flavor. They grow right on the trunk! The tree is very slow growing, so large specimens are very expensive and hard to find.

$69.95 Value + FREE shipping
Yes, delivered to your door absolutely FREE!
Large, developed plant.

How to become a winner?

It's very simple! Post a picture of your own tropical fruit tree grown in CONTAINER in comments to this post and start receiving likes and hearts! The entry that gets more likes (hearts, thumbs up, etc.) will be the winner!

Invite your friends and family to vote: to put their likes and hearts and support your work!

Rules and terms:

1. Must be our Telegram Channel Subscriber (click JOIN to subscribe)
2. Only 1 post per participant. The post should contain 1-3 pictures and a plant name.
3. A plant must be:
a) tropical fruit tree grown in a container. No temperate apples and no in-ground trees at this time.
b) must be a perennial tree or a shrub (annual garden veggies will have their chance in our future contests)
c) your own plant, not in a nursery or botanical garden
d) fruit on the plant is a plus (more likes), but not a must.
4. Delivery - USA addresses only. To receive the prize, the winner will be requested to provide shipping info.
5. Unclaimed prizes will be canceled after 2 weeks.
6. Deadline - July 1, 2024 at 3 pm, then we will count the hearts and pick the Winner.
7. No purchase necessary to enter or win (see full rules PDF).

Good luck!

Top Tropicals Telegram Channel

Date:

Summer Plant Market Extravaganza:
Event Mementos!

Plant Market Extravaganza Event Mementos

The event was fantastic! Thank you all for joining us at our Plant Market Extravaganza yesterday. We loved meeting new garden enthusiasts and reconnecting with old friends. Everyone found plants they adored, adding joy to their gardens. Many visitors enjoyed the garden tours led by Top Tropicals PeopleCats. Check out the event photos and our short slideshow - you might spot yourself or your friends! Share these treasured moments, and we’ll see you at the next event.

Gray Cat King of Top Tropicals

Golf cart with cats and flowers