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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

What happened to our favorite houseplants - hoyas?

Hoya Ban Ngong Ngoy from Thailand

๐Ÿก What happened to our favorite houseplants - hoyas?

Hoyas are not forgotten! It is one of the most favorite house plants. Hoya Ban Ngong Ngoy from Thailand has a lovely fragrance!
  • โ™ฆ๏ธ Fragrance is lovely, subtle scent.
  • โ™ฆ๏ธ Strong, vigorous, fast-growing species, similar to Hoya carnosa.
  • โ™ฆ๏ธ Beautiful flowers: umbel of flowers is about 3" wide with tiny maroon stars and white frosted edges.
  • โ™ฆ๏ธ Dark green leaves have silver white flecks and darker green veining.
  • โ™ฆ๏ธ Provide a trellis or stake to manage its rambling growth.


โ“ What varieties of hoya do you have in your collection? Share in comments๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿ›’ Shop Hoyas

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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Date:

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Top Tropicals Blog
๐Ÿ‘ "Time spent with a cat is never wasted. They are the therapists we didn't know we needed, their purrs a balm for our busy minds, and their presence a quiet comfort that speaks louder than words." - Sigmund Freud

Good night ๐Ÿ•ฏ

Share your cats in comments!
๐Ÿ“ธ ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿพ More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

#Quotes

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Date:

Thumbs up the most fragrant ginger ever!

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

๐Ÿ‘ Thumbs up the most fragrant ginger ever!
  • ๐Ÿฆข White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) is a must for every Southern garden.
  • ๐Ÿฆข Famous for its intense, sweet scent.
  • ๐Ÿฆข Symbol of Hawaiian Paradise along with Plumeria and Jasmine we mentioned earlier.
  • ๐Ÿฆข Lei and hair decoration: popular in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands for leis and hair adornments.
  • ๐Ÿฆข Butterfly-like flowers: bears fragrant, butterfly-resembling flowers in summer.
  • ๐Ÿฆข Great cut flower: long lasting cut flowers, ideal for scenting the home.
  • ๐Ÿฆข Can survive light freezes, with tops regrowing in the spring. Takes sun or shade.


๐Ÿ›’ Shop Butterfly Ginger

#Shade_Garden #Perfume_Plants

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Date:

Top 3 most wanted Papaya varieties

Papaya Maradol

Papaya Maradol

Papaya Solo Sunset, Semi-Dwarf from Hawaii.

Papaya Solo Sunset, Semi-Dwarf from Hawaii.

Papaya Solo Waimanalo, Dwarf

Papaya Solo Waimanalo, Dwarf

๐ŸŠ Top 3 most wanted Papaya varieties

Papaya fruit is one of the superfoods as we mentioned earlier. Below are the top 3 most interesting varieties: a full size tree, a semi-dwarf and a dwarf.
  1. Maradol. Vigorous full size plant with high yield. Commercially grown throughout Central Mexico, these papayas are 3 to 5 pounds in weight and the shape of an elongated melon. Soft and juicy, they have salmon pink or red flesh that is very sweet with a slightly perfumed, fruity flavor. Cut them in half lengthwise. Delicious and irresistible with a sprinkle of fresh lemon or lime juice.
  2. Solo Sunset, Semi-Dwarf from Hawaii. Commercially grown primarily on Kauai, it has dark pink to reddish-orange flesh. The fruit is medium to small size, shape is somewhat round. This is the sweetest Papya variety we ever tasted!
  3. Solo Waimanalo, Dwarf - oval, large size yellow fruit with dark yellow flesh. Low bearing tree makes harvesting easy. Grows wonderfully in Central Florida in both a container or in the ground. Will go from seed to fruit in just one year. Waimanalo has yellow-orange flesh.


  4. โ“Do you eat Papaya fresh or you also cook with it? Share in comments๐Ÿ‘‡

    ๐Ÿ›’ Shop Papaya Trees

    #Food_Forest

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Date:

What is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world?

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

๐Ÿ‘€ What is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world?

๐Ÿˆ Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) reaches 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long! It is one of the most fascinating fruit in the world.
  • โœณ๏ธ The fruit consists of large edible bulbs of yellow, sweet, banana-flavored aromatic flesh. 
  • โœณ๏ธ The fruit is so large and heavy that the tree has a smart feature to produce only at the base of the trunk.  So the tree can be (and should be) pruned annually to 7-12' producing as much as 200 lbs. of fruit per year!
  • โœณ๏ธ Seedlings start fruiting within 3-4 years.  Fruit ripen pretty quickly, 4-6 months from flower to maturity. 


๐Ÿ“š Learn more about Jackfruit

#Food_Forest #Jackfruit

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Date:

Breaking news: flower smells of freshly baked bread! It smells so good, you want to eat it!

Vallaris glabra - Bread Flower

๐Ÿž Breaking news: flower smells of freshly baked bread! It smells so good, you want to eat it!
  • ๐Ÿ” Vallaris glabra - Bread Flower - is one of the most impressive tropical vines that is very popular in Thailand and other South-East Asia countries.
  • ๐Ÿ” Moderate growth woody climber with clusters of freshly-baked-bread fragrant white flowers.
  • ๐Ÿ” Easy to care and tolerates wide range of conditions. It can be trained as a compact bush and is good for container culture.
  • ๐Ÿ” Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
  • ๐Ÿ” Relatively cold hardy, mild frost doesn't do any damage to it, even large tropical leaves stay glossy, green and healthy.
  • ๐Ÿ” It is very vigorous grower that can create nice privacy hedge or cover a large fence.


โ“ Have you smelled the Bread Flower? Did you like the fragrance? Share in comments๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿ›’ Shop tropical vines

#Hedges_with_benefits #Nature_Wonders #Butterfly_Plants

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Date:

Why these cats have no tails?

Why these cats have no tails? Why these cats have no tails?
โŒ Why these cats have no tails?

  • ๐Ÿพ Manx - the Tailless Cats:

  • Manx cats are a charming breed known for their lack of tails. Originating from the Isle of Man, they have a rich history and delightful personalities.


๐Ÿ‘‰ Learn why they are tailless from this touching story: Timo and Matilda - Manx cats.

#Good night ๐Ÿ•ฏ

Share your cats in comments!
๐Ÿ“ธ ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿพ More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden 

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Date:

Everyone wants this showy Butterfly Attractor! Dwarf

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, with Monarch Butterfly

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Red

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Red

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Yello

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Yello

๐Ÿ”ฅ Everyone wants this showy Butterfly Attractor! Dwarf Poinciana.
  • ๐ŸŸฅ Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, that we mentioned earlier, is probably number 1 flowering plant that everybody wants in their garden.
  • ๐ŸŸฅ Pride of Barbados, Dwarf Poinciana, Peacock flower, Flower Fence - common names speak for themselves.
  • ๐ŸŸฅ National flower of Barbados.
  • ๐ŸŸฅ Comes in different colors - red, yellow, pink, orange...
  • ๐ŸŸฅ Eye-stopper! Showy flowers almost year round.
  • ๐ŸŸฅ Butterfly magnet ๐Ÿฆ‹ ๐Ÿงฒ


๐Ÿ›’ Shop Dwarf Poinciana

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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Date:

10 steps: how to grow a mango tree?

fruiting mango tree

๐Ÿฅญ 10 steps: how to grow a mango tree?

Follow these steps and you'll be on your way to growing a healthy mango tree and enjoying delicious fruit:
  1. โ—๏ธ Choose the right variety that suits your needs and yard. See earlier posts:
  2. most Favorite Mango Varieties
  3. Dwarf "Condo" Mango
  4. large and vigorous Mango varieties
  5. ๐ŸŒณ Buy a grafted tree from a reputable nursery to ensure better fruit quality and faster fruiting.
  6. ๐Ÿก Planting site: choose a sunny location with well-draining soil. Ensure there is enough space for the tree to grow, as some varieties can become quite large.
  7. โ›๏ธ Planting: dig a hole twice as wide and just as deep as the root ball. Mix in organic compost to enrich the soil. Place the tree in the hole, making sure the growth point is 1-2" above the soil line. Fill the hole with soil, pressing gently to remove air pockets. Water the tree thoroughly.
  8. ๐Ÿ’ฆ Watering: Water the tree regularly, especially during the first few weeks. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings to prevent root rot.
  9. ๐Ÿชต Mulch: apply mulch around the base of the tree to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rot.
  10. ๐Ÿงช Fertilize: use a balanced fertilizer formulated for fruit trees. We recommend Sunshine Boosters Mango Tango formulated specially for mango trees.
  11. โœ‚๏ธ Prune to shape the tree to encourage good airflow and sunlight penetration, and to improve the yield.

  12. ๐ŸŽฅ Shaping your Mango Tree.

    9. ๐Ÿ•ท Pest and disease control: monitor for scale and mealybugs and treat them with systemic pesticides. Keep an eye out for fungal diseases and treat them promptly with copper spray.

    10. ๐Ÿฅญ Harvesting: Mangoes are ready to harvest when they change color and soften slightly.

    ๐Ÿ›’ Shop Mango Trees

    #Food_Forest #How_to #Mango

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Date:

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

๐Ÿฆ‘ Medusa's Head Flower - from Greek mythology...
  • ๐Ÿ™ Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower - has an intriguing flower!
  • ๐Ÿ™ 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.
  • ๐Ÿ™ The flowers are brightly colored, often in shades of white, yellow, and red, which can attract pollinators and add to their striking visual appeal.
  • ๐Ÿ™ 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...
  • ๐Ÿ™ 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.
  • ๐Ÿ™ Blooms almost year around


โ“ What bizarre plants do you have in your collection? Share in comments๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿ›’ Order Medusa Flower

#Hedges_with_benefits #Nature_Wonders #Butterfly_Plants

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