Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date:

How to add color to your yard. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Rainbow Cassia

🌈 How to add color to your yard.
  • 🔜 Lovely Cassias we mentioned in earlier post are in full bloom today - they love the Summer Heat! They are our favorite Summer flowers.
  • 🔜 Cassia (Senna) trees are compact, fast growing, tolerant to drought and poor soils, free-flowering and relatively cold hardy. Always a great choice!
  • 🔜 Cassias come in several colors: yellow, orange, pink, red and rainbow.
  • 🔜 Yellow-flowering cassias:

    • Senna surattensis (Cassia glauca) - Scrambled Egg Bush
    Cassia siamea - Kassod Tree
    Cassia didymobotrya - Popcorn Cassia
    Senna alata - Empress Candles
    Cassia occidentalis - Fedegoso, Coffee Senna
  • 🔜 Pink/red and multi-color Rainbow cassias (which are hybrids between yellow and pink cassias):

Cassia grandis - Red Cassia
Cassia javanica - Apple Blossom Tree
Cassia marginata - Rainbow Shower Tree
Cassia roxburghii - Ceylon Senna
Cassia x nodosa - Pink Shower, Appleblossom.

❔ What cassias do you have in your garden?
Share photos in comments👇

🛒 Shop showy Cassia trees

#Butterfly_Plants #Trees

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is Nescafe Coffee made from? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is Nescafe Coffee made from?

Mucuna pruriens - Nescafe, Purple Jade Vine

☕️ What is Nescafe Coffee made from? Purple Jade.

💜 Earlier we mentioned Green Jade Vine and Yellow Jade Vine. This one is purple!
  • Mucuna pruriens - Nescafe, Purple Jade Vine has unusual royal purple flowers. The dark violet blooms appear closely pushed together in grape like clusters, up to 1 ft long and 6" in diameter.
  • The seeds known as mucuna beans or Nescafe and used as a coffee substitute.
  • It has been used for generations in India as a medicinal plant.
  • Very vigorous woody tree creeper - during warmer weather this vine can grow 2 feet a day!
  • Related to red Jade vine (Mucuna bennettii).


🛒 Order Nescafe Vine

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is the most popular and the easiest tropical fruit tree grown as a house plant? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Coffee tree in a cup

Coffee tree in a cup

Coffee tree flowers

Coffee tree flowers

Coffee tree in a pot

Coffee tree in a pot

Coffee tree fruit

Coffee tree fruit

☕️ What is the most popular and the easiest tropical fruit tree grown as a house plant?

No doubt about it - it's a Coffee tree!
  • 🔸 Coffee is the most popular fruit tree suitable for indoors.
  • 🔸 Coffee is shade loving plant, easy to grow, providing regular water.
  • 🔸 Coffee grows into a beautiful dark green shrub or small tree.
  • 🔸 The white, fragrant, star-shaped flowers are clustered and resemble gardenias to which they are related.
  • 🔸 The whole fruit is edible, it is a small fleshy berry changing in color from green to yellow to red.
  • 🔸 The seeds are the actual "coffee beans", they can easily be dried, roasted and ground at home.


🎁 Coffee is a perfect gift plant and a great indoor container fruit tree.

🎥 Coffee Tree Showcase · Grow your own: Free Coffee Everyday

🛒 Get your own Coffee Tree

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Florida Starter Garden in Winter

Odontonema Firespike

Photo above: Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree

Q: We just moved to Florida and our yard is currently just plain grass. I want to add some beautiful tropical plants, but I'm not sure where to start. Can you suggest easy-to-care-for plants that look nice in winter, preferably with flowers? Considering it's Winter time and some trees look dormant... But I can't wait to start my tropical garden!

A: Florida residents are blessed to have mild winters, and many tropical and subtropical plants enjoy this climate year around. Just be mindful of your location's specific conditions (sun-shade, wet-dry, cold sensitive or hardy). Here are some recommendations for easy-to-grow, evergreen plants that love Florida and look great even in winter. They'll establish well during cooler months, add a splash of color to your garden with their flowers, and even treat you with fruit!

Winter flowers - will bloom now!

Clerodendrum Winter Starburst
Clerodendrum Blue Butterfly
Eranthemum Blue Sage
Odontonema Firespike
Pavonia - Brazilian Candles

Odontonema Firespike

Photo above: Odontonema cuspidatum - Firespike

Fragrant Garden

Banana Magnolia
Jasminum sambac Little Duke Supreme
Vietnamese Gardenia
Nyctanthes - Parijat
Ylang Ylang vine

Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia

Photo above: Gardenia vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia

Curious unusual trees

Hong Kong Orchid Tree
Candle Tree

Parmentiera edulis - Candle Tree, Guahalote

Photo above: Parmentiera edulis - Candle Tree, Guahalote

Easy fruit

Noni Tree
Yellow Dragon Fruit Palora
Coffee Tree

Morinda citrifolia - Noni Tree

Photo above: Morinda citrifolia - Noni Tree

Great looking now:
for Shade and Indoor Garden

Calathea zebrina - Zebra Plant
Black Bat Head Lily
White Bat Head Lily
Medinilla
Vanilla Orchid
Reed Ground Orchid
Calathea Fuzzy Pheasant
Colocasia Mojito
Syngonium

See more selection

Tacca nivea - White Bat Head Lily

Photo above: Tacca nivea - White Bat Head Lily

Date:

Does Size Matter?

TopTropicals plants vs other mail order plants

Cat shipping plants

Q: I purchased various plants via mail order (including a Coffee tree and some flowering vines) from companies *** and ***, but they did not survive, possibly due to their small size and the stress of shipping. Could you provide information about the size of your plants, their resilience to shipping stress and the time required for establishment?

A: Plants, as living beings, may experience stress during a few days of travel in a dark box. However, the critical factor influencing their survival is the plant's size. Most of our plants are grown in pots ranging from 1 to 3 gallons, have established root systems and developed branches. Some even feature flowers and fruit, although these may drop during transit. We've included images comparing our 1 gallon size plants with those from other mail-order firms we previously obtained for our own collection.

Understanding that post-shipping plant establishment is a gradual process is crucial. Yet, most plants handle shipping well and commence new growth within days to a couple of weeks post-arrival. Here are some success pointers:

1) Opt for a container matching the root ball size, avoiding excessive sizing until growth initiates.
2) Begin in a shaded area, progressively transitioning to brighter spots.
3) Apply Sunsine Epi spray to lessen stress and enhance vitality. 4) Initiate fertilization once the plant displays fresh growth.

For more information on how to establish mail order plants, simply download our Plant Care Guide.

Side-to-side pineapple plant from Top Tropicals

Download plant care guide

Side-to-side coffee tree from Top Tropicals

Side-to-side orchids from Top Tropicals

Date:

NEW VIDEO:
ABC7 Fort Myers News:
Rare Tropical Fruit Trees at Top Tropicals

We received lots of orders from our customers for butterfly attracting plants after our recent ">ABC7 News segment about Butterfly plants. We are glad you liked the story and the plants!

Today's topic is on tropical fruit. Enjoy this quick tour and learn more about different varieties of rare tropical fruit and what can be grown in your yard. We have them all! And we can ship them to your door.

Fruit and plants introduced in the video:

Persimmon
Coffee
Sapodilla
Sapote
Vanilla
Pomegranate
Yellow Dragon fruit
Litchi
Tamarind
Chocolate Tree
Raspberry
Grape

Watch the news segment by Rachel Anderson for ABC-7: Rare fruit trees at Top Tropicals.

Subscribe to our Channel:

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

SUBSCRIBE!

Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus, fruit

In the photo: Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus, the sweetest and the most flavorful rare Yellow Pitaya. The taste is said to be superior to most cactus fruits.

Shop Tropical Fruit Trees

Date:

The Wonderful World of Tamarind:
from Planting to Plating

Tamarind tree

Q: I use a lot of tamarind in my cooking. Can I grow my own Tamarind fruit? Can Tamarind tree grow in North Florida? Will Tamarind grow well outside or should I keep it in a pot?

A: Originating from tropical Africa, the Tamarind - Tamarindus indica - is a tropical tree that is highly appreciated for its ornamental beauty, delightful shade, and soft texture.

Tamarind is a highly valued culinary ingredient, with its tangy and sweet-sour flavor profile making it a popular addition to many dishes. It is frequently used in South Asian, Latin American, Caribbean, and African cuisines to add a touch of acidity and sweetness. Tamarind paste, made from the fruit's pulp, is a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, tamarind chutney, and many curry dishes. The seeds, when roasted and ground, can be used as a coffee substitute or as a thickening agent in sauces and stews....

Tamarind tree is prized for its versatile fruits and numerous health benefits. The tree can be grown outside in warm climates, as well as in pots and indoors... even as bonsai!
CONTINUE READING >>

Learn more

Tamarind fruit

Shop Tamarind Trees

Date:

What tree will fruit indoors?

Fruit trees for indoor containers

Q: I love your tropical fruit selection and I wish I lived in a warmer climate. Is there any fruit tree that can be happy indoors during winter and have fruit? I am not expecting a big crop but it would be fun to have a small piece of tropics at home. I don't have much gardening experience, can you suggest something easy for a start?

A: Several tropical fruit trees can be grown indoors, in pots, providing bright light that is necessary for flowering and setting fruit. Among them are many varieties of Bananas, Guavas, Annonas and tropical Cherries - these can be easily maintained in containers. Even dwarf varieties of Avocado and Mango are good candidates for indoor culture. You can bring containers indoors for winter and take outside into full sun during warm months so your plants can store lots of energy in Summer.
The easiest fruit tree for indoor culture that doesn't require bright light and can be grown indoors year around is a Coffee tree. Start with it, it is on sale today! Once you gain some experience, you can upgrade to a Chocolate tree!
Remember, all container grown plants need balanced nutrition program. It can be easily provided with Sunshine Boosters your around. For fruit trees, just add some Sunshine C-Cibus Crop Booster to your cart.

">Coffee video

Buy Coffee Tree

Date:

Wake up to the smell of Coffee...
New Video:
Grow your own Coffee plant - Free Coffee Everyday!

In this video we talk about growing Coffee easily in your own yard. Coffee is the best gift plant and perfect house plant or container fruit tree. The white, fragrant, star-shaped flowers are clustered and resemble gardenias to which they are related. The whole fruit is edible, it is a small fleshy berry changing in color from green to yellow to red. The seeds are the actual "coffee beans" as they called, they can easily be dried, roasted and ground at home. The most common coffee is Coffea arabica; other varieties include Coffea catura - Dwarf Coffee Nanico and Coffea Kona - Hawaiian Coffee Tree Mauna Loa.

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

Date:

Carambola - the Star of the orchard

from seed to flower... in less than 2 years?

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

...My story starts on Dec. 2, 2019 when a co-worker brought a bag of carambola. Well, being a crazy plant person, and being still fairly new to Florida, you know I had to save a seed and plant it, right? Why not, it just might grow. If it does, I may get my own star fruit someday. But when? Google tells me that it takes 3 - 8 years to get fruit from a carambola that is planted from seed. OK, I am good with 3 years....8, not so much, but I was willing to give it a shot... Not really knowing what to expect, I planted just one salvaged seed in some potting soil in a coffee cup and placed in on a shelf on our lanai...
...Here is a picture of that plant FLOWERING and ready to fruit, taken at the end of October 2021... Now, read the whole story...

CONTINUE READING >>

Grafted Carambola Trees available from our store are ready to flower and fruit right away. Some of them start fruiting right in a pot!

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