Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🐶 A treat for Avocado lovers 🐶

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." - Adelle Davis

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  📸 Sunshine is NOT sharing with her Mom (Mango) her delicious Avocado that she just harvested from our garden. Even Philemon the Cat knows that Avocado is good for you!


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❓ What is Curry made of? 🍛

• 🌿 Murraya koenigii - Curry Leaf - is the Flavor Powerhouse!
• 🌿 Curry leaf, also known as curry patta, is a beloved ingredient in Indian kitchens, prized for its aromatic, oil-rich leaves.
• 🌿 These tiny green leaves bring a burst of flavor to dishes, often used fresh or quickly fried in butter or oil to unlock their full potential. In some recipes, they are toasted or oven-dried just before use for an extra punch.
• 🌿 Traditionally, curry leaves are enjoyed by diabetics in southern India for their health benefits.
• 🌿 The plant also graces you with small, fragrant white flowers, followed by showy purple fruit - making it as delightful to the nose as it is to the taste buds!

🛒 Grow your own Curry Leaf

#Food_Forest #Remedies

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Lobster Claw - Simply Spectacular!

Heliconia rostrata - Lobster Claw. This exotic plant makes a bold statement with its parrot-like blooms. The colorful, dangling flowers last long and are perfect for bouquets. Growing up to 7 feet tall, it thrives in large pots or tropical landscapes, handling temperatures in the high 20s. Just give it room to stretch those stalks!

📚 Learn more from previous post:
How to grow Lobster Claw

🛒 Plant Lobster Claw

#Hedges_with_benefits #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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💵 What you think, you become

"What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create." - Buddha

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😍 How to make exotic Canistel Egg Fruit Custard - Recipe

Want to surprise your guests with an exotic tropical treat at your holiday dinner? Try this Canistel Egg Fruit Custard - a creamy dessert infused with the sweet richness of canistel, a dash of lime, and a hint of cinnamon!

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  📌 Ingredients:


3/4 cup ripe Canistel, mashed
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk (scalded)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
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  📌 Directions:

1. Beat eggs lightly. Stir in sugar, fruit & lime, salt & cinnamon.
2. Add hot milk slowly, while stirring. Pour into buttered custard cups.
3. Set in pan of hot water about 1 inch deep.
4. Bake at 350F about 30-40 minutes, until custard is done.
And at last but not least, Canistel is a sweet treat: Canistel Custard!

📚 Learn more about Canistel Egg Fruit
10 Health Benefits of Canistel Fruit
Pouteria campechiana - Canistel, the curious heart-shaped Egg Super-Fruit

🛒 Order Canistel Egg Fruit Tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🐾 I am happy where I belong

"I long to be at home wherever I find myself." - Maya Angelou

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⭐️ Why is it called Star Apple?

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  🍏 Caimito Star Apple (Chrysophyllum cainito) - do not confuse with Start Fruit (Carambola) - is hard to find exotic fruit tree.
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  🍏 It is a favorite in the Caribbean and Central America as well as Southeast Asia.
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  🍏 The fruit has a mild grape-like flavor, and is best eaten fresh.
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  🍏 Inside the fruit looks like a star when cut across!

🛒 Plants Caimito Star Apple

#Food_Forest

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⭐️ Why is it called Star Apple?

• 🍏 Caimito Star Apple (Chrysophyllum cainito) - do not confuse with Start Fruit (Carambola) - is hard to find exotic fruit tree.
• 🍏 It is a favorite in the Caribbean and Central America as well as Southeast Asia.
• 🍏 The fruit has a mild grape-like flavor, and is best eaten fresh.
• 🍏 Inside the fruit looks like a star when cut across!

🛒 Plants Caimito Star Apple

#Food_Forest

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‍♀️ The plant you didn’t know you needed!

• 🟨 Many gardeners love and want Caesalpinia pulcherrima, the common Bird of Paradise, but Caesalpinia mexicana - Mexican Bird of Paradise - is a rare treasure with a delightful twist - fragrant flowers! This hardy, drought-tolerant shrub thrives in intense heat and is perfect for small yards or patios.
• 🟨 During the warm months, it bursts with butter-yellow blooms that pop against feathery green foliage, attracting hummingbirds. As the flowers fade, woody pods form and snap open dramatically. It grows quickly to 10 feet and can be shaped into a small tree or kept as a compact shrub.
• 🟨 Native to northern Mexico, it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil with very little water. If you're looking for a low-maintenance beauty that adds both fragrance and charm, this plant is a must-have!

🛒 Plant Mexican Bird of Paradise

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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✨ Why should you grow Chinese keys ginger in your garden?

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  🟡If you're looking for a plant that offers both culinary versatility and health benefits, Boesenbergia rotunda, or Chinese Keys Ginger, or Fingerroot, is a fantastic choice.
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  🟡This Southeast Asian herb is known not just for its ability to spice up soups and seafood dishes, but also for its role in traditional medicine. From aiding digestion to boosting vitality and longevity, this plant brings more than just flavor to the table.
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  🟡Whether you're a foodie exploring new tastes or someone seeking natural wellness solutions, this unique ginger might just be the perfect addition to your garden and kitchen!

📚 Learn also from previous post:
Most interesting edible gingers

🛒 Plant Chinese Keys Ginger

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Shade_Garden

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✨ Why should you grow Chinese keys ginger in your garden?

• 🟡If you're looking for a plant that offers both culinary versatility and health benefits, Boesenbergia rotunda, or Chinese Keys Ginger, or Fingerroot, is a fantastic choice.
• 🟡This Southeast Asian herb is known not just for its ability to spice up soups and seafood dishes, but also for its role in traditional medicine. From aiding digestion to boosting vitality and longevity, this plant brings more than just flavor to the table.
• 🟡Whether you're a foodie exploring new tastes or someone seeking natural wellness solutions, this unique ginger might just be the perfect addition to your garden and kitchen!

📚 Learn also from previous post:
Most interesting edible gingers

🛒 Plant Chinese Keys Ginger

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Shade_Garden

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😝 Black and White

"Life is in color, but black and white is more realistic." - Samuel Fuller

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Lula Avocado – The Winter Warrior of Florida

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  🟢 Lula is an avocado variety that's tougher than most! Known for its frost resistance, this cultivar is perfect for homeowners and gardeners in Central Florida and around Orlando. In fact, it was once the top commercial avocado in South Florida, thanks to its ability to endure chilly winters and produce heavily even when other varieties might struggle.
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  🟢 Lula fruits are medium to large, pear-shaped, and sometimes feature a slender neck. Their skin is smooth, with a greenish tint, enclosing pale to greenish-yellow flesh. With a 12-16% oil content, the Lula offers a creamy, rich flavor that’s a delight in guacamole or straight from the fruit. The large, tightly held seed also makes it a reliable producer, minimizing seed sprouting issues during the harvest.
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  🟢 The harvesting season runs from November to December, offering a long production window that stands out among other avocado varieties. Originally developed from a tree planted by Mrs. Lula Cellon in 1915 near Miami, this variety has proven its early bearing nature and heavy yields, making it ideal for both home gardeners and small orchard owners.
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  🟢 If you're looking for an avocado tree that thrives in Central Florida's conditions, bears flavorful fruit, and can withstand the cold, Lula is your go-to! Just give it plenty of space to grow tall and enjoy years of delicious harvests.

📚 Learn more about Avocado varieties

🛒Plant Avocado Lula

#Food_Forest #Avocado

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✨ What is the most popular fragrant Lady of the Night

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  Looking to add a little magic to your garden? Brunfelsia americana - Lady of the night - is all time favorite of fragrant gardens.
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  This Brazilian beauty isn't your ordinary shrub - it grows compact, loves partial shade, and rewards you with creamy white flowers that release their sweetest fragrance under the cover of darkness. It's like nature's way of setting the mood for evening strolls!
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  Plus, its blooms are irresistible to butterflies and hummingbirds, turning your garden into a lively stage.
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  Lady of the Night is like having a fragrant garden party that starts when the sun goes down. Low-maintenance, pollinator-friendly, and elegant - what more could you want? Whether outdoors or in, this shrub will bring charm and excitement to any space, day or night!

🛒 Plant fragrant Brunfelsia

#Perfume_Plants #Shade_Garden

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😊 How a fast-growing screen becomes a honey-fragrant wildlife attractor

• 🐝 Acacia farnesiana - Sweet Mimosa - is a delightful evergreen shrub that's as tough as it is charming!
• 🐝 This large, multi-stem shrub can reach 15 feet tall and wide and sports thorny branches - a real character with a wild streak! But don't let the thorns scare you off; it offers rewards aplenty.
• 🐝 Its canary-yellow, powder-puff flowers bloom all winter through spring, filling the air with a honey-like fragrance that attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
• 🐝 This plant doesn't just survive - it thrives in poor soils, tolerates drought and alkaline conditions, and grows incredibly fast!
• 🐝 Whether you're planting it as a privacy screen or just looking for a pop of cheerful color during chilly months, this hardy shrub keeps its evergreen leaves even through cold snaps when other plants throw in the towel.
• 🐝 Native to Mexico and Central America, Sweet Mimosa has spread its charm far and wide, becoming popular in southern U.S. landscapes like Florida, Texas, and Arizona. It even finds use in perfume production with its flowers contributing to the fragrance known as "cassie" in Europe.
• 🐝 Every gardener should have this resilient plant ready to brighten the garden and attract wildlife year-round!

🛒 Plant Sweet Mimosa

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