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Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes

Loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica)

🏆 Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes.
# 10: Loquat Tree.
  • 🍑 Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and highly cold-hardy tropical fruit tree.
  • 🍑 Heavy Producer: Loquats are juicy, aromatic, and apricot-like in flavor, ripening from early Spring to early Summer.
  • 🍑 Compact and Ideal for Small Gardens: Perfect for beginners and those with limited space.
  • 🍑 Undemanding: Loquat trees thrive in any soil, tolerate summer heat, winter cold, heavy rains, and occasional flooding.
  • 🍑 Nutrient-Rich: High in sugar, acids, vitamins B and C, minerals, and pectin. Eaten fresh or used in fruit salads, jams, jellies, chutneys, sauces, pies, and wine-making. It's also popular as a natural sweetener.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:
🎥 YouTube video about Loquat
📁 Overlooked fruit: tasty Loquat recipes (PDF)

🛒 Start your fruit garden with Loquats

#Food_Forest #Loquat

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Valentines day gift shopping and discount

Valentines day gift shopping and discount
❤️ Valentines day gift shopping and discount

💋 Valentines Day is just around the corner, and so is the promise of an early Spring! This February 14th, why not surprise your loved ones with the perfect gift - tropical plants! These vibrant, living gifts will bring the sunshine of spring into any home, making them the ideal way to show your love and care.

🥰 With less than two weeks to go, now is the time to order your happy gift plants and ensure they arrive in time for the big day. Don't forget to add a heat pack for delivery to colder states, keeping your plants cozy on their journey. Spread warmth and love with the gift of nature this Valentines Day!

💄 Use this 15% discount code to get more gift plants and to fill your gardens with more Happiness... ❤️❤️

  • 👍 VALENTINES25 👍


🎁 Min order $150. Excluding S/H. Exp. 2-15-25

🛒 Shop Now

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Mark your calendars: March 1, 2025

March 1, 2025 - SATURDAY - Spring Plant Market

Spring into Green at Our Spring Plant Market!
Saturday, March 1, 9 am - 4 pm

Save the date for March 1, 2025, and join us for a vibrant celebration of nature! Bring your friends and family to explore a tropical oasis where our friendly PeopleCats are ready to help you find the perfect plants to brighten your space.

Celebrate the season of renewal and let your garden flourish with new life. We can't wait to see you there and share in the joy of spring!

Highlights of the event:

30% OFF online prices, one day only! (excluding 15 gallon material and rare plants)
Exciting raffle prizes
Special discounts on selected plants
Complimentary gift bags for the first 25 ccustomers with an order $50+ Free plant with any purchase as a token of our appreciation
Life Music: the Famous Hand Pan Lady

Event discounts valid at both locations:

Ft Myers Garden Center: 13890 Orange River, Ft Myers, FL
Sebring B-Farm: 9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL

to confirm attendance
RSVP on Facebook!

Plant Market

Learn more

Holiday Plant Market Cat

Date:

Valentines Day Best Gift Plant Ideas

Valentines cats

Q: What are the most popular gift plants for the Valentines day?

A: Valentines Day is the perfect occasion to show your love with a gift that lasts beyond just one day. While traditional flowers are lovely, a live plant offers a meaningful, long-lasting way to express your affection. Whether it's the vibrant blooms, fragrant leaves, or the joy of watching a plant grow, gift plants bring a touch of nature and beauty into the home. Below are a few wonderful plant ideas to help you pick the perfect gift for your loved ones this Valentines Day. Check out a short video: Sweetheart Hoya varieties

Shop All Gift Plants

Valentines Sweetheart Hoya

Valentines Sweetheart hoya kerrii

Wax Hearts, also known as Sweetheart Hoya or Valentine Hoya, comes in 3 kinds - Green leaf, variegated Sunshine and Variegated Moonlight - collect them all! These plants are the perfect way to show someone you care. Hoya kerrii, often called the Sweetheart Plant, has become a favorite houseplant in recent years due to its unique heart-shaped leaves. This quirky and unusual plant is ideal for those looking for a novelty gift for their plant enthusiast friends. Its easy care requirements and distinctive appearance make it a charming addition to any home, spreading love and beauty in a simple, yet meaningful way. It’s the perfect plant to celebrate Valentines Day or any special occasion!

Shop Sweetheart Hoya

Fragrant Jasmine

Valentines Sweetheart hoya kerrii

Jasmines are about to bloom, making now the perfect time to get them before their flowers open in spring! Some of the top picks include the timeless Jasmine Sambac, French Perfume Jasmine, Rose Bud Jasmine, Night Blooming Jasmine, Parijat Jasmine Tree, and Jasmine Molle (Indian Jui). These varieties are not only beautiful but also fill your home or garden with their unforgettable, fragrant blossoms. Whether you're looking to add a touch of elegance to your space or sear! ching for a fragrant gift, these jasmines are a must-have for any plant lover. Get them now and enjoy their aromatic beauty as they begin to bloom!

Shop Fragrant Jasmines

Compact Rhododendron Azalea - Red Cherry Miniature

Vivid Red Cherry Miniature Azalea

The Vivid Red Cherry Miniature Azalea is a stunning, cold-hardy evergreen that blooms with vibrant cherry-red flowers in spring and fall. Very compact and easy to care for, it thrives in shady spots and offers year-round beauty with its glossy, dark green leaves. Whether used as a hedge, accent, or screen, this semi-dwarf variety adds a pop of color to any garden or home. A perfect way to share lasting beauty and joy with someone special!

Shop Miniature Azalea

Condo Mango

Condo Mango

Looking for a unique Valentines gift? The Condo Mango is the perfect choice! This compact, dwarf mango tree thrives in containers, making it ideal for small spaces like balconies or even indoors. With its manageable size and vibrant fruit, it's a thoughtful and practical gift that brings a tropical touch to any home. Plus, with a little pruning, it can stay small while still producing delicious mangoes. Share the joy of gardening and fruit-growing with someone special this Valentines Day!
Learn more about Condo Mango from our Telegram Chanel: What are the Condo Mangos? A Practical Guide and Top 10 Dwarf Condo Mango - great for container culture

Shop Condo Mango Trees

Date:

The magic number

The magic number
🍑🍑🍑 The magic number

"Good things come in threes, for three is the magic number" - Tom Waits

🔠 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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Date:

Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

🏆 Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes.
# 9: Jackfruit Tree.
  • 🍐 Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a giant, eye-catching fruit tree and is the largest fruit grown on a tree, making it a showstopper in your fruit tree collection. Everybody wants to grow this giant Nature's Wonder - the biggest fruit in the world grown on a tree!
  • 🍐 Nutrient-Packed: Highly nutritious, Jackfruit is often used as a meat substitute in South Asian cuisine, as well as in curries and chutneys. Dehydrated jackfruit chips are a delicious snack.
  • 🍐 Fast-Growing and Ornamental: Jackfruit trees are fast-growing with large waxy leaves and ornamental value. They can be maintained at a compact height of 7-8 feet since the fruit grows at the base of the trunk. Keeping it short also makes it easier to protect the tree from cold if needed.
  • 🍐 Cold Tolerant: While cool temperatures can reduce fruit production, jackfruit trees are relatively hardy and can survive light frost. Established trees are more cold-hardy than young seedlings.
  • 🍐 Fast Fruiting: Jackfruit trees start producing fruit within 3-4 years from seed. Varieties come true to seed, so grafting is unnecessary, however, can be done when you need a particular variety.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:

🛒 Shop Jackfruit varieties

#Food_Forest #Jackfruit

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

What is the best gift plant for Valentines Day

Hoya kerrii - Sweetheart Valentine, Wax Hearts, Sweetheart Hoya, Valentine Hoya, Heart leaf

💋 What is the best gift plant for Valentines Day
  • ❤️ Hoya kerrii - Sweetheart Valentine, Wax Hearts, Sweetheart Hoya, Valentine Hoya, Heart leaf - has large, thick, succulent type leaves that are indeed shaped like flat hearts!
  • ❤️The Sweetheart Plant is a perfect present for the one you love! It makes an ideal houseplant.
  • ❤️ Sweetheart Hoya has become increasingly popular in recent years. Unusual and quirky "heart" shape leaves appeal to anyone looking for that special novelty gift for their plant enthusiast friend.
  • ❤️ Don't forget to get one for Valentines Day! In fact, it should be three, as besides regular green leaf🚩 we we also have amazing variegated leaf varieties: Moonlight (gold on green) 💍and Sunshine (white-and green)💞


🛒 Shop Sweetheart Hoya

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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Date:

If you cant beat them

🐈 If you can't beat them...

"If you can’t beat them, hypnotize them"

🔠 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes

Guava Tree (Psidium sp.)

Guava Tree (Psidium sp.)

🏆 Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes.
# 8: Guava Tree.
  • 🍉 Guava Tree (Psidium sp.) - Guava trees are beloved for their flavorful fruit, commonly used in juices, drinks, and desserts.
  • 🍉 Popular Varieties: include Psidium guajava (Tropical Guava), Psidium littorale (Cattley Guava), Psidium friedrichsthalianum (Cas guava), and Feijoa sellowiana (Pineapple Guava).
  • 🍉 Cold Hardy: Despite its "Tropical" name, the Tropical Guava is relatively cold-hardy, and other varieties are even hardier, suitable for cooler climates with occasional frost.
  • 🍉 Water Needs: Guava trees like water and can tolerate some flooding.
  • 🍉 Compact Growth: Guavas are medium size bushes or trees that can be easily maintained at any height and shape.
  • 🍉 Fast Fruiting: Guava trees are quick to fruit, often within a year of planting, and some start fruiting in containers as small as 1 gallon.
  • 🍉 Dwarf Variety: The Nana variety is perfect for container culture, producing full-sized fruit in a compact form.
  • 🍉 Pest Control: In humid areas with rainy seasons, check for mealybugs, which can be controlled with neem oil as needed.
  • 🍉 Endless Supply: Planting multiple guava trees ensures a constant supply of fresh, juicy fruit and flavorful guava juice loved by kids and adults.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:

🛒 Shop Guava varieties

#Food_Forest #Guava

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Why Rosita de Cacao is called the Funeral Tree? For how long does its fragrance last?

Funeral Tree - Quararibea funebris (Rosita de Cacao, Flor de Cacao) - Flower

Funeral Tree - Quararibea funebris (Rosita de Cacao, Flor de Cacao) - Flower

Funeral Tree - Quararibea funebris (Rosita de Cacao, Flor de Cacao) - tree

Funeral Tree - Quararibea funebris (Rosita de Cacao, Flor de Cacao) - tree

🧛 Why Rosita de Cacao is called the Funeral Tree? For how long does its fragrance last?
  • 😇 The Legendary Funeral Tree - Quararibea funebris (also called Rosita de Cacao, Flor de Cacao) got its name from the flower's extraordinary ability to retain its spicy, sweet fragrance for centuries.
  • 😇 These flowers were used in ancient funeral ceremonies, placed in crypts to preserve their aroma for generations. Even today, dried Rosita de Cacao flowers can hold their scent for decades, a testament to their remarkable endurance.


    • History and Legends

    Aztec names: Poyomatli, Xochicacaohuatl, Flor Cacahuaxochitl, Cacaoxochitl.
  • 😇 The species was at one time widespread and growing wild throughout the Oaxaca region of Mexico known for plants used in Shamanism.
  • 😇 Cherished by the Aztecs, the Rosita de Cacao was deeply intertwined with their rituals and daily life.
  • 😇 The flowers, known as Cacaoxochitl or "cacao flower," were blended with chocolate drinks like Tejate, a sacred, energy-rich beverage reserved for royalty and religious ceremonies. This frothy drink combined Cacaoxochitl with other ingredients like cacao, vanilla, and chili peppers to create what the Aztecs called the "drink of the gods."
  • 😇 Legend has it that Emperor Montezuma consumed up to 50 cups of xocolatl daily, infused with Rosita de Cacao, to fuel his energy and passion.


    • Medicinal and Spiritual Uses
  • 😇 The flowers of this tree were not just for flavor - they were also prized for their calming and medicinal properties. Natives used them to treat anxiety, fevers, and coughs, often mixing them with cacao for enhanced effects.
  • 😇 Modern studies suggest the flowers contain lactone alkaloids like funebradiol, which are known for their relaxing properties and are now being investigated for potential medicinal applications.
  • 😇 Beyond its rich history, Rosita de Cacao is an evergreen beauty with creamy white, aromatic flowers and large, leathery leaves. It's a perfect addition to any garden for those who want a piece of history, an enduring fragrance, and a touch of ancient legend.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:
Fruit of Money and Love
Fun Facts: Cacao beans

🛒 Shop Tropical Fruit Trees

#Food_Forest #Fun_facts #Nature_Wonders

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals
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