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The fruit tree that every garden must have

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) leaves

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) leaves

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) fruit

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) fruit

😊 The fruit tree that every garden must have
  • 🍎 Fig Tree (Ficus carica) is a great addition to your garden or patio, offering delicious fruit and attractive, lobed leaves with minimal care.
  • 🍎 Delicious Fruit: Figs come in violet, brown, or black colors, offering a sweet flavor with health benefits.
  • 🍎 Nutrient-Rich: High in Iron, Fiber, Potassium, and Calcium - perfect for a healthy treat!
  • 🍎 Beautiful Leaves: Large, lobed, green leaves provide landscape value even when the tree isn’t fruiting.
  • 🍎 Cold Hardy: Sensitive to frost during active growth but can withstand up to 10°F when dormant.
  • 🍎 Low Maintenance: Grows easily with minimal attention, prefers alkaline soil (unlike most tropical plants!), and can tolerate wet conditions.
  • 🍎 Prolific: Bears fruit from early summer to late fall, with fruits maturing quickly. It is self-fertile and low-maintenance, perfect for growing at home.


🛍 Shop Fig Trees

#Food_Forest

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Date:

St. Gertrude of Nivelles:
Patron Saint of Cats, Gardeners,
and Those Who Fear Mice!

St. Gertrude with cats

Q: What is celebrated on March 17 besides St Patrick's Day? Is it true this is also a Gardener's Day?

A: March 17 isn't just about St. Patrick! It's also the feast day of St. Gertrude of Nivelles, the Patron Saint of Cats, Cat Lovers, Gardeners, and Travelers! While her feline connection only emerged in the 1980s - over 1,300 years after she lived - the idea has spread far and wide. Some trace it back to a 1981 Metropolitan Museum of Art catalog, which first linked St. Gertrude to cats.

Gertrude, a 7th-century Benedictine abbess, was known for her kindness, hospitality, and yes - her love of cats! She cared for the monastery's feline friends, offering them food and affection. In her honor, Nivelles, Belgium, holds an annual Le Tour Sainte-Gertrude, a grand procession celebrating her legacy.

Gardeners also look to St. Gertrude's feast day as the perfect time to start spring planting - because a beautiful, sunny March 17 is seen as a sign of a good growing season ahead! So, when you're decked out in green for St. Patrick's Day, give your furry friend an extra cuddle in honor of the original Cat Lady Saint!

And of course, Plant People usually are Cat People - this is why we have our PeopleCats.Garden!

A Prayer for Our Feline Friends

O holy St. Gertrude of Nivelles, Patron Saint of Cats,
I ask you to pray that my sweet kitty(ies) will always be content, energetic, curious, playful, and good-natured.
I pray my cat(s) will be a joy to me and those I love.
Carry my cat(s) to the throne of the Father and ask Him to bless them with long life and great happiness.
Pray, dear saint, that my cat(s) stay free from illness and always feel safe, protected, and loved.
Thank you for asking blessings upon my cat(s).
Ask the Lord to pour out special graces upon all cats and cat owners.
May they bring great love to one another and live companionably in peace.
Amen.

Date:

St. Patrick's Day - March 17
Live green, not just wear green!
15% discount

St Patrick's Cat

St. Patrick's Day is coming, and luck is in the garden! Live green, not just wear green! There's no better way to celebrate than by adding a touch of green to your space. Whether it's a new fruit tree, a colorful flowering plant, or a fresh herb for your kitchen, now's the time to add GOOD LUCK and prosperity to your Garden and Home!

Shop online or come visit us, and let us help you create a little piece of paradise in your own backyard! To make it even sweeter, we're offering a special holiday discount! Use code below at checkout and save 15% on your favorite plants. But hurry - just like a four-leaf clover, this deal won't last long!

LUCKYPLANTS

Min order $150. Excluding S/H. Exp. 3-18-25

Reminder: use our FREE and DISCOUNTED SHIPPING for qualified orders

Shop Now!

Date:

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!
❤️ Happy Birthday! 🥳

  • 😡 Today, March 16 - is the birthday of our very own columnist, Alex Butova - The Witch of Herbs, Cat Whisperer, and a devoted supporter of our PeopleCats! Born on a purrrfect day, just before St. Gertrude's and St. Patrick's celebrations, Alex embodies the magic of plants and the love of felines.

  • 😡 Happy Birthday, Alex! May your life be filled with green gardens, happy cats, and endless joy! 🥂 🎂 🎈


🔴 TopTropicals

Date:

St. Patricks Day Sale

St. Patricks Day Sale
👍 St. Patrick's Day Sale: Live green, not just wear green! Enjoy 15% discount 🛍
  • 🍀 St. Patrick's Day is coming, and luck is in the garden! Live green, not just wear green! There's no better way to celebrate than by adding a touch of green to your space. Whether it's a new fruit tree, a colorful flowering plant, or a fresh herb for your kitchen, now's the time to add GOOD LUCK and prosperity to your Garden and Home!
  • 🍀 Shop online or come visit us, and let us help you create a little piece of paradise in your own backyard! To make it even sweeter, we're offering a special holiday discount! Use code below at checkout and save 15% on your favorite plants. But hurry - just like a four-leaf clover, this deal won't last long!
  • 🍀 LUCKYPLANTS 🍀


Min order $150. Excluding S/H.
Exp. 3-18-25

🛍 Shop your lucky plants

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Date:

All borders eventually end, Part 4

🌚 All borders eventually end, Part 4.

See also: 👉 Part 1, 👉 Part 2 and 👉 Part 3.

🎥 Niki a.k.a IDF Security (left) is explaining to Bob a.k.a. HAMAS (right) where the borders of his authority end. In plain language.

🔠 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats

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Date:

Get this most colorful carpet for your fence

Senecio confusus - Mexican Flame Vine, Orangeglow Vine

Senecio confusus - Mexican Flame Vine, Orangeglow Vine

🤩 Get this most colorful carpet for your fence
  • 🔥 Senecio confusus - Mexican Flame Vine, Orangeglow Vine - fast-growing, drought-resistant vine quickly covers fences with bright orange, daisy-like flowers all winter.
  • 🔥 It attracts bees, butterflies, and birds, while its thick evergreen leaves provide a rich backdrop.
  • 🔥 A great choice for beginners, it creates a stunning carpet of vibrant blooms that fill the garden with color.


🛍 Plant Mexican Flame Vine

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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Passionately curious

🐈 Passionately curious

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." — Albert Einstein

🔠 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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Carambola Jam recipe

⭐️ Carambola Jam recipe

😁 Ingredients:

  • · 4 ripe carambolas, washed and thinly sliced
  • · 1 cup granulated sugar
  • · 1/2 cup water
  • · Juice of 1 lemon
  • · 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)


📞 Instructions:

  • · In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  • · Add the sliced carambola and ground ginger. Reduce heat and simmer for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens and the mixture thickens.
  • · Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then transfer to sterilized jars.
  • · Refrigerate and enjoy on toast, with yogurt, or as a glaze for meats.


🎁 This simple yet unusual jam highlights carambola’s unique star shape and tangy-sweet flavor! 😏

🛒 Plant your own Carambola Tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date:

When young Carambola trees are covered with fruit

Carambola trees

😎 When young Carambola trees are covered with fruit

😇 Young Carambola trees, planted just last year (2024) at Top Tropicals garden, have been fruiting non-stop since fall! Though small, they’re loaded with fruit, and with so many trees, we’ve had more than we knew what to do with. So, we turned our bounty into jam - and it came out absolutely delicious! Stay tuned for the recipe in our next post. 👎

🛒 Plant your own Carambola Tree

#Food_Forest

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