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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

🎀 Five plant gifts she'll love this Mother's Day

Q: My mother loves gardening and I am thinking to buy her a live plant to make her happy. What plant do you recommend?

A: At Top Tropicals, we have a big selection of wonderful gift plants . Below are a few suggestions for you, these plants are large, developed and ready to bloom or fruit!

1. Joy Perfume Tree

Magnolia (Michelia) champaca, Joy Perfume Tree, Champaka

The Champaka or Joy Perfume Tree (Magnolia champaca) - is a top choice for Southern landscapes, prized for its striking columnar shape and fragrant, fruity bubble gum-scented blooms - you won't be able to stop sticking your nose in this flower! A signature plant at Top Tropicals, it's known for producing the world's most expensive perfume, Joy. The Joy Perfume Tree blooms on and off year-round and is currently in full bloom at our farm in Sebring, FL, filling the air around with fantastic sweet scent. This tree thrives in both pots and the ground, growing bushy and full as it matures. At Top Tropicals, we have beautiful Champaka trees in all sizes, from 3-4 ft tall (ready to bloom in a year) to 6-10 ft tall (already bloomed) for local pick up or delivery.
Learn more, with a short video.

2. Tropical Raspberry Mysore

Raspberry Mysore Tropical, Rubus albescens (niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens) - is the perfect solution for those missing Northern fruit in hot climates. Unlike traditional raspberries that can't handle the heat, this fast-growing Raspberry from India thrives in humid, hot conditions and produces juicy, sweet fruit almost year-round! The clusters of purple-black fruit are packed with flavor, and the plant is perfect for large containers, producing plenty of fruit in no time. Cold-hardy to the upper 20s F, it's an easy-to-grow, fast producer. We have beautiful, fruit-ready 3 gal Raspberry bushes, ready to add a burst of sweetness to your garden!
Learn more, with a short video.

3. Fragrant Jasmine Sambac

Jasminum 
sambac

Jasminum Sambac is widely regarded as the most fragrant jasmine, cherished by tropical gardeners and plant collectors alike. Native to India, this jasmine is the source of jasmine perfume oil and the signature ingredient in jasmine tea. With various varieties offering unique flower sizes, shapes, and growth habits, it’' perfect for both sun and shade, thriving as a container plant or indoor favorite. Its delightful fragrance fills the air, and with the help of Sunshine Pikake plant booster, you can enjoy even more blooms. Jasmine Sambac, along with Champaka, is another signature plant of Top Tropicals. Through the decades, we've collected all the available varieties in cultivation - check them out!
Learn more about Jasmine Sambac varieties, with a short video.

4. Everbearing mulberry

Mulberry tree Dwarf Everbearing (Morus 
sp.)

The Dwarf Everbearing Mulberry (Morus sp.) - is the perfect way to enjoy fruit year-round! This beautiful, cold hardy bush produces sweet, juicy mulberries starting from the very first year - often the same season you plant it. With its dwarf habit (easily maintained at 4-6 ft), it's perfect for containers and small spaces. Cold-hardy and drought-resistant, this productive plant thrives in various climates, from USDA zones 5 to 10! The fast-growing Mulberry will provide fruit year-round, and with minimal care, it will flourish in almost any soil. Our Everbearing Mulberry bushes produce enough fruit for both birds and breakfast - we pick a handful every day!
Learn more, with a short video.

5. Medinilla Coral Spike

Medinilla scortechinii - Orange Coral Spike

Rare Medinilla scortechinii - Orange Coral Spike - is a rare gem that brings a touch of the ocean to your garden! With bright orange stems bursting into star-shaped blooms, it looks like something straight from a coral reef. Compact and easy to grow, this plant stays under 2-3 ft tall, making it perfect for pots, hanging baskets, or as an epiphytic accent. The glossy dark leaves contrast beautifully with the vibrant orange panicles, and it thrives in bright shade. A must-have for collectors of unusual tropical plants, this coral spike adds a bold pop of orange wherever it grows - but hurry, it doesn't stay in stock for long!
Learn more, with a short video.

Date:

TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE, Part 2:

TROPICAL FRUIT

TROPICAL FRUIT

🍑 What fruit and edibles can help with health issues and VITAMIN deficiencies 🥑

...Continued from previous post ⤴️

7. 💅 Beauty Enhancer

(Vitamin B7 - Biotin):

Banana, Avocado, Aloe Vera, Clitoria (Butterfly Pea), Patchouli.

8.🩸Blood Builder
(Vitamin B9 - Folate):

Avocado, Guava, Papaya, Moringa, Chaya (Maya Spinach Tree), Mulberry.

9. 🦠 Immunity Booster
(Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid):
Guava, Pineapple, Carambola, Mango, Dragon Fruit, Loquat, Longevity Spinach (Gynura), Moringa, Allspice, Camphor Tree, Bay Leaf, Yerba Mate, Cherry, Peach, Passion fruit, Mulberry, Eugenia, Cinnamon, Piper sarmentosum (Vietnamese Pepper), Wiriwiri and Biquinho Pepper.

10. Skin Shield
(Vitamin E - Tocopherol):

Avocado, Sapote, Dragon Fruit, Moringa, Patchouli, Aloe, Annatto, Camphor Tree.

11. ❣️Clot Controller
(Vitamin K - Phylloquinol):

Moringa, Sauropus (Katuk), Chaya.

12. 🍲 Digestive Aid
(Enzymes):

Pineapple, Papaya, Ginger, Turmeric, Mango, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf, Betel Leaf, Peach, Eugenia, Jackfruit, Lippia dulcis, Allspice, Lippia alba (Poleo), Wiri wiri and Biquinho Pepper, Passion fruit.

📚 Learn more in our next posts about specific benefits of each fruit or plant...

🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees with benefits

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies #Bananas

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE, Part 1:

🍑 What fruit and edibles can help with health issues and VITAMIN deficiencies 🥑

We've got a handy little cheat sheet to help you choose the right foods when you're low on vitamins or dealing with health issues.
Save it and give your body a tune-up!


🥗 12 powerful vitamins and their food sources
  1. 👁️ Eye Sight Protector

  2. (Vitamin A - Retinol):
    Mango, Loquat, Papaya, Carambola, Moringa, Annato, Annona, Cherries, Peach, Blueberry.

    2. ⚡ Energy Booster
    (Vitamin B1 - Thiamine):

    Jackfruit, Pineapple, Banana, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), Camellia sinensis (Tea plant), Coffee, Yerba Mate, Wiriwiri and Biquinho Pepper

    3. 💧 Cell Repairer
    (Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin):
    Dragon Fruit, Sapote, Avocado, Moringa

    4. ❤️ Heart Helper
    (Vitamin B3 - Niacin):

    Guava, Jackfruit, Sapodilla, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), Passion fruit, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Yerba Mate, Cacao, Annona, Mulberry, Cinnamon, Camellia sinensis (Tea Plant), Curry Leaf

    5. 🤯 Stress Fighter
    (Vitamin B5 - Pantothenic Acid):

    Avocado, Mango, Dragon Fruit, Camellia sinensis (Tea plant), Clitoria (Butterfly Pea), Lippia alba (Poleo)

    6. 😊 Mood Balancer
    (Vitamin B6 - Pyridoxine):
    Banana, Jackfruit, Sapote, Passion fruit, Banisteriopsis caapi (Ayahuasca), Cacao

    Continued in next post...⤵️

    🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees with benefits

    #Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies

    🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

How to have fruit year around: Everbearing Mulberry

Everbearing Mulberry

😎 How to have fruit year around: Everbearing Mulberry
  • 🍇Mulberry is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit.
  • 🍇The fast growing tree or bush will produce right away, you will see fruit the next year after planting, or even the same season!
  • 🍇Mulberry trees take poor soils and grow well in almost any conditions once established.


📚 Mulberries from previous posts:
What are the best Mulberry varieties
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

📱 High quality video in next post ⤵️

🛍 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

What is fruiting right now?

Mulberry

Mulberry

❤️ What is fruiting right now?

😎 it's Mulberry season! Some varieties have already ripened, while others are just about to. At Top Tropicals garden we're competing with the birds to see who gets the first fruit, but honestly, there's plenty for everyone! These trees are very cold hardy and highly productive.

📚 Mulberries from previous posts:
What are the best Mulberry varieties
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

🛍 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

What trees are fruiting and blooming right now?

Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia

Photo above: Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia

Q: What tropical trees are fruiting and flowering in March?

A: There's always something blooming and fruiting, especially with spring on the way! Our garden is buzzing with bees and butterflies, and in the nursery, you'll always find plants in bloom or bearing fruit. Here are a few standout winners of the season.

Orchid Trees

Bauhinia alba (candida) - White Orchid Tree

Orchid trees are among the most spectacular trees in Florida, flowering from late winter through spring. They are fast-growing, not fussy about soil or water, and bloom for several weeks in a stunning display of white, purple, pink, or red flowers. In the photo: Bauhinia alba (candida) - White Orchid Tree - the most cold-hardy of all Bauhinias, tolerating temperatures as low as 26F. You can see them in full bloom across Florida right now!

Carambola - Star Fruit

Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola)

Starfruit trees (Averrhoa carambola) have been fruiting in our garden since fall, and they just keep producing! We've had so many starfruits that we ended up making lots of jam.

Calliandra

Calliandra tweedi With Love - Red Tassel Flower

Calliandras are known to be spectacular winter bloomers, but in our garden, they seem to flower year-round. They make fantastic ever-blooming hedges or striking small specimen trees.
In the photo: red-flowering Calliandra tweedii "With Love" - Red Tassel Flower, yright now, this beautiful bush is covered in red blooms in front of our office at Sebring Farm.

Mulberry Trees

Mulberry fruit on the tree

Yes, it's Mulberry season! Some varieties have already ripened, while others are just about to. We're competing with the birds to see who gets the first fruit, but honestly, there's plenty for everyone! These trees are very cold hardy and highly productive.

Loquat Trees

Loquat tree Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat trees (Eriobotrya japonica) are loaded with fruit right now! We've started picking them and have already made some delicious preserves - you can only eat so many fresh. Loquats continue fruiting through April and May, making them one of the most rewarding, easy-to-grow, and productive fruit trees.

Tabebuia Trees

Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo

Tabebuia trees put on a spectacular show from late winter through spring! Golden and pink Tabebuias are small, compact trees that fit any yard and deliver a breathtaking display year after year.
Check out these short videos of blooming Tabebuias:
Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia
Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo

Date:

What are the best Mulberry varieties

White Mulberry

White Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Dwarf Everbearing or Dwarf Issai Mulberry

Dwarf Everbearing or Dwarf Issai Mulberry

Pakistanu Mulberry

Pakistanu Mulberry

White Mulberry and Shangri-La Mulberry

White Mulberry and Shangri-La Mulberry

Florida Giant Mulberry

Florida Giant Mulberry

💗 What are the best Mulberry varieties

Muberries are very cold hardy (to hard freeze, up to zone 6), tough trees that take poor soils and grow well in almost any conditions once established.

💬 #Fun_Facts: Did you know that mulberries belong to the same plant family with Jackfruit?

🤟 The Best Mulberry Varieties for Your Garden:
  • 🐾 Dwarf Everbearing and Dwarf Issai - Compact, container-friendly varieties perfect for small spaces. These dwarf trees (6-10 ft tall) are disease and drought resistant, with multiple crops year-round, even from the first year! Ideal for patios and small yards..
  • 🐾 Florida Giant - A vigorous, fast-growing tree with large, heart-shaped leaves and long purple-black fruits bursting with a sweet-tart flavor. This beauty grows up to 6-10 ft per year and thrives as far north as zone 6, despite its name.
  • 🐾 Shangri-La - A modest-sized tree with giant leaves and plump, sweet-tart berries. Originally from Florida, it's heat, drought, pest, and disease-resistant. Ripens from April through summer, bringing both beauty and bounty to your garden.
  • 🐾 White Mulberry - Produces medium-sized, super-sweet white fruits without a hint of tartness. This productive tree makes a mess-free option since the fruit doesn't stain. Ideal for fresh eating or drying.


📚 Learn more about Mulberries from previous posts:
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

🛒 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Top 10 fast-fruiting trees:

Mulberry

Mulberry

🍇 Top 10 fast-fruiting trees:
#7. Mulberry (Morus hybrids)


💜 Mulberry is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit. The tree will produce right away, you will see fruit the next season after planting, and the tree grows fast.

📚 Learn more from previous post:

🛒 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

What trees will fruit quickly? Top 10 fast-fruiting trees

What trees will fruit quickly? Top 10 fast-fruiting trees
🥭 What trees will fruit quickly? Top 10 fast-fruiting trees

Q: I would like to plant several fruit trees... I am 85 years old and hope to see them fruiting soon. What fruit trees can you recommend that will fruit quickly?

A: Most grafted fruit trees, such as Mango, Avocado, and Peaches, will fruit quickly - often within the same year or the next. There are also many wonderful tropical fruits that will produce for you within a year or two, even without the need for grafting.

⚠️ In our next posts we will introduce to you the top 10 of most popular, most rewarding and easy to grow fast fruiting tropical trees...

📚 Discover 10 fast-fruiting trees in the following posts:
  1. Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple
  2. Guava (Psidium sp.): Cattley and Tropical guava
  3. Eugenias - Tropical Cherries
  4. Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)
  5. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
  6. Papaya (Carica papaya)
  7. Mulberry (Morus hybrids)
  8. Carambola - Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola)
  9. Blackberry Jam Fruit (Randia formosa)
  10. Peanut Butter Tree (Bunchosia argentea)


  11. Stay with us and make sure to subscribe! ⬇️

    🛒 Shop fast fruiting tropical trees

    #Food_Forest

    🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Top ten fast-fruiting trees

Cat fruit in a box

Q: I would like to plant several fruit trees... I am 85 years old and hope to see them fruiting soon. What fruit trees can you recommend that will fruit quickly?

A: Most grafted fruit trees, such as Mango, Avocado, and Peaches, will fruit quickly - often within the same year or the next. There are also many wonderful tropical fruits that will produce for you within a year or two, even without the need for grafting. Below are the top 10 of most popular, most rewarding and easy to grow fast fruiting tropical trees:

1. Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple.

Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple

Annonas are the fastest fruiting trees: 2-3-4 years from seed to fruit, depending on species. They are the best tropical fruit trees suited for container growing, due to their small height and can be maintained within 6-8 ft tall.

2. Guava (Psidium sp.): Cattley and Tropical guava

Guava fruit - Psidium

Guava is a reliable producer, starts fruiting in a pot at small size. Some varieties, especially Cattley guavas - Psidium littorale - are relatively cold hardy and can take some frost without damage. Guavas are fast growing small trees or large bushes.

3. Eugenia - Tropical Cherries

Eugenias - Tropical Cherries

Eugenias are favorites of Southern gardens. They are relatively cold hardy and start producing right away. Black Surinam Cherry Lolita and Grumichama are our favorites!

4. Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

Barbados Cherry - Malpighia glabra

Another exceptional tropical cherry is Barbados Cherry. It is super popular as a heavy producer. The plant can start fruiting when it's only a few inches tall! If you are looking for a compact, but fast growing tree with colorful fruit that starts fruiting right away - plant Barbados Cherry. It will also happily fruit in containers.

5. Eriobotrya (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat - Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat tree is fast-growing, drought-tolerant, cold-tolerant, compact tropical fruit tree. It is a heavy producer. Fruits are juicy, aromatic, and resemble apricots. Ripen from early Spring to early Summer. Ideal for small gardens, beginner fruit tree growers.

6. Papaya (Carica papaya)

Papaya

Papaya is probably the fastest fruiting tree that can start production the same year from planting a seed. Many dwarf varieties available in selection, reaching only 6-8 ft tall, but producing large crops of full size fruit - they are easy to harvest. Plant 2-3 Papaya trees of different cultivars that fruit at different times of the year and enjoy heavy crops of healthy fruit year around! Another benefit - this tree doesn't take much space in the garden, you can plant as many as you want.

7. Mulberry (Morus hybrids)

Mulberry

Mulberry is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit. The tree will produce right away, you will see fruit the next season after planting, and the tree grows fast.

8. Carambola - Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola)

Carambola - Starfruit, Averrhoa carambola

Growing Carambola tree is a fun and rewarding way to enjoy this unique star-shaped delicious fruit right at home. It fruits on the 3d year from seed. The tree is easy to grow and reliable producer, providing wind protection.

9. Blackberry Jam Fruit (Randia formosa)

Blackberry Jam Fruit - Randia formosa

Blackberry Jam Fruit, Jasmin de Rosa is a curious small evergreen tree or bush that combines features of a fragrant flower and delicious dessert fruit which tastes like fresh Blackberry jam. Fragrant white flowers are similar to Gardenia.

10. Peanut Butter Tree (Bunchosia argentea)

Peanut Butter Tree - Bunchosia argentea

Peanut Butter Tree, earns its name from its fleshy fruits that boast a delightful peanut butter flavor. Compact in size, small tree reaching only 10-15 ft or kept as a bush, it's a perfect choice for limited spaces. Can thrive indoors, starting to fruit within just 2-3 years from seed.