Valencia Pride mango - a stunning shade tree with red-blushed, fiberless, honeyed fruit.
Mango Rainbow🌈

Valencia Pride is a vigorous Florida heirloom - a Haden seedling from 1941, famed for its large, oblong-sigmoid fruit with yellow skin and crimson blush. The nearly fiberless, firm flesh is juicy and flavorful, offering sweet-tart notes of honey, coconut, and stone fruit . The tree grows tall and open, making it ideal for shade in zones 9-11, and is moderately cold-hardy with good disease resistance. It ripens mid- to late summer (July-August in Florida) and produces reliably once established.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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One look and you're hooked: Macaranga! 🐸

• 🐘 These leaves are bigger than your head!

Macaranga grandifolia – the Elephant Ear Tree - came from Hawaii. It has leaves so huge, they look like elephant ears or jungle umbrellas! Each one can grow over a foot wide, with a glossy, rounded shape that's pure eye candy.
• 🐘 Macaranga is easy to grow - perfect for a frost-free garden or in a big pot.
• 🐘 Macaranga is a real conversation starter. It looks like something straight out of a rainforest dream. Big, bold, and totally tropical! Fast-growing, it brings that lush, exotic vibe instantly to your garden.
• 🐘 Hard to find, super cool, and ridiculously showy - you’ll want this beauty front and center. Once you see it, you have to have it!

🛒 Get your giant leaves - Elephant Ear from Hawaii

#Nature_Wonders #Trees

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❤️ The love you take is equal to the love you make

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." - Paul McCartney, "The End" by The Beatles

Paul McCartney turned 83 today. Happy Birthday, Paul! Thanks for bringing LOVE into this world ❤️

🐈📸 Bob the Cat at
PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🍂 If you want to be happy

"If you want to be happy, be." - Leo Tolstoy

🐈📸 Baby Persephone - the Queen of the Underworld at
PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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⚡️ Five best tropical fruits to naturally boost your energy

How to boost your energy without coffee, or taking medications and supplements? Naturally - from your #Food_Forest! These 5 tropical fruits are not only delicious but packed with nutrients that support natural, sustained energy.

• 🔥 Banana - Packed with vitamin B6, potassium, and natural sugars, bananas provide a quick yet steady energy boost, perfect for pre- or post-workout fuel.
• 🔥 Mango - Rich in natural sugars and B vitamins, mangoes help convert food into usable energy while also supporting digestion for better nutrient absorption.
• 🔥 Jackfruit - Loaded with vitamin B1 (thiamine) and complex carbohydrates, jackfruit fuels the body steadily and supports healthy energy metabolism throughout the day.
• 🔥 Avocado - A powerhouse of monounsaturated fats, B vitamins, and potassium, avocados help sustain energy levels and promote healthy circulation for optimal vitality.
• 🔥 Macadamia Nut - Loaded with thiamine (B1) and healthy fats that support nervous system function and long-lasting energy without blood sugar crashes.

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Fuel Your Day Naturally: Grow Plants That Boost Your Energy
• ▫️ Tropical fruit helath benefits guide - Part 1 and Part 2

🛒 Shop Energy-Boosting Plants for Natural Energy

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies #Bananas #Avocado #Mango #Jackfruit

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What is the rarest Tacca?

• 💚 Tacca leontopetaloides - Green Bat Flower, Devil Flower - is the rarest Tacca of them all!
• 💚 Move over Black and White - this is the green bat flower, and it's in a class of its own!
• 💚 Tacca leontopetaloides is a collector's dream and is rare in cultivation. With eerie greenish-purple flower clusters perched on tall stalks and long, trailing whisker-like bracts, this plant looks like something out of a botanical fairytale.
• 💚 Unlike its fussy cousins, the Green Bat Flower is surprisingly easy to grow. It thrives in shady or semi-shaded spots, comes back reliably each spring, and doesn’t mind a bit of neglect. Its glossy, deeply divided leaves die back in fall and return with vigor as the weather warms up. A well-draining pot, occasional feeding, and moderate watering are all it asks for.
• 💚 Native to Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, it's more than just a pretty face - this plant has traditional medicinal uses too. But let's be honest: most collectors grow it for the jaw-dropping display.
• 💚 Very few collectors have this variety - don't miss your chance to be one of them!

📚 Learn more about Taccas:

• ▫️ When Bat Head Devil flower is in bloom
• ▫️ Tacca leontopetaloides - Green Tacca
• ▫️ Tacca nivea - White Tacca
• ▫️ Tacca chantrieri - Black Tacca

🛒 Get the rare Green Bat Flower - easy to grow and unlike anything else in your garden

#Nature_Wonders #Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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🐈 Scooby in action

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop" - Confucius

🐈📸 Scooby the cat @TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🌈 What is a good late-season Mango? Gold Nugget, a late-season fiberless gem

Gold Nugget, developed in Florida in the 1990s and patented in 1990, likely originated from Kent seedling parentage . The fruit is large, oval, about a pound, with yellow‑orange skin and occasional pink blush. Inside, it offers firm, fiberless yellow flesh with a mild, classic mango flavor. The vigorous tree is spreading and prolific, ripening fruit from late July through August in Florida, and exhibits strong resistance to bacterial black spot. An excellent choice for late-season harvest and home dooryard planting.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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🎆 What jasmine has a stronger scent than Sambac?

• ⭐️ Once you smell it, you’ll never forget it! If you are looking for a jasmine that truly stands out, Jasminum molle (also known as Indian Jui or Jasminum auriculatum) is one of the best-kept secrets among fragrant plants.
• ⭐️ An uncommon jasmine with an unforgettable scent, with a rich, gardenia-like perfume that rivals the world-famous Jasmine Sambac, this stunning species deserves a special place in your collection.
• ⭐️ Extraordinary fragrance: The satin-white flowers release an intense, sweet scent that fills the air - one of the strongest among all jasmines.
• ⭐️ Multiple growth habits: Naturally bushy and fast-growing, it can be shaped into a dense shrub, grown in containers, or even allowed to climb slightly on a trellis. It also makes a great hedge.
• ⭐️ Versatile and hardy: Adapts well to full sun or part shade, wet or dry soil. Fairly cold-hardy, it can handle a light frost with no damage.
• ⭐️ Seasonal blooms: While blooming peaks in summer, flushes of flowers can appear again in fall or even winter, often in clusters that cover the plant.
• ⭐️ Cultural significance: In India, this jasmine is sacred to the Goddess Devi and widely used in religious ceremonies, garlands, perfumes, and hair adornments.
• ⭐️ Medicinal uses: Traditional remedies use jasmine oil for hair and skin health, and the roots for treating skin conditions.
• ⭐️ With small, dark green leaves and powdery white blooms, Jasmine Molle is a top choice for gardeners who love richly fragrant plants. It's easy to grow, low maintenance, and incredibly rewarding. Whether in a pot, a border, or a spiritual garden, this jasmine is more than just a plant - it's an experience.

🛒Bring sacred fragrance into your garden

📚 Lean more about #Perfume_Plants

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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