Don't plant cherries until you see this one! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Cherry of the Rio Grande - Eugenia aggregata
🍒 Don't plant cherries until you see this one!
🍒 Cherry of the Rio Grande (Eugenia aggregata) is one of those tropical fruits you don't forget once you taste it. The fruit looks like a dark ruby jewel and ripens to almost black, with a sweet, full cherry-like flavor.
🍒 Unlike the temperate cherries, this one thrives in warm climates and starts flowering as early as March, keeping the harvest going well into summer.
🍒 This little fruit tree that fits anywhere! It's slender, branching, fits neatly in limited spaces or even in a pot, yet still produces plenty of fruit.
🍒 Can a tropical cherry really handle freezing temps? Once mature, Cherry of the Rio Grande can handle surprising cold snaps down into the 20s. A tough little tree that gives you a taste of the tropics right in your own backyard!
Care for adeniums is simple once you understand what they like. Think of
them as half succulent, half tropical shrub. Keep their roots dry but never
bone-dry, give them sun, and feed them during the warm months. Do that, and they will reward you with fat trunks and nonstop flowers.
Soil and pot: Use a gritty, fast-draining Adenium Soilless Mix. Shallow wide pots work best — they let the caudex spread and show off its shape like a bonsai.
Watering: Water in the morning. Let the surface dry before watering again. Never let pots sit in saucers of
water.
Foliage: Keep leaves dry. Wet leaves invite rot and fungus.
Fertilizer: During active growth, feed with Sunshine Megaflor liquid fertilizer (flower booster); it promotes swollen trunk and sets flower
buds.
Light: Give them bright light year-round. Full sun in mild climates; filtered light if your summers are
scorching.
Winter rest: Cut water back when days shorten and let the plant rest. Dormancy is
normal.
Repotting trick: Each time you repot, lift the plant a bit so the crown roots peek above the soil. This encourages bigger
caudex.
Desert roses are made for containers, easy enough for a beginner but rewarding enough for a
collector.
Before eating ice cream, try this fruit from a house plant. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Swiss Cheese Plant - Monstera deliciosa
🍨 Before eating ice cream, try this fruit growing on a house plant!
🍨 Most people know Swiss Cheese Plant - Monstera deliciosa - for its big holey leaves, but here’s the wild part: this jungle climber also makes fruit. Real fruit. And it tastes like pineapple mixed with ice cream.
🍨 Have you tried Monstera fruit? Will you eat it again?
🍨 This plant grows in the rainforests of Mexico and Guatemala, where young seedlings crawl toward the shade until they find a tree to climb. Yes, they grow in the direction of the darkest area, not just merely away from light. Interesting, ah?
🍨 In time, it sends out a green, cone-like fruit nearly a foot long. It takes a while to ripen - about a year - and only when the scales start to lift can you peel them back and find the creamy pulp inside. Ice-cream sweet and tropical.
🍨 One catch though: never eat the fruit unripe. The pulp contains oxalic acid that is generally harmless but will burn your mouth. Best trick is to let it wrinkle a little, wrap it up, and wait until the scales loosen on their own. Then it's ready.
🍨 And for collectors? The Thai Constellation, with its cream-splashed leaves, is the crown jewel. Some specimens sell for thousands. Not bad for a "Swiss Cheese Plant"!
When plants cross into the Gothic: the Darker Bat Lily. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Black Bat Lily (Tacca chantrieri)
When plants cross into the Gothic: the Darker Bat Lily
🖤 Here’s a striking look at the Black Bat Lily(Tacca chantrieri) - its dramatic dark bracts resembling bat wings, trailing whiskers, and tropical elegance all in one. If you met its cousin, the White Bat Head Lily(Tacca nivea) in earlier video, you'll notice the family resemblance - same dramatic whiskers and wing-like bracts, but this one leans fully into the dark side.
🖤 The Black Bat Flower isn’t just a bloom - it's a full performance. Giant black-maroon"wings" stretch out like a bat in flight, while long, drooping filaments dangle like eerie whiskers or jungle jewelry - some over a foot long!
🖤 Those weird, wild whiskers aren't just for show either. They're thought to mimic the look (and no, not the smell!) of decaying matter, luring in pollinators like flies. Creepy? Yes. Clever? Absolutely.
🖤 The Black Bat Flower blooms best when it feels pampered: filtered light, steady warmth, and spa-level humidity. It’s a smart exotic for a greenhouse or even a bright bathroom with a skylight.
🖤 It grows from a rhizome, and while Tacca chantrieri is prized for its gothic looks, its green cousin Tacca leontopetaloides is actually used in the tropics to make arrowroot starch.
🖤 Patience is part of the package - sometimes it takes months to bloom. But when it does, it becomes the crown jewel of the collection. People will ask if it's real. You'll just smile and say, "Yes - and it lives here."
The Lolita is a special form of Surinam cherry. Fruits ripen nearly black, turning sweet and rich without the resinous bite of the common red type. The taste is often compared to a mix of grape and cherry with a tropical twist.
Fruit Season: Mainly spring into early summer, often with a smaller second crop in fall
Plant Size: Usually 6–8 ft in the ground, 4–5 ft in containers
Container Friendly: Thrives in larger pots, stays compact with pruning
Pollination: Self-fruiting — no partner tree needed
Health Benefits
High vitamin C content for immunity and skin health
Antioxidants that help reduce inflammation
Fiber to support digestion
A versatile kitchen fruit — eaten fresh, made into jams, sauces, or desserts
Eugenias have earned a spot in many Southern gardens because they’re
easy, dependable, and surprisingly versatile. These small trees and shrubs
grow well in the ground or in containers, and they don’t waste time
before setting fruit.
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One bite, your whole day of vitamin C: Barbados Cherry that outdoes oranges! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, Acerola
🍒 One bite, your whole day of vitamin C: Barbados Cherry that outdoes oranges!
🍒 Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, or Acerola has 65 times more vitamin C than an orange! Just a single berry-sized fruit can provide your entire daily vitamin C needs, along with vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, carotenoids, and bioflavonoids. In short, this little cherry is one of the most powerful antioxidant fruits in the world.
🍒 But it isn’t just about nutrition. Barbados Cherry is a compact, fast-growing shrub or small tree that starts fruiting young, often within its first year. It produces crops several times a year, and the bright red cherries are as beautiful as they are useful. The fruit is tangy-sweet and makes excellent juices, smoothies, jams, and jellies. It also freezes well without losing its vitamin content.
🍒 Gardeners love this plant not only for its fruit but also for how easy it is to grow. Unlike many tropicals, it tolerates alkaline soils, is drought-resistant once established, and can handle light freezes. That makes it a surprisingly tough choice for a tropical fruit tree. Birds enjoy the fruit too, so planting one is also a gift to your local wildlife.
🍒 It's also a beauty in the garden, covered in pretty pink flowers and bright red fruit, often both at the same time.
🍒 If you are short on space, the dwarf variety Nana is a perfect choice. With tiny leaves, compact growth, and smaller fruit, it works well in containers, borders, or even as a bonsai. It's both ornamental and productive.
🍒 Whether you want a reliable vitamin boost, a wildlife-friendly garden addition, or just a cheerful little tree with bright red fruit, Barbados Cherry has you covered.
The mystery of the White Bat Lily - the plant with wings and whiskers. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.
White Bat Head Lily (Tacca nivea)
👻 The mystery of the White Bat Lily - the plant with wings and whiskers
Here's a cool shot of the White Bat Head Lily(Tacca nivea) - its dramatic white bracts that flare like wings and those wild, trailing whiskers are impossible to ignore. And it is in full bloom again at Top Tropicals - in the middle of August.
This plant that pulls off gothic elegance with two crisp, wing‑like white bracts hovering over a cluster of deep maroon‑black "bat‑face" flowers, complete with long, draping whiskers. Beneath it all lie crinkled, olive‑green leaves that only add to its moody charm.
This tropical understory native thrives in humid, shaded spaces - whether that's a greenhouse or a mossy, misty corner indoors. It's an evergreen perennial, endlessly intriguing. When it does bloom, the dark little flowers eventually yield heavy berries - just one more twist in its curious tale.
Looking to grow one? You'll need:
✔️High humidity, indirect light, and good air circulation
✔️Rich, orchid‑style soil (think adding bark, peat, perlite to your potting mix)
✔️Consistently moist - but not waterlogged - conditions
✔️And to be patient: flowering often requires a couple of leaves before it even sets stems
It's not just a plant - it's a conversation starter, a living gothic sculpture that grows. Maybe a bit finicky? Sure. Totally worth it? Absolutely!
After a busy summer of growth, many potted plants are bursting out of their containers. Now is the perfect time to step them up into a slightly larger
pot.
🌱 Why now in August?
Repotting before fall gives roots room to expand, while
there’s still warmth for active growth. Plants have time to sprout new shoots, fill out, and build strength before cooler weather slows them down.
✂️ Trim and Shape
This is also your last chance to give plants a light trim.
Pinching or cutting back helps them branch, bush out, and get denser — exactly what you want going
into fall.
👉 Watch our ">quick video on how to step up your plant the right way, then check your pots
— some of your summer growers are ready to move up!
⚠️ Important Note on Timing
This advice is for gardeners in warm climates or for anyone who still has at least a month of warm weather left. Tropical plants go dormant when
temperatures drop below 75F, so planting in a larger pot at that time may cause root rot — roots stop growing in dormancy, and extra moisture in the soil can lead to rotting.
Pick a pot just a few inches larger than the old one.
✅ Make sure it has good drainage — tropical plants hate sitting in water. A pot without drainage holes can cause waterlogging and root rot.
Why plastic pots are better than fancy ceramic
Ceramic pots may look pretty, but they are heavy, breakable, and often lack proper drainage. Plastic pots are lightweight, easier to handle, and — most importantly — if a plant is root-bound and stuck, you can simply cut the plastic pot
to free it without harming the roots. For looks, slip the plastic pot inside a decorative cover pot.
Why turn it upside down? Gravity helps loosen the plant, and it
slides out more easily without tugging.
Never pull a plant by its head (stems or leaves). That can damage the crown and tear
roots.
If it doesn’t come out easily: lay the pot on its side and
gently squeeze or tap the pot to dislodge the soil. If it is really stuck,
cut the old pot instead of forcing the plant.
Check the Root System
If roots are circling tightly (pot-bound), gently untangle or
loosen the outside layer so they will grow outward into the new soil.
Do not shake off or remove old soil from the root ball. Roots have
tiny hairs that absorb water and nutrients, and damaging them will set the
plant back. Keep the root mass intact and disturb as little as possible.
Set at the Same Level
Place the plant in the new pot so it sits at the same soil level as
before.
👉 This is important: burying the stem too deep can suffocate it,
while setting the plant higher than before may expose roots and cause drying.
Keeping the level the same protects the root crown.
Fill and Firm
Add more soil and fertilizer around the sides. Press lightly around the
edges to remove air pockets.
Water Thoroughly
Give it a deep watering to help roots settle.
Aftercare
Don’t water again until the top inch of soil feels dry.
Freshly repotted plants are vulnerable to soggy soil and root rot if kept too
wet.
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23);">Watch the video how to repot properly
Adenium care
