Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍴 Avocado shrimp boats: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

• 
  🟢Halve an avocado, scoop out a little extra.
• 🟢Fill with sauteed shrimp tossed in garlic-lime butter.
• 🟢Enjoy instant tropical feast!

🛒 Grow your own Avocado tree

Avocado shrimp boats: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 cup shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Halve the avocados and scoop out a little extra to make room.
2. Sauté shrimp in butter with garlic and lime juice until pink and cooked through.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fill avocado halves with shrimp mixture.
5. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Avocado

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🍑 Harmony

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mahatma Gandhi

🐈📸 Bob the Cat is in harmony at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

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💔 Night jasmine that disappears with sunrise: Parijat

• 💔 Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Parijat, Night Jasmine, Sad Tree or Tree of Sorrow... What secret is hidden in this flower?
• 💔 Parijat is a small tree or shrub from South Asia known for its intensely perfumed white flowers with bright orange centers that open at dusk and fall by dawn.
• 💔 What is Parijat famous for?

Mostly for its scent and stories - but locals also use it in traditional remedies. The flowers are beloved in temple garlands and perfumery. Leaves, flowers, bark, and seeds are used in Ayurveda for treating fevers, sciatica, arthritis, and more. Extracts also show anti-inflammatory and liver-protective effects in modern studies.
• 💔 Why do people plant Parijat?

It’s both fragrant and spiritual. Parijat is sacred in Hindu myth - some say Krishna brought it from heaven, others that it sprang from a grieving princess’s ashes. People plant it near temples or in small gardens not just for the scent, but for its cultural symbolism and graceful beauty.
• 💔 Is Parijat easy to grow?

Yes - if your climate cooperates. Parijat grows up to 10 feet tall, handles full sun or light shade, and thrives in well-drained soil with regular, moderate watering. It blooms best with monthly fertilizer and tolerates light cold (into the 30s F). In cooler areas, grow it in a container. Regular pruning helps it stay compact and flower more.

🛒 Plant Parijat - the tree smell like heartbreak and heaven

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Sacred perfume tree for small spaces: Parijat blooms with heartbreak and heaven
• ▫️Six most desired perfume plants
• ▫️Five best fragrant plants for summer plantings

#Perfume_Plants #Trees #Discover

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🐱 Count your age by friends

"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears." - John Lennon

🐈📸 Cats Bob and Cash are buddies at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

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🌷 Four best perennials that will bloom for you all summer

📸 Pictures for the previous post: Crossandra, Heliconia Lady Di, Plumbago, and Spathoglottis ground orchids.

🛒 Discover more flowering perennials

#Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden #Discover

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🌷 Four best low-growing perennials that bloom all summer

• 🌼 1. Crossandra


Crossandra is one of those plants that never really takes a break. Its ruffled orange blooms pop almost nonstop in warm weather, making it a reliable color source for borders, pots, or even as a filler around taller shrubs. Unlike many flowering plants that fade in midsummer, Crossandra keeps going through heat and humidity, thriving where others give up. It's compact, easy to trim, and works beautifully in small gardens or patios.
• 🌼 2. Heliconia psittacorum Lady Di


Heliconia Lady Di adds a tropical accent with its upright, torch-like blooms in fiery orange and yellow. What makes this variety practical is its manageable size compared to giant heliconias - it fits well in small gardens and large pots. Its flowers last long, both on the plant and as cut flowers, making it popular for summer arrangements. Once established, it keeps sending up flower stalks all season, giving a steady display of color and drama.
• 🌼 3. Plumbago


Plumbago is a gardener's friend in hot climates because it covers a lot of ground and throws out flower clusters all summer (sky-blue, white or red). It's versatile - train it as a shrub, hedge, or let it spill over walls and trellises. The flowers attract butterflies, and the plant is low-maintenance, tolerating pruning, sandy soil, and neglect. If you need a reliable plant to soften fences or add a cool color contrast to reds and oranges in the garden, plumbago is a winner.
• 🌼 4. Spathoglottis ground orchids

Ground orchids like Spathoglottis are practical because they give you the exotic look of orchids without the fuss. These hardy, clumping perennials send up spikes of purple, pink, or yellow blooms that last for weeks, repeating through summer in warm climates. They’re perfect for edging walkways or filling beds where you want constant color with minimal care. Unlike potted orchids that bloom once and rest, Spathoglottis keeps producing flowers right in the ground, almost year-round in frost-free areas.

🛒 Discover more flowering perennials

#Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden #Discover

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🍴 Papaya mint salad: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

• 
  🟢Cube ripe papaya into bite-sized pieces.
• 🟢Toss gently with fresh mint leaves, a drizzle of lime juice, and a pinch of black pepper.
• 🟢Chill before serving for a refreshing, lightly spiced tropical snack.



Papaya Mint Salad

Ingredients

• 1 ripe papaya, peeled and cubed
• Fresh mint leaves
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Cube ripe papaya into bite-sized pieces.
2. Toss gently with fresh mint leaves, a drizzle of lime juice, and a pinch of black pepper.
3. Chill before serving for a refreshing, lightly spiced tropical snack.

🛒Add Papaya trees to your garden

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Papaya

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👍 What makes happiness

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." - Charles Spurgeon

🐈📸 Marco the Cat at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

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🍆 10 reasons to grow this Indian secret tree - the miracle Fruit of the Gods you never knew about

• Sacred and secret Indian divine Berry - Jambolan (Syzygium cumini) - goes by many names: Java plum, Malabar plum, Black Plum, Jamun, Jaman, Jambul, Duhat, even Lilly Pilly! Which one do you know it by?
• Sweet-tart and healthy fruit. The tree is a heavy producer of juicy, sweet-tart black fruits that can be eaten fresh or turned into tarts, sauces, and jams. In Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, both the fruit and plant are valued for their powerful health benefits. The flavor is unique, with a mile herbal note (maybe Oregano?).
• A tree steeped in tradition. According to Hindu belief, Rama survived on this fruit during his 14-year exile, which earned it the title Fruit of the Gods. Lord Krishna himself is often described as having skin the color of jambul. In India, its leaves are still used to decorate marriage pendals.

♥️ Jambolan health and life benefits

• ▫️1. Fights diabetes - helps manage blood sugar naturally.
• ▫️2. Weight loss - low in calories, high in fiber, keeps you full and curbs cravings.
• ▫️3. Fiber-rich digestion aid - improves gut health, prevents constipation, and soothes indigestion.
• ▫️4. Vitamin C boost - strengthens immunity, brightens skin, and supports healthy hair.
• ▫️5. Controls heart rate and blood health - potassium regulates heart rate and blood pressure, while iron supports hemoglobin and circulation.
• ▫️6. Slows aging - loaded with antioxidants, it protects cells and supports vitality.
• ▫️7. Liver and kidney detox - traditionally used for cleansing and protection.
• ▫️8. Skin and oral care - helps with acne, blemishes, mouth ulcers, and freshens breath.
• ▫️9. Respiratory relief - eases coughs, asthma, and colds.
• ▫️10. Quick privacy screen! Here's what most gardeners don't realize: Jambolan is the ultimate low-maintenance, fast-growing tree with dense glossy leaves. It thrives in any soil, stays pest free, and in just a couple of seasons can grow into a dense, bushy privacy screen - perfect if you want quick shade, an ornamental barrier, or a living fence with health benefits that practically takes care of itself!

🛒 Plant Jambolan: shade, fruit, beauty, and health - all in one tree!

📚 Learn more:
The Divine Berry - large, bushy, exotic fruit tree in no time

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits

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🐱 Caught on camera: secret life of a beauty salon cat

"I spend half my life at the beauty salon. The other half I waste." - Dolly Parton

🐈📸 Niki's evening Spa routine at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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