Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍷 An intelligent man

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend his time with his fools.” - Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

🐈📸 Mr B the cat planning his evening at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

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🌳 Five small tropical trees that bloom for you all summer

📸 Pictures for the previous post:

• ▫️Bauhinia madagascariensis - Red Butterfly Orchid Tree
• ▫️Brugmansia - Angel Trumpet
• ▫️Caesalpinia - Pride of Barbados, Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise
• ▫️Hamelia - Fire Bush
• ▫️Plumeria pudica - Bridal Bouquet

🛒 Check out tropical flowering trees

#Trees #Discover

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🌳 5 small tropical trees that bloom all summer or year around

• 🌳 1. Bauhinia madagascariensis - Red Butterfly Orchid Tree. A rare small tree with scarlet blooms patterned like butterflies, highlighted with golden stripes at the petal bases. It grows fast, adapts to containers, and brings vivid color all summer.
• 🌳 2. Brugmansia - Angel Trumpet - Large, pendulous trumpet flowers make Brugmansia unforgettable, especially when they release their sweet fragrance at night. It flowers in cycles all summer, perfect for moon gardens and patios.
• 🌳 3. Caesalpinia - Pride of Barbados, Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise. This small tree explodes with bright red, orange, or yellow blooms all summer, like fireworks in the garden. It's drought-tolerant, fast-growing, and makes a bold focal point.
• 🌳 4. Hamelia - Fire Bush - is a pollinator favorite, covered in clusters of fiery orange-red blooms from spring through fall. Compact and easy to trim, it thrives in poor soil while attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.
• 🌳 5. Plumeria pudica - Bridal Bouquet

Unlike most plumerias, Bridal Bouquet keeps blooming all summer without resting. Its pure white flowers, neat form, and adaptability to pots make it an excellent patio or garden tree.

🛒 Check out tropical flowering trees

#Trees #Discover

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🍑 Where did her tail go?!

🐾 How tailless is a tailless cat?
Matilda is Manx - a tailless cat. She says she doesn't miss it a bit as long as there is food on the table!

Manx cats are a charming breed known for their lack of tails. Originating from the Isle of Man, they have a rich history and delightful personalities.

🐈📸 Learn why Matilda is tailless from this touching story: Timo and Matilda - Manx cats

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✍️The secret to abundant dragon fruit harvests

🔴 Dragon fruit (Pitaya) thrives when it's fed regularly. For the best results, use Sunshine C-Cibus, a complete liquid fertilizer made for fruit trees. It is gentle enough to apply with every watering, all year long, and it gives your plants the steady nutrition they need to set more flowers and produce bigger harvests.

🛒 Order Sunshine C-Cibus liquid plant booster

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit #Fertilizers

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🌵 Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

• 
  🍉 Pitaya and Dragon Fruit are the same plant!

Both names refer to climbing cacti in the genus Hylocereus. The word pitaya is more common in Latin America, while dragon fruit is the name used in Asia and English-speaking countries. They come in different types: white-fleshed (Hylocereus undatus), red-fleshed (Hylocereus costaricensis), and yellow-skinned (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus). All share the same growth habit and care needs. Pitaya or dragon fruit - whichever name you use, it's one of the easiest exotic fruits to grow at home.
• 
  🍉 How to grow Dragon Fruit

• ▫️Get a desired variety or start from a cutting - let the cut end dry for a few days before planting to prevent rot.
• ▫️Plant in well-draining soil with lots of sun.
• ▫️Give it a strong support to climb on - it's a vining cactus.
• ▫️Water deeply but let the soil dry between waterings.
• ▫️Flowers open at night and need pollination - some types are self-fertile, others need cross-pollination.
• ▫️With care, you can enjoy fruit in 1-2 years. Remember to ferilize!

🍉 Dragon fruit varieties

• 
  🔴 ⚪️ Red skin, white flesh (Hylocereus undatus) - The most popular type, and the biggest fruit. Mildly sweet, refreshing, and often compared to a kiwi crossed with a pear.

Varieties: David Bowie, Delight, Hana, Lake Atitlan, Seoul Kitchen, Vietnamese Jaina, Hana
• 
  🔴🔴 Red skin, red flesh (Hylocereus costaricensis) - Sweeter, juicier, and more intense in flavor. The deep red juice can stain, but it’s loaded with antioxidants.

Varieties: American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Eureka Red, Costa Rican Sunset, Mac Edwin, Halleys Comet, Mac Edwin, Makisupa, Mega Red, Physical Graffiti, Sweet Red
• 
  🔴🟣 Red flesh, purple/magenta flesh (Hylocereus x costaricensis) - Hybrids, usually between red and white varieties.

Varieties: Cosmic Charlie, Edgar's Baby, Halleys Comet, Natural Mystic, Physical Graffiti, Purple Haze, Tricia, Voodoo Child, Zamorano

🟡⚪️ Yellow skin, white flesh (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus) - Smaller fruit, but the sweetest of all. Crisp, juicy, and tropical with notes of pineapple or honey.
Varieties: Amarilla (Kirin), Colimbiana, Godlen Dragon, Palora, Thai Gold (Hawaiian)

Each type looks stunning and tastes slightly different, but all are easy to grow once you give them sun, support, and patience.

🛒 Explore and collect Dragon Fruit varieties

📚 Learn more:

• · How to grow Dragon Fruit from a cutting - Quick Guide
• · How to grow Dragon Fruit 📱
• · Planting your own Dragon Fruit plantation
• · Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit
• · Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden
• · Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: Dragon fruit
• · What does Dragon Fruit Flower look like?
• · Why you need to grow your own dragon fruit
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
• · What to do with a lot of Dragon Fruit

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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🍴 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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