Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Who do you think is winning?

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

🐈📸 Cats Bob and Cash always have a plan at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden 

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❌ What flowers do NOT attract bees?

Most tropical flowers bring in pollinators, and bees are usually first in line. But what if you’d rather avoid them? Maybe you’re allergic, or just don’t want bees buzzing around. Good news: some flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, or even flies - but not bees.

• 👉 Quick rules:

• ✔️ Night-blooming + strong fragrance = moths or bats, not bees.
• ✔️ Red tubular flowers with little scent = hummingbirds or butterflies, not bees.
• ✔️ Rotten or fermented smell = flies, not bees.
• ✔️ Carnivorous plants = trap insects, no bee nectar.

1. Night-blooming, fragrant - moth and bat flowers

Bees forage by day, so many night-fragrant flowers skip them.

• ▫️Brugmansia - Angel’s Trumpet - big, hanging blooms, moth and bat pollinated.
• ▫️Cestrum nocturnum - Night-blooming Jasmine - powerful night scent, moths only.
• ▫️Hylocereus Dragon Fruit - huge cactus flowers, bats and moths.
• ▫️Brunfelsia - Lady of the Night - sweet fragrance at dusk, no bee interest.


2. Hummingbird and butterfly flowers

Bees don’t see red well. Tubular reds, oranges, and yellows usually go to birds and butterflies.
• ▫️Hibiscus - hummingbirds and butterflies visit, bees less so.
• ▫️Heliconis and Gingers - designed for hummingbird beaks, bold tubes are for birds, not bees.
• ▫️More good picks: Ruellia, Sanchezia, Aeschynanthus, Aphelandra, Anisacanthus, Cuphea, Fuchsia, Iochroma, Justicia, Lonicera, Hamelia, Russelia, Odontonema, Tecomaria, Bougainvillea.


3. 🐱 Fly-pollinated oddballs

Some flowers smell bad to us but irresistible to flies.
• ▫️Amorphophallus (Voodoo Lily) - rotting meat scent.
• ▫️Tacca (Bat Head Lily) - spooky black flowers, fly-pollinated.
• ▫️Stapelia (Carrion Flower) - also fly-pollinated.
• ▫️Aristolochia (Pelican Flower) - giant, bizarre fly-traps.


4. 🌸 Specialized orchids

Not all orchids rely on bees. Many use moths, butterflies, or beetles instead.
• ▫️Vanilla orchid - its natural bee pollinator is absent in most regions, so no bee appeal elsewhere.
• ▫️Brassavola nodosa and others - open at night for moths, not bees.


5. 🕷 Bonus: carnivorous curiosities

Carnivorous plants don’t offer nectar. They trap insects instead, so bees stay away.
• ▫️Nepenthes (Pitcher Plant) - uses pitchers of liquid to lure and digest insects.

These flowers keep the beauty, fragrance, and wildlife appeal - but without making your garden a bee hotspot.

🛒 Explore butterfly attractors

#Butterfly_Plants #How_to #Discover

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🍴 Mulberry yogurt swirl: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

• 🔵Layer fresh mulberries with plain yogurt and a drizzle of honey.
• 🔵The berries bleed into the yogurt, creating a natural tie-dye effect.

Mulberry Yogurt Swirl

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh mulberries
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Layer fresh mulberries with plain yogurt in a glass.
2. Drizzle with honey on top.
3. Let the berries bleed into the yogurt, creating a natural tie-dye swirl.

🛒 Discover Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🍷 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

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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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