Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Why this Elephant Ear is breaking the internet: the hottest houseplant of the year

• 🍀 This is Alocasia macrorrhiza Variegata - Variegated Elephant Ears - the tropical showstopper that collectors can’t stop talking about.
• 🍀 One look at those giant leaves splashed with creamy white and deep green, and you'll see why it's always sold out. Every leaf is different - some half white, some marbled like abstract art. Some leaves can be completely white!
• 🍀 Unlike most elephant ears, this one stays a bit more compact, which makes it perfect for a big decorative pot on a patio or shady corner. It still has that bold, jungle look but behaves better in containers.
• 🍀 Give it bright, filtered light, warmth, and humidity. Keep the soil moist but never soggy. The white parts of the leaves can burn easily, so skip harsh direct sun.
• 🍀 Here's a tip: if you see a solid green shoot, cut it off - it can take over and make the plant lose its variegation. That’s because this plant’s variegation is a chimera, meaning it can shift from leaf to leaf.
• 🍀 Feed it lightly during the growing season. The white parts can’t make food for the plant, so it relies on the green sections to do all the work. A little boost with Sunshine Robusta or Green Magic controlled release fertilizer help it stay balanced without overloading the roots.
• 🍀 This plant’s got everything: beauty, rarity, and a bit of mystery. No wonder it’s the one everyone wants to show off!

🛒 Get yours before it’s gone or add to wishlist

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️How can you use Elephant Ears?
• ▫️Charming Elephant Ears: Alocasia vs. Colocasia - which one is better?
• ▫️A Beautiful and Edible Delight: Colocasia antiquorum Illustris
• ▫️What to plant by the pond?
• ▫️Pharaoh Mask with stunning 3D effect
• ▫️Mojito Elephant Ears
• ▫️Colocasia vs Alocasia - what is the difference?

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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🍴 Surinam cherry salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Dice Surinam cherries (Eugenia uniflora) with red onion, cilantro, and lime 🍒🔴

Sweet, tart, and perfect for grilled fish 🐟

Surinam Cherry Salsa:

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced Surinam cherries (Eugenia uniflora)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Remove seeds and dice Surinam cherries.
2. Mix with onion, cilantro, and lime juice.
3. Add salt to taste and stir gently.
4. Serve chilled with grilled fish or chips.

🛒Plant Surinam Cherry: Red and Black (Lolita)

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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👽 Is it a tree dog or a flying alien?

Pelmen - a hairless Sphynx cat, with his famous "alien" look - is playing fetch.
Did you know that some cats actually play fetch too? Though usually on their own terms!

🐈📸 Cat Pelmen is a friend of TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

#PeopleCats

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💮 Surprising Miniature Gardenia

• Gardenia radicans - Dwarf Miniature Creeping Gardenia - can surprise even longtime gardenia fans. It has all the charm of the classic shrub - glossy green leaves, pure white flowers, and that unforgettable fragrance - but in a smaller, easier form.
• Natural bonsai. This little plant grows low and wide, staying under 1-2 feet tall and spreading up to 3-4 feet. It forms a dense mound or creeping groundcover that looks great along walkways or spilling from a pot. The leaves are tiny and shiny, giving it a neat, polished look all year.
• The flowers are about an inch across, double or semi-double, and smell just like the full-size gardenia. They bloom in spring and often return through summer, filling the air with perfume.
• Easier than other gardenias. Gardenia radicans isn’t as fussy as most gardenias. It can handle clay, sandy, or loamy soil as long as it drains well. Once established, it’s fairly drought-tolerant and can even handle some cold, down to around 15F in protected spots.
• Where to plant. It's perfect for small gardens, patios, or as a bonsai. You get the luxury fragrance of a gardenia without needing a big space. Use it as a groundcover, edging plant, or container specimen. It's one of those plants that stays tidy, looks refined, and keeps blooming. For anyone who loves gardenias but wants something compact and low-maintenance, Gardenia radicans is a great find.

🛒 Add unique Mini-Gardenia to your collection

#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden

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🍍King of Fruits that makes you healthy and happy

🍍 Everybody loves the Pineapple, but not everyone knows that this exotic fruit actually grows on a plant, Ananas comosus, a member of the Bromeliad family. Growing pineapple is easier than you may think, and sure to grab attention.
Pineapple can make you healthier.... and happy! Watch the video:

📱

🛒 Explore Pineapple varieties

#Food_Forest

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🔍 The eyes shout

"The eyes shout what the lips fear to say." - William Henry

🐈📸 Cat Georgie has impressive sea-green eyes. TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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How we turned an eyesore into a wall of flowers

• Quisqualis vine - Rangoon Creeper - Flamingo pink and fruity fragrance in one!
• Who said utility areas have to be ugly? Our Quisqualis indica - Rangoon Creeper - turned the roof of our water system into a wall of flowers! This shrubby vine covers itself in clusters of pink, crimson, and white blooms that change color as they age.
• The fragrance is sweet, fruity, and absolutely unforgettable. Every time we walk by, we can’t help but stop and smell the... creeper!
• Got a fence, trellis, or an eyesore to hide? This is your plant!

🛒 Plant Quisqualis today for a beautiful spot with perfume tomorrow

📚 Learn more:

• 💋Flamingo pink with fruity fragrance
• 💋Single flower variety
• 💋How to cover an ugly spot with a fragrance and and beauty, stop and smell the roses
• 💋You never have enough of this flower fruity fragrance

#Butterfly_Plants #Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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🍴 Blue butterfly pea lemonade: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔵Blue butterfly pea flowers (Clitoria ternatea) make an excellent lemonade!
• 🔵Brew the flowers into a blue tea, add a bit of lemon juice.
• 🔵Watch the color turn purple like magic!

Blue butterfly pea lemonade

Ingredients

• 🔵 A handful of blue butterfly pea flowers (Clitoria ternatea)
• 🔵 Hot water for brewing
• 🔵 Fresh lemon juice
• 🔵 Ice cubes and lemon slices for serving

Instructions

• 🔵 Steep blue butterfly pea flowers in hot water to make deep blue tea.
• 🔵 Cool and add a splash of lemon juice — watch the color turn purple like magic!
• 🔵 Pour over ice and garnish with lemon slices.

🛒Plant Clitoria vine for blue and purple exotic drinks

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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➕A single soul dwelling in two bodies

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." - Aristotle

🐈📸 Manx tailless cats Matilda and Timo - the Twins PeopleCats.Garden - different? But similar eyes!

#Quotes #PeopleCats

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🌿 What spice comes from the small dried flower buds of a tropical tree?

• 🌿 That would be Clove, from the tropical tree Syzygium aromaticum. The spice is actually the dried, unopened flower buds. They turn from pink to brown as they dry and release that powerful, warm aroma we associate with baking and holiday dishes. Cloves are native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands of Indonesia, and are still grown widely across the tropics. The clove tree is ultra-tropical and very challenging to grow outside the true tropics, which is why it’s so rare in plant collections.

📸 Photos 1-3.

🌿 Another spice with a similar story is Allspice, from Pimenta dioica, also known as the Jamaica pepper tree. Unlike clove, it comes from dried unripe berries, not flower buds, but it earned its name because its flavor tastes like a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg all in one! The Allspice tree is much easier to grow, as it isn’t as fussy as the clove tree - though still frost-sensitive. It's compact and easy to keep in a container. This tree brings joy to your life and spice to your kitchen right away, so you don’t need to wait for years for the fruit of your labor!
📸 Photos 4-5.

🛒 Explore tropical spice trees and edibles

#Food_Forest #Fun_facts

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