Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Mulberry Care and Growing Tips

Mulberry fruit on a plate

Mulberries are tough, low-maintenance fruit trees that adapt to many conditions.

  • Climate: Hardy from USDA zone 5 to 10.
  • Soil: Grow well in almost any soil; prefer good drainage.
  • Watering: Regular watering during dry spells; drought tolerant once etablished.
  • Growth: 3–5 feet per year, producing fruit early.
  • Pruning: Annual pruning controls size and improves branching.
  • Pot culture: Dwarf types thrive in containers, staying 6–7 feet tall. Use a large pot, water consistently, and prune lightly. Use Abundance potting mix for best results.
  • Fertilizer: For reliable production, fertilizer regularly. Apply Sunshine C-Cibus liquid booster with every watering, or Green Magic controlled release fertilizer every 5-6 months.

❓ Mulberry FAQ


How soon will a mulberry fruit?

One to two years, sometimes the very first season.

What climates are suitable?

USDA zones 5–10, from -20F winters to hot summers.

How tall do they get?

Standard trees 20–30 ft; dwarfs 6–10 ft in pots.

Do I need more than one tree?

No, they are self-pollinating.

What do they taste like?

Sweet and juicy, like a blend of blackberry and raspberry.

How long is the harvest?

Everbearing types ripen gradually from summer into fall.

Do birds eat them?

Yes, but trees are so productive there’s plenty to share.

Are they messy?

Dark-fruited varieties can stain; white mulberries do not.

Can I grow them in containers?

Yes, dwarf types (Dwarf Everbearing, Issai) fruit well in pots.

How long do they live?

Many live for decades; Illinois Everbearing can endure for generations.

What are the health benefits?

Mulberries are low-glycemic, support healthy blood sugar, improve heart health, and are rich in antioxidants.

Shop Mulberries

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🍇Mulberries – the hidden gems of every garden

Picture this: it’s July, the sun is warm, and you step outside to a tree dripping with berries. You reach up, and your fingers come away stained purple. The taste? Like blackberries kissed with raspberry — sweet, juicy, unforgettable.

Collage of mulberry varieties - Illinois Everbearing, Dwarf 
Everbearing, Shangri-LA, White Mulberry, Pakistani Giant, Issai, Florida 
Giant

That’s what a Mulberry gives you. And the best part? You don’t wait years. Many trees fruit the very next season. Dwarf types can even fruit nearly year-round in pots — fresh berries on your patio, without leaving home.

🌟 Varieties gardeners swear by:

Collage of mulberry varieties - Illinois Everbearing, Dwarf 
Everbearing, Shangri-LA, White Mulberry, Pakistani Giant, Issai, Florida 
Giant

In the photo above: mulberry varieties - Illinois Everbearing, Dwarf Everbearing, Shangri-LA, White Mulberry, Pakistani Giant, Issai, Florida Giant

Mulberries aren’t just delicious — they’re loaded with antioxidants, help balance blood sugar, and make your garden come alive with birds and shade. Don’t wait another season. Plant your Mulberry now and taste the difference by next summer.

Watch short videos:

💲 Special Offer – 20% off Mulberry Trees!

Get 20% OFF already discounted Mulberry Trees with code

MULBERRY2025

Min order $100. Excluding S/H, valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires September 23, 2025!

👉 Shop Mulberry Trees

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How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

Fruit of Mulberry Tree (Morus x Alba hybrids)

Fruit of Mulberry Tree (Morus x Alba hybrids)

Mulberry fruit

Mulberry fruit

🍇 How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes
  • 💜 Mulberry Tree (Morus x Alba hybrids) originated from China. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit but very few people are aware of its amazing health benefits.
  • 💜 Mulberry fruit can lower blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes. They improve the absorption of carbohydrates in the gut. Eating this fruit slows the breakdown of sugar in the stomach so that it's absorbed more slowly into the blood. This helps the body keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.
  • 💜 Mulberry fruit have a low glycaemic index, making them suitable to consume after meals to avoid spikes in sugar levels.
  • 💜 More health benefits of Mulberry:

  • - help prevent fatty liver diseases, and lower cholesterol levels.
    - Mulberry leaves show their benefits against cardiometabolic risks, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity
    - Due to flavonoids and other phytochemicals, Mulberry juice has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, specifically against breast cancer cells.
  • 💜 Mulberry is called Tree of Life for a reason.

  • Revelation 22, Verse 2: "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
  • 💜 Mulberry Tree is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Dwarf cultivars available - perfect for container culture. One of them is called Dwarf Everbearing - it fruits virtually year around!


🛒 Plant your own Mulberry tree

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

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What are the best Mulberry varieties. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What are the best Mulberry varieties

White Mulberry

White Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Shangri-La Mulberry

Dwarf Everbearing or Dwarf Issai Mulberry

Dwarf Everbearing or Dwarf Issai Mulberry

Pakistanu Mulberry

Pakistanu Mulberry

White Mulberry and Shangri-La Mulberry

White Mulberry and Shangri-La Mulberry

Florida Giant Mulberry

Florida Giant Mulberry

💗 What are the best Mulberry varieties

Muberries are very cold hardy (to hard freeze, up to zone 6), tough trees that take poor soils and grow well in almost any conditions once established.

💬 #Fun_Facts: Did you know that mulberries belong to the same plant family with Jackfruit?

The Best Mulberry Varieties for Your Garden:
  • 🐾 Dwarf Everbearing and Dwarf Issai - Compact, container-friendly varieties perfect for small spaces. These dwarf trees (6-10 ft tall) are disease and drought resistant, with multiple crops year-round, even from the first year! Ideal for patios and small yards..
  • 🐾 Florida Giant - A vigorous, fast-growing tree with large, heart-shaped leaves and long purple-black fruits bursting with a sweet-tart flavor. This beauty grows up to 6-10 ft per year and thrives as far north as zone 6, despite its name.
  • 🐾 Shangri-La - A modest-sized tree with giant leaves and plump, sweet-tart berries. Originally from Florida, it's heat, drought, pest, and disease-resistant. Ripens from April through summer, bringing both beauty and bounty to your garden.
  • 🐾 White Mulberry - Produces medium-sized, super-sweet white fruits without a hint of tartness. This productive tree makes a mess-free option since the fruit doesn't stain. Ideal for fresh eating or drying.


📚 Learn more about Mulberries from previous posts:
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

🛒 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest

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Why gardeners say this is the best Mulberry ever. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Why gardeners say this is the best Mulberry ever

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry - Morus alba x rubra

💗 Why gardeners say this is the best Mulberry ever
  • 🍇 Illinois Everbearing Mulberry (Morus alba x rubra) is a recent discovery we’re excited to share. It may be the best variety we’ve grown, and if you only plant one mulberry, this should be the one.
  • 🍇 Very hardy and adaptable. Illinois everbearing is a cross between the white and red mulberry, and it seems to have inherited the best qualities of both. It is suitable for USDA zones from 5 to 10! It survives -20F and even colder, yet it also thrives in heat and poor soils. That wide adaptability makes it one of the most dependable fruiting mulberries for many regions.
  • 🍇 Quick shade, quick fruit, long season. The tree grows fast, about 3 to 5 feet a year, turning into a 20 to 30 ft shade tree in just a few years. It has a long, everbearing harvest season and early start: some people have even had fruit the first year after planting. The berries are about an inch and a half long, shaped like stretched out blackberries. They ripen steadily through summer, not all at once, which is why it is called everbearing. That means you can walk out and pick handfuls from July right into September.
  • 🍇Delicious and abundant. The flavor is what really sets it apart. Sweet, juicy, with a little tang, many gardeners say it is the best tasting mulberry they have had. You can eat them fresh, dry them, or cook them down for jam. Birds love them too, so you may end up sharing. But there will be enough for all: it produces abundant yields of 15 to 25 pounds per tree by year two or three.
  • 🍇 Easy to grow. It is a low maintenance tree, generally free of pests and diseases. Once established it is easygoing.
  • 🍇 Universal and long-lived. Plant it for the fruit, plant it for the shade, or plant it for the wildlife it draws in. Its foliage is also attractive, with deeply carved, oak-like leaves that add ornamental value to the tree. Illinois everbearing is not just a productive tree, it becomes part of the rhythm of your summer garden. While most mulberries live a few decades, some Illinois Everbearing trees may endure much longer with good care.


🛒 Pick your Mulberry tree

📚 Learn more:

📱 Dwarf Everbearing Mulberry

#Food_Forest

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Mulberry yogurt swirl: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Mulberry yogurt swirl: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

Mulberry yogurt swirl

Mulberry yogurt swirl

🍴 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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How to have fruit year around: Everbearing Mulberry. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to have fruit year around: Everbearing Mulberry

Everbearing Mulberry

😎 How to have fruit year around: Everbearing Mulberry
  • 🍇Mulberry is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit.
  • 🍇The fast growing tree or bush will produce right away, you will see fruit the next year after planting, or even the same season!
  • 🍇Mulberry trees take poor soils and grow well in almost any conditions once established.


📚 Mulberries from previous posts:
What are the best Mulberry varieties
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

📱 High quality video in next post ⤵️

🛍 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest #How_to

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🎀 Five plant gifts she'll love this Mother's Day

Q: My mother loves gardening and I am thinking to buy her a live plant to make her happy. What plant do you recommend?

A: At Top Tropicals, we have a big selection of wonderful gift plants . Below are a few suggestions for you, these plants are large, developed and ready to bloom or fruit!

1. Joy Perfume Tree

Magnolia (Michelia) champaca, Joy Perfume Tree, Champaka

The Champaka or Joy Perfume Tree (Magnolia champaca) - is a top choice for Southern landscapes, prized for its striking columnar shape and fragrant, fruity bubble gum-scented blooms - you won't be able to stop sticking your nose in this flower! A signature plant at Top Tropicals, it's known for producing the world's most expensive perfume, Joy. The Joy Perfume Tree blooms on and off year-round and is currently in full bloom at our farm in Sebring, FL, filling the air around with fantastic sweet scent. This tree thrives in both pots and the ground, growing bushy and full as it matures. At Top Tropicals, we have beautiful Champaka trees in all sizes, from 3-4 ft tall (ready to bloom in a year) to 6-10 ft tall (already bloomed) for local pick up or delivery.
Learn more, with a short video.

2. Tropical Raspberry Mysore

Raspberry Mysore Tropical, Rubus albescens (niveus)

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens) - is the perfect solution for those missing Northern fruit in hot climates. Unlike traditional raspberries that can't handle the heat, this fast-growing Raspberry from India thrives in humid, hot conditions and produces juicy, sweet fruit almost year-round! The clusters of purple-black fruit are packed with flavor, and the plant is perfect for large containers, producing plenty of fruit in no time. Cold-hardy to the upper 20s F, it's an easy-to-grow, fast producer. We have beautiful, fruit-ready 3 gal Raspberry bushes, ready to add a burst of sweetness to your garden!
Learn more, with a short video.

3. Fragrant Jasmine Sambac

Jasminum 
sambac

Jasminum Sambac is widely regarded as the most fragrant jasmine, cherished by tropical gardeners and plant collectors alike. Native to India, this jasmine is the source of jasmine perfume oil and the signature ingredient in jasmine tea. With various varieties offering unique flower sizes, shapes, and growth habits, it’' perfect for both sun and shade, thriving as a container plant or indoor favorite. Its delightful fragrance fills the air, and with the help of Sunshine Pikake plant booster, you can enjoy even more blooms. Jasmine Sambac, along with Champaka, is another signature plant of Top Tropicals. Through the decades, we've collected all the available varieties in cultivation - check them out!
Learn more about Jasmine Sambac varieties, with a short video.

4. Everbearing mulberry

Mulberry tree Dwarf Everbearing (Morus 
sp.)

The Dwarf Everbearing Mulberry (Morus sp.) - is the perfect way to enjoy fruit year-round! This beautiful, cold hardy bush produces sweet, juicy mulberries starting from the very first year - often the same season you plant it. With its dwarf habit (easily maintained at 4-6 ft), it's perfect for containers and small spaces. Cold-hardy and drought-resistant, this productive plant thrives in various climates, from USDA zones 5 to 10! The fast-growing Mulberry will provide fruit year-round, and with minimal care, it will flourish in almost any soil. Our Everbearing Mulberry bushes produce enough fruit for both birds and breakfast - we pick a handful every day!
Learn more, with a short video.

5. Medinilla Coral Spike

Medinilla scortechinii - Orange Coral Spike

Rare Medinilla scortechinii - Orange Coral Spike - is a rare gem that brings a touch of the ocean to your garden! With bright orange stems bursting into star-shaped blooms, it looks like something straight from a coral reef. Compact and easy to grow, this plant stays under 2-3 ft tall, making it perfect for pots, hanging baskets, or as an epiphytic accent. The glossy dark leaves contrast beautifully with the vibrant orange panicles, and it thrives in bright shade. A must-have for collectors of unusual tropical plants, this coral spike adds a bold pop of orange wherever it grows - but hurry, it doesn't stay in stock for long!
Learn more, with a short video.

Date:

What is fruiting right now? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is fruiting right now?

Mulberry

Mulberry

❤️ What is fruiting right now?

😎 it's Mulberry season! Some varieties have already ripened, while others are just about to. At Top Tropicals garden we're competing with the birds to see who gets the first fruit, but honestly, there's plenty for everyone! These trees are very cold hardy and highly productive.

📚 Mulberries from previous posts:
What are the best Mulberry varieties
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #7. Mulberry
How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

🛍 Shop Mulberry varieties

#Food_Forest

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date:

Top ten fast-fruiting trees

Cat fruit in a box

Q: I would like to plant several fruit trees... I am 85 years old and hope to see them fruiting soon. What fruit trees can you recommend that will fruit quickly?

A: Most grafted fruit trees, such as Mango, Avocado, and Peaches, will fruit quickly - often within the same year or the next. There are also many wonderful tropical fruits that will produce for you within a year or two, even without the need for grafting. Below are the top 10 of most popular, most rewarding and easy to grow fast fruiting tropical trees:

1. Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple.

Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple

Annonas are the fastest fruiting trees: 2-3-4 years from seed to fruit, depending on species. They are the best tropical fruit trees suited for container growing, due to their small height and can be maintained within 6-8 ft tall.

2. Guava (Psidium sp.): Cattley and Tropical guava

Guava fruit - Psidium

Guava is a reliable producer, starts fruiting in a pot at small size. Some varieties, especially Cattley guavas - Psidium littorale - are relatively cold hardy and can take some frost without damage. Guavas are fast growing small trees or large bushes.

3. Eugenia - Tropical Cherries

Eugenias - Tropical Cherries

Eugenias are favorites of Southern gardens. They are relatively cold hardy and start producing right away. Black Surinam Cherry Lolita and Grumichama are our favorites!

4. Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

Barbados Cherry - Malpighia glabra

Another exceptional tropical cherry is Barbados Cherry. It is super popular as a heavy producer. The plant can start fruiting when it's only a few inches tall! If you are looking for a compact, but fast growing tree with colorful fruit that starts fruiting right away - plant Barbados Cherry. It will also happily fruit in containers.

5. Eriobotrya (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat - Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat tree is fast-growing, drought-tolerant, cold-tolerant, compact tropical fruit tree. It is a heavy producer. Fruits are juicy, aromatic, and resemble apricots. Ripen from early Spring to early Summer. Ideal for small gardens, beginner fruit tree growers.

6. Papaya (Carica papaya)

Papaya

Papaya is probably the fastest fruiting tree that can start production the same year from planting a seed. Many dwarf varieties available in selection, reaching only 6-8 ft tall, but producing large crops of full size fruit - they are easy to harvest. Plant 2-3 Papaya trees of different cultivars that fruit at different times of the year and enjoy heavy crops of healthy fruit year around! Another benefit - this tree doesn't take much space in the garden, you can plant as many as you want.

7. Mulberry (Morus hybrids)

Mulberry

Mulberry is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit. The tree will produce right away, you will see fruit the next season after planting, and the tree grows fast.

8. Carambola - Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola)

Carambola - Starfruit, Averrhoa carambola

Growing Carambola tree is a fun and rewarding way to enjoy this unique star-shaped delicious fruit right at home. It fruits on the 3d year from seed. The tree is easy to grow and reliable producer, providing wind protection.

9. Blackberry Jam Fruit (Randia formosa)

Blackberry Jam Fruit - Randia formosa

Blackberry Jam Fruit, Jasmin de Rosa is a curious small evergreen tree or bush that combines features of a fragrant flower and delicious dessert fruit which tastes like fresh Blackberry jam. Fragrant white flowers are similar to Gardenia.

10. Peanut Butter Tree (Bunchosia argentea)

Peanut Butter Tree - Bunchosia argentea

Peanut Butter Tree, earns its name from its fleshy fruits that boast a delightful peanut butter flavor. Compact in size, small tree reaching only 10-15 ft or kept as a bush, it's a perfect choice for limited spaces. Can thrive indoors, starting to fruit within just 2-3 years from seed.