Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date:
HEALING POWER OF HERBS
The most effective herbs to help you sleep. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Nothing is worse than the feeling of lying awake, unable to sleep as the numbers on the clock edge closer and closer to morning. Perhaps like many others, you toss and turn with your mind racing, playing the events of the day over and over again. Maybe you fall asleep easily, but wake up shortly after and can't get back to sleep for the rest of the night. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Fortunately, there are natural alternatives to prescription sleeping pills that are just as effective but are far gentler on the body. The following article by Marilyn Reid takes a closer look at some of the best herbs to help you sleep. Reed more...
Mother's day discounts. Fruit tree is the best gift for your Mother. Take advantage of these generous discounts to make a good present!
15% for orders over $100 (excluding S&H): MOTHERS15
20% for orders over $200 (excluding S&H): MOTHERS20
Can't be combined with any other offers. Not valid for past purchases. Codes are valid through Mother's Day - Sunday, May 8, 2014
Date:
St. Patrick's Day Discounts
STPATRICK15: 15% off coupon (orders over $150 not including S&H. Plus, our usual 5% discount on top of that).
STPATRICK20: 20% off coupon (orders over $250 not including S&H. Plus, our usual 5% discount on top of that).
Enter discount code in shopping cart and click "recalculate".
Valid through end of the day Thursday, March 17, 2016.
Not valid for previously ordered items.
Date:
Forget the gym and get to gardening?
Fun workout? We never have enough time to go to the
gym or do an exercise so it's good to know that just doing something that you
love can give you a workout. We all know that when we are out in the garden
it gives us a bit of exercise but we do not realize how much exactly.
Research says that three hours of gardening can have the same effect as an intense
1-hour gym session. The study was carried out with a group of 100 gardeners who
were asked to monitor the amount of time spent doing a series of common
gardening tasks over a four week period. Gardening tasks that were monitored included weeding, digging, mowing the lawn, hedge trimming, trimming shrubs and trees,
raking, planting shrubs, and moving garden waste using a wheel barrow. Here are some facts and numbers:
- Just doing half an hour weeding can burn up to 150 calories and tasks that handle heavy electrical equipment such as hedge trimming will give you a good workout burning 400 calories per hour.
- Spending a day or five hours each week in the garden will burn up to around 700 calories
- Over a gardening season that works out at 20,000 calories per year, equivalent to running seven marathons
- The gardening hobby could help burn a million calories over a lifetime.
Calories burned with only
1 hour of:
340 cal - Chopping wood, splitting logs, gardening with heavy power tools, tilling a garden, chain saw. Mowing lawn, walk, hand mower. Shoveling by hand.
272 cal - Carrying, loading or stacking wood, loading/unloading or carrying lumber, digging, spading, filling garden, composting, laying crushed rock or sod. Clearing land, hauling branches, wheelbarrow chores.
238 cal - Operating blower, walking. Planting seedlings, shrubs, trees, trimming shrubs or trees, manual cutter. Weeding, cultivating garden.
224 cal - Raking lawn, sacking grass and leaves
136 cal - Picking fruit off trees, picking up yard, picking flowers or vegetables. Walking, gathering gardening tools.
102 cal - Walking, applying fertilizer or seeding a lawn
34 cal - Watering lawn or garden, standing or walking
Radio Top Tropicals Live
Webcast upcoming event: Saturday May 20, at 11 am EST.
Topic: Come Ride My Peninsula! Discusses the REAL Florida. Our plants, the Everglades, how all of the wonderful plants Top Tropicals has to offer are grown in South Florida.
Our Host Robert Riefer - Internationally Certified Crop Adviser and Weed Scientist - answering all your gardening questions.
Listen to Radio Top Tropicals, every
Saturday, at 11 am EST! You may use our website radio player DURING AIR TIME. To ask questions using live chat, you need to log in
at Mixlr.com or simply
call our office 239-887-3323 during air time!
If you missed a live webcast, you may listen to recording by following Showreel item link.
Check out our upcoming radio shows and get your gardening questions
ready!
Date:
Our sales, news and updates
Radio Top Tropicals Live Webcast upcoming event: Saturday February 18, at 11 am EST.
Topic: WEED OR WONDER PLANT?
We will explore plants considered invasive species, or weeds, here in Florida, and reveal interesting and not-so-well-known facts about them.
1) Schinus terebinthifolius - Brazilian Pepper, or Florida Holly. This species is essential for migratory birds, bears, and other critters. Berries are used in China for medicine. Used as a spice in Italy, as well as here in the US.
2) Phyllanthus amarus - Seed on the leaf. A scourge of nurseries, it may yet lead to the cure of Hepatitis B & C.
3) Melaleuca leucophylla - Punk tree, Paper tree. One of the finest trees for raising of epiphytes. Tiger Balm brand ointment is made from these trees. An excellent timber source as well.
Our Host Robert Riefer - Florida State Certified Crop Adviser, and Weed Specialist - answering all your gardening questions.
Listen to Radio Top Tropicals, every Saturday, at 11 am EST! You may use our website radio player DURING AIR TIME and see the pictures of plants we are talking about. To ask questions using live chat, you need to log in at Mixlr.com or simply call our office 239-887-3323 during air time!
If you missed a live webcast, you may listen to recording by following Showreel item link.
Check out our upcoming radio shows and get your gardening questions ready!
New Article: Aphrodisiacs of the plant world.
Last Saturday, the topic of our Webcast was Plants of Love - Aphrodisiacs (click to listen to recording).
Today, we are introducing an article by Kristi, our Meet the Gardener host - Aphrodisiacs of the plant world.
Date:
New Video. Radio Top Tropicals.
New Video: 10 plants that will make you happy, Plant #2 - Candle Tree.
We continue your series about Ten Plants That Will Make You Happy. Today's story is about Candle Tree... one of the most fascinating ornamental and fruit trees in cultivation. This unusual plant will be a conversation piece of your plant collection. Happy candles will help you to cope with a cold and will definitely make you happy.
Visit our Facebook, YouTube Channel and stay happy!
Check out this video: 10 plants that will make you happy. Plant #2 - Candle Tree.
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what's fruiting and blooming!
Radio Top Tropicals - every Saturday 11 am! Introducing Radio Top Tropicals. Our first live webcast last Saturday was a success.
The topic was Plants of Love - Aphrodisiacs.
The webcast followed our Valentine's Day local sale.
We are extending this sale for 2 days, from local customers, to those who live in other states. Hurry up and take advantage of this generous 25% off on Plants of Love - Aphrodisiacs! Sale ends end of Valentines day, Tuesday, February 14.
Our next air time: Saturday February 18, at 11 am.
Topic: WEED OR WONDER PLANT?
We will explore plants considered invasive species, or weeds, here in Florida, and reveal interesting and not-so-well-known facts about them. Our Host Robert Riefer - State Certified Crop Adviser, and Weed Specialist - answering all your gardening questions.
Listen to Radio Top Tropicals, every Saturday, at 11 am! You may use our website radio player DURING AIR TIME and see the pictures of plants we are talking about. To ask questions using live chat, you need to log in at Mixlr.com or simply call our office 239-689-5745 during air time!
Check out our upcoming radio shows and get your gardening questions ready!
Date:
Forget the gym and get to gardening?
Calories Burned Gardening
Fun workout? We never have enough time to go to the gym or do an exercise so it's good to know that just doing something that you love can give you a workout. We all know that when we are out in the garden it gives us a bit of exercise but we do not realize how much exactly. Working out in the yard is a healthy hobby for many reasons, the high number of calories burned gardening being one of them. When you do this kind of physical labor, you carry out a wide variety of movements that most definitely burn calories, and may even tone. The best part about it in terms of physical activity is that if you enjoy yard work at all, you aren't watching the clock or counting down the minutes until you are done (the way that many people do while they are on a treadmill). You can easily spend a whole afternoon or an entire day working without feeling as though you are putting yourself through a mentally grueling workout. Finding physical activities that you enjoy are key to maintaining a healthy weight throughout your lifetime, and this hobby is a perfect example of that scenario for many people.
Research says that three hours of gardening can have the same effect as an intense 1-hour gym session. The study was carried out with a group of 100 gardeners who were asked to monitor the amount of time spent doing a series of common gardening tasks over a four week period. Gardening tasks that were monitored included weeding, digging, mowing the lawn, hedge trimming, trimming shrubs and trees, raking, planting shrubs, and moving garden waste using a wheel barrow. Here are some facts and numbers:
- Just doing half an hour weeding can burn up to 150 calories and tasks that handle heavy electrical equipment such as hedge trimming will give you a good workout burning 400 calories per hour.
- Spending a day or five hours each week in the garden will burn up to around 700 calories
- Over a gardening season that works out at 18,772 calories per year, equivalent to running seven marathons
- The gardening hobby could help burn a million calories over a lifetime.
Calories burned with only 1 hour of:
340 cal - Chopping wood, splitting logs, gardening with heavy power tools, tilling a garden, chain saw. Mowing lawn, walk, hand mower. Shoveling by hand.
272 cal - Carrying, loading or stacking wood, loading/unloading or carrying lumber, digging, spading, filling garden, composting, laying crushed rock or sod. Clearing land, hauling branches, wheelbarrow chores.
238 cal - Operating blower, walking. Planting seedlings, shrubs, trees, trimming shrubs or trees, manual cutter. Weeding, cultivating garden.
224 cal - Raking lawn, sacking grass and leaves
136 cal - Picking fruit off trees, picking up yard, picking flowers or vegetables. Walking, gathering gardening tools.
102 cal - Walking, applying fertilizer or seeding a lawn
34 cal - Watering lawn or garden, standing or walking
Sources: DailyMail, CalorieLab, FitnessBlender.
Date:
Butterfly Garden from Anna Banana
Butterfly facts
1. There are approximately 20,000 different species of
butterflies, the largest of which is the Queen Alexandra
Birdwing with a wingspan of 11 inches.
2. Female butterflies can lay over 1000 eggs during their
short lifetime.
3. Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants which usually
hatch within a few days, then turning into caterpillars.
The caterpillar will then eat until it sheds it's skin
several times, called instars, finally emerging from the
chrysalis as a beautiful butterfly.
4. Butterflies are born to breed, their goal being to mate
and begin the cycle again. Most live only a few days
except the Monarch which can live up to six months.
5. Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico every fall and
remain there until spring when they make the return
migration.
6. Due to the continuing destruction of the rain forests,
where the largest population of butterflies are found,
their numbers are dwindling. We encourage you to plant a
butterfly garden!!
Remember:
- A sunny, less windy location is best, however, Zebras
love to float in the shade of bushes and trees.
- The more host and nectar plants you have, the more
butterflies will be attracted to your garden.
- Butterflies "puddle". They like a wet sandy area where
they congregate and sip minerals and nutrients from the
wet sand and water.
- Rocks to rest and enjoy their beautiful garden, and
don't forget a bench or hammock for yourself.
FREE butterfly garden guide from Anna Banana
For our local Florida customers, it is a perfect time now
to start a garden with plants for butterflies that will
appear first thing in Spring. Establish these plants now
for the Spring blooms that will attract the Beauty into
your garden!
Stop by our Garden Center to check out our Butterfly Plants display, or
simply call Anna Banana for a free consultation on
Butterfly Garden at 239-771-8081.
Hurry up while butterfly plants are on 4-day sale!
Date:
Plants of Love. TopTropicals Webinars
Plants of Love - Valentines Day Sale. For Valentines day, look beyond roses for a plant that will last a lifetime! It is not a surprise that the most popular plants that has been ordered from TopTropicals for Valentines day for the past 3 years, are: Vanilla, Chocolate, Grape, Strawberry tree, Rose apple - all things you get for your Valentines!
This year we are celebrating Valentines day with our special local event - "Aphrodisiacs, or Plants of Love".
When: Saturday, February 11, 2017, from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Toptropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft Myers, FL 33905
Agenda:
10:00 am - Explore the grounds: Customers can come in to look through the nursery and guided tours through gardens.
12:00 pm - Aphrodisiac plants. Class on plants used for aphrodisiacs throughout history.
1:00 pm - Plant giveaway. Must be present to win one of the aphrodisiac plants in lecture.
2:00 pm - sale ends.
Special Love Discounts for local visitors! Snacks and drinks.
Just a few examples of the most famous plants of love that we will be talking about -
Coffea arabica - in East Africa and Arabia it was a sacred beverage to African sufis. For aphrodisiac results mix in cardamom and honey.
Banisteriopsis caapi, Ayahuasca - giant liana from tropical Amazon forests psychedelic, ritual inebriant that promotes potency. Drink is made from the bark and is taken in love rituals to revive the mythical past of the tribe.
Areca catechu, Betel Nut - seeds have stimulating effect on the entire body and eros. It's a traditional aphrodosiac in Ayurvedic medicine and is counted among the eight types of pleasure in the Brahmanic tradition. It has magical and religious properties and used as an offering to the Gods.
Theobroma cacao, Chocolate - mild stimulant, beans contain aphrodisiac. Antient Indian "recipe of chocolati" will be shared at the event! Cocoa was considered the "food of gods".
Cinnamon - in Southern Asia used as stimulant, in food or massage oil for erotic stimulation.
Cola nitida, Cola nut - used in love magic, was used as currency in W Africa.
Cananga odorata, Ylang-Ylang - increases eroticism with oil inhaled. Prescribed to treat impotency and frigidity.
Butea monosperma, Flame of The Forest - is traditionally used to manage male sexual disorders.
Mimosa pudica, Sensitive Plant - significantly increases the libido and hormonal levels of testosterone.
Satureja Viminea, Kama Sutra Mint Tree - used for love gel...
- and much more!
TopTropicals Webinars. Welcome to Top Tropicals Webinar! Discover the world of Rare Plants and surround yourself with a Tropical Paradise! Our plant experts will be answering your garden questions. Our next LIVE air time is just before Valentines Day - Saturday February 11, at 2 pm ET, with a topic of... of course, Aphrodisiac Plants! Get your questions ready!
Date:
December Fest on Dec 10, mark your calendars!
Topic: Edible landscape. 10:00am - 2:00pm. Agenda:
Class @ 11:00am by Robert Riefer. How to keep pests off of maturing fruit.
Class @12:00pm Super foods by Zoe Merring. Benefits of Soursop, barbados cherry, goji, moringa. Benefits and recipes.
Discounts on all edibles
Prize giveaways at 12:00pm and 2:00pm (must be present to win)
20% off After-Cyber-Monday sale! Now that everybody is done with shopping for monitors and speakers, it is time to get some happy stuff! 20% off on all fruit trees, 1 day only! Enjoy your shopping and get the plants you always wanted at a low price!