Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 2 Feb 2020

Compact Bonsai and Money Money...

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

Q: I am looking for a tropical plant to grow indoors as a bonsai which would naturally stay small, tolerate low humidity, and if possible also make flowers or something interesting. Any suggestions?

A: Better than anything, would be a particular variety of Euphorbia millii or Crown of Thorns, which Top Tropicals has exclusively introduced from Thailand, and is called - of all things - Money Money. (Those Thai seem to give their hybrids names which don't seem to make sense to us English speakers). I have one growing as a bonsai myself, and hold it with much esteem. It has all the qualities which you are hoping for...

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Date: 29 Jan 2020

Meet People of TopTropicals. Pea Cock of the Day: the Orchid Guard

Recently we started to reveal the secret about who works behind the scenes on TopTropicals project; you have already met our editors and their assistants: Marina with Tilda, and Alex with Sonya. Today's story is about a Magic Peacock who works in orchid greenhouse of Eleanor Wilks - our photographer and tropical plant journalist in New Zealand and Australia. The watermark EleNZ you see on pictures of Australian flora - is Eleanor's!
Today Eleanor is sharing with us pictures of this amazing bird that helps her around her Orchidarium.
This young Pea Cock showed up one day in her backyard from nowhere and set up his living quarters in a tree. She asked around: no one was missing a peacock... so she took the Pea in and now he is in charge of her orchid collection. After a day of a hard work, Pea comes home to the back porch, waiting for Eleanor to sing him a good-night lullaby. Pea won't go to sleep until everyone in the house is ready for bed and the lights turned off. What a responsible house guard!

Check out and more Cat of the Day stories.

Date: 29 Jan 2020

The most luscious Hospitality Fruit: Pineapple

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

I wonder how many people know that the Pineapple (Ananas comosus) was actually the very first New World tropical fruit to have been sampled fresh by European royalty? It happened 527 years ago, when one made it to Spain, being personally delivered to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella by Christopher Columbus... He had obtained a huge number of them, however only one actually survived intact and edible! That pineapple was instantly declared to be the most luscious wonderful fruit ever!..
...During the 1700s before the Revolutionary War, the overly monetarily intoxicated super-rich were actually paying a modern equivalent of⁠ - get this - 8000 dollars for a single fruit!..
...In conclusion, I will add the simple recipe for my personally favorite go-to comfort food...

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Pineapple plantation in Hawaii

Date: 23 Jan 2020

Datura: a fragrant treat for tropical or indoor garden

Q: A few years ago I purchased Datura from you and it was doing well. As a matter of fact I took cuttings and propagated new plants. Now they have markings on the leaves and I do not know what it is. Any remedy?

A: Generally, Datura is a bi-annual plant, unlike its close relative perennial Brugmansia that grows for many years. Which means, Datura is short-lived (2-3 years maximum for the same plant) although it seeds easily and is a very fast grower, reaching from seedling to 4-5 ft size in a matter of couple months.
At this time of the year, markings on the leaves may be a result of normal aging (the plant may already exhausted its natural cycle) in combination with a cool weather that affects the leaves and overall look.
Here at Top Tropicals we especially love this plant and keep up with propagating new plants every few months. Propagation may be by means of seeds or cuttings, but seeds are always better for stronger, longer-lasting Datura specimens. A lot of times you will notice little baby seedlings around the Mother plant, even if you think all seeds has been harvested.
Just continue growing younger plants from seeds, and Datura will always be with you in your garden to bring you joy of showy scented flowers. It makes a great houseplant too!

Read more about Datura...

Datura seeds always come in abundance and germinate easily