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...
CONTINUE READING >>
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 ofâ - get this
- 8000 dollars for a single fruit!..
...In conclusion, I will add the simple recipe for my personally favorite
go-to comfort food...
CONTINUE READING >>
Date: 23 Jan 2020
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Weasley the Immigrant
Weasley came from the neighborhood cat community (our neighbor takes
care of at least a dozen of cats). Whether TopTropicals dry food tastes better
than neighbor's, or simply he is such an enthusiast of tropical gardening, he
hangs out with us all the time.
When you see him in our Garden
Center drinking milk or chilling right on the walkway with other
PeopleCats, don't get him confused with other two ginger cats we have: Barcy and Snitch... as well as the Russian Blue cat with a similar name Wesley...
Although Weasley currently has a status of a legal immigrant, he feels
pretty confident around our greenhouses and will be happy to give you a tour. He
is still a volunteer here but has already applied for a permanent residence
and a full time position, so his food needs are being added to our cat
payroll.
When visiting TopTropicals nursery, feel free to add your donation to a Cat
Jar located in our office by customer's computer. We appreciate everybody's
help - every penny goes to PeopleCat's needs.
Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.
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!
