Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 13 Nov 2022

Vietnamese Mickey Mouse Plant...
Hoa Mai - for good luck!

Ochna integerrima (thomasiana)

What is the yellow flower that brings good luck on Vietnamese New Year (Tet) Celebration? Why is it called Mickey Mouse Plant?

The most celebrated flower in Vietnam, Ochna integerrima, called in Vietnam Hoa Mai or Mai Vang, blooms profusely on the occasion of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Commonly known as Yellow Mai Flower (Hoa Mai literally means "yellow blossoms"), this plant is considered the quintessential symbol of Spring. In Southern Vietnam, Hoa Mai are some of the first plants to flower.
This plant is a must for exotic plant collection. It is a rather slow growing, medium size shrub that can be trained into miniature tree. In winter the plant is covered with pretty bright yellow flowers, believed to bring good luck and prosperity. They are followed by cute shiny black berries on bright red sepals that resemble the face of Mickey Mouse.

The plant is easy to grow and relatively cold hardy to light freeze. Start fertilizing your Hoa Moa plant right now through the Winter to encourage early blooms. Luckily, we have a perfect bloom booster liquid fertilizer that is safe to use year around, including Winter months: Sunshine Boosters MegaFlor!

Lunar year 2023 will be a year of the Cat on the Vietnamese zodiac, from January 22nd, 2023 to February 9th, 2024. Cat is the fourth sign in Vietnamese Zodiac, taking place of the Rabbit in Chinese Zodiac.

Get Hoa Mai plant for good luck!

Date: 10 Nov 2022

Fertilizing indoor plants in Winter

What is the best fertilizer for indoor plants?
Can I fertilize house plants in Winter?

The best fertilizer for indoor plants is liquid fertilizer Sunshine Boosters (TM). It is amino-acid based, natural, and is safe to use with every watering and year around. Unlike dry fertilizers that are not recommended to use during Winter, Sunshine Boosters formula is mild and scientifically balanced. Your houseplants will consume exactly as much nutrients as they need even during cooler months of less active growth. Sunshine boosters will not burn roots and won't create nutrient lockup (excessive salts that often caused by dry fertilizers). Sunshine Boosters is a perfect food for all kinds of plants, and different boosters available for different plant types (flowering, fruiting, even for orchids). Check out Sunshine Boosters selection.

Shop Sunshine Boosters

Grow Purple! In the photo: Arundina graminifolia - Bamboo Orchid, Bird Ground Orchid - Winter flowering orchid that grows in regular soil. These plants are in bloom right now, picture taken this week!

Date: 10 Nov 2022

Fragrant Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow
Brunfelsia from Brazil

Grow Purrrple! Purrrfect houseplant...

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...The magic of this flower is, Yesterday it opened deep purple, Today it changes color to pale lavender, and Tomorrow - will turn white!...
...One of the greatest features of all brunfelsias is shade tolerance. Most species prefer filtered light, stay happy and bloom indoors even in low light conditions; they are also great candidates for shade locations where other flowering plants may not bloom. They add a great color and fragrance to every shade garden...
CONTINUE READING >>

Read the story

Photo above: Brunfelsia pauciflora compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow - very compact grower, great for indoor garden.

Shop Brunfelsias

Date: 6 Nov 2022

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop
Grow Your Own Food

Exotic fruit, a cold hardy alternative to a Soursop

Not only tasty, this exotic fruit has the most unusual looks! This exotic beauty grows up to a pound and just look at these curious and life-like spines! We guarantee that everyone who sees this fruit in your garden will ask for seeds even before they taste the fruit. And you will have lots of seeds to share because Mountain Soursop is very reliable producer with many seeds in each fruit.
Mountain Soursop tastes similar to regular Soursop (better known as the Guanabana), with slightly milder flavor. The pulp is highly scented, with good aroma. It is eaten out of hand or can be used in milkshakes and smoothies. The fruit is softball sized with orange-yellow flesh, somewhat smaller and rounder than the regular Soursop. The tree is medium sized, with beautiful, large, leathery dark green leaves that emit a strong aroma when crushed.

How to grow Mountain Soursop?

Mountain Soursop is a very easy to grow, medium size exotic fruit tree that is great for beginners. This species is much more cold hardy than the Soursop, established trees can take temperatures a few degrees below freezing, tolerating cold spells down to 24F when full grown. Mountain Soursop tolerates a variety of soil types and will grow well in dry conditions. Trees produce within just 2-3 years from seed, like many Annonas, and can happily grow and produce in a large container.

Buy Mountain Soursop

Date: 3 Nov 2022

Plant Horoscope - Scorpio

What is your lucky Zodiac Plant?

By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Scorpio is the "hottest" among aquatic...
...Scorpio loves plants very much, they can provide invaluable assistance to this sign. Plants are able to calm Scorpio, transfer his attention and passionate energy to himself and transform it, directing it into a creative direction.... Scorpio is an aesthete. He loves flowers - unusual, bright, large - and lovingly grows them if he has such an opportunity. Their favorite plants, despite all their effectiveness, are often unpretentious and can grow in the most unfavorable conditions... Of particular importance in the sensual relationships of Scorpio with plants is the smell to which this sign is extremely sensitive. Aromas of some plants can affect Scorpio as an aphrodisiac...
CONTINUE READING >>

See Scorpio Lucky Zodiac Plants

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Vietnamese Mickey Mouse Plant... Hoa Mai - for good luck!