Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date:
What to do with a Dragon fruit?
Q: What can you do with Dragon Fruit? I bought some from the grocery store, but they don't have much flavor.
A: Dragon fruit, or Pitaya, comes in many varieties that differ in flavor, sweetness, and texture. In the store they usually carry simple varieties that are easy to ship and store but have very little flavor. This is why we prefer grow our own Dragon Fruit, same way like we grow many varieties of Mango - to enjoy their excellent flavors that you can't find in a store. Our favorite is the Yellow Dragon Fruit that is not only the sweetest of all but also have the best flavor, with pineapple-mango hint. It is best enjoyed fresh out of hand.
Yellow Dragon Fruit - Selenicereus megalanthus Equador Golden
Dragon Fruit Smoothie: simple and tasty recipe
Dragon fruit, regardless of variety, makes excellent smoothies. A perfect Dragon Fruit Smoothie can be made with a creamy blend of dragon fruit, mango, and banana. The tropical flavor is played up with a squeeze of fresh lime.
Ingredients
Mix in a blender:
2 dragon fruit, peeled
1/2 cup of mango pulp
- banana
1 cup of milk of your preference - tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Lime juce
Some Ice
-
Mint for decoration
Dragon fruit contains lots of of nutrients, most notably high vitamin C and iron. Its low calorie content helps give it superfood status because of high nutrient density. Try it today, even from the grocery store! Although these fruit can be quite costly. So, plant your own Dragon Fruit variety collection and enjoy an endless palette of deliciousness!
Date:
Year of the Dragon: Chinese or Vietnamese?
Q: Is Chinese New Year the same as Vietnamese Tat? I want to buy a Vietnamese Micky Mouse plant and I am wondering if this would be also a lucky plant for the Year of the Dragon?
A: Vietnam, as well as other parts of Asia, is celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, which falls on February 10. Vietnam and neighboring China share 10 of the zodiac calendar's 12 signs: the rat, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The Vietnamese traditional Tet market in Hanoi is covered in hues of red and gold, colors that represent good luck and fortune. One of the most significant plants is the golden-flowered Ochna. But there are several other plants associated with the Lunar New year, as well as Dragon Year.
Green Wooden Dragon has specific favorite plants, including all species of Dragon fruits, Lychee or First Dragon's Eye (Litchi sinensis), Longan or Second Dragon's Eye (Euphoria longana), Creeping Philodendrons, and the Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata).
Learn more:
Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). According to ancient Chinese manuscripts, the Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) is crucial for Dragons, as it is believed to be connected to their existence, guarding and complementing each other. Growing these plants is considered auspicious and is believed to safeguard the Dragon family.
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 Lunar New Year.
Date:
2/10/2024: Chinese Year of the Dragon
Q: What is the lucky plant for Chinese New Year 2024?
A: 2024 is the year of the Green Wooden Dragon
according to the Chinese calendar. It will be celebrated this year on Saturday,
February 10.
Dragon symbol is considered the most powerful in Chinese astrology,
representing energy, strength, and power.
The lucky plant of the year 2024, the Dragon fruit, steals the show with its striking red skin and juicy white flesh. Plates overflow with succulent slices of dragon fruit, its fiery red skin contrasting beautifully with the snowy white flesh speckled with tiny black seeds, symbolizing prosperity and abundance.
Dragon fruit comes in many varieties that differ in flavor, sweetness, and texture.
Date:
Privacy Hedges with Benefits
What's the numero uno question we get bombarded with at Top Tropicals Nursery? Well, it's a real head-scratcher:
Q: "...Can you recommend me a flowering privacy hedge to spice up my yard's life? My current hedge is just a green wall and I'm tired of the monthly trim routine. I need something lively, fast-growing, and unusual if possible. No plain old ixora, please!.."
A: After over two decades of being the go-to advice-givers, we thought, "Why not spill the floral beans and share our tropical wisdom?" But where to begin? The jungle of flowering ornamentals is vast, and picking the perfect shrub is like finding the missing piece of a gardening puzzle. So, in our new column "Hedges with Benefits" we're dishing on those not-so-average shrubs that'll not only prettify your patch but also bring some serious practicality. Today's lineup is -
Top Ten Winners:
Fast growing flowering shrubs
Below is the top selection of spectacular flowering shrubs that can create a nice hedge or a natural screen within just a couple of seasons.
Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree.
Grows super fast to a very tall dense hedge, and starts flowering right away. Full sun, very easy, not
fussy about soil or water. Winter bloomer.
Calliandra surinamensis - Powderpuff.
Pretty pink powderpuffs almost year around! Easy to prune.
Dombeya x wallichii - Tropical Hydrangea.
You can see this beautiful bush right at Top Tropicals gate. Winter bloomer, large lush leaves and huge, pink hydrangea-like blooms. Very large and fast growing, likes water, tolerates shade.
Acalypha hispida - Cat tail, Chenille plant.
All time favorite, everblooming with red cat tails! Full sun. Easy to control.
Hibiscus variegated Snow Queen.
Popular landscape bush with unusual look, red flowers over snow white variegation, very showy! Responds well to
pruning. Full sun.
Leonotis leonurus - Lions Ears.
Winter bloomer, great for low hedges. Covered with bright orange curious flowers,
medium sized, easy to control at 3-4 ft. Full sun.
Plumbago auriculata Imperial Blue
One of the most popular Southern hedge plants, everblooming with bright blue flowers, tolerant to drought, heat, and poor soils. Can be maintained short or tall (2-6 ft).
Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower.
Great for shady spots, winter bloomer with dark green leaves and unusual sky-blue flowers. Can be trimmed if needed. Nice and dense.
Clerodendrum paniculatum - Pagoda Flower. Happy in the sun or shade, easy plant. Loves water.
Tibouchina lepidota - Ecuador Princess, Jules Dwarf.
Sun or shade, blooms on and off throughout the year. Beautiful Purple
Princess!
Date:
Easy Sunday Morning Deals: Sweet Dragon or Sweet Cherry?.. Both!
Sweet Dragon or Sweet Cherry?.. Both!
Photo above: Biquinho Pepper (Capsicum annuum x chinense) - nipple-shaped bright orange to red fruits with unique flavor which packs quite a bang!
Not because of its heat, but because of its intense fruity habanero flavor!
Saving on your favorite plants is Easy. Easy like Sunday Morning...
This weekend we celebrate our Easy Sunday and Cyber Monday together!
So we've doubled your opportunity to Save AND we've added a second beautiful plant to help you save even more!
Take an extra day to enjoy your Easy stroll through Top Tropicals' Garden with savings of
50% OFF and MORE!
For two days only, you can easily get the sweetest variety of the Dragon Fruit and add a super rare variety of Tropical Black Cherry Lolita to your garden!
Both plants Easy Priced at $19, that's a savings of more than 50% from the regular $39 price!
Learn more about these plants:
Yellow Dragon Fruit
Selenicereus megalanthus - Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit
- is the best tasting Dragon Fruit in the world that is not only sweet, it
has a great flavor (unlike most Pitayas that are pretty watery).
These plants originated from Ecuador and are well-developed, multi-branched, as you can see from the photo.
Picture of the actual plants for sale:
Lolita Cherry
Eugenia uniflora - Black Surinam Cherry Lolita
- rare, hard-to-find black-fruited variety Surinam Cherry starts as red and turns black as it ripens.
It is very sweet and has exceptional flavor, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch, very juicy.
Reliable producer. The tree is upright, freely branching, cold hardy to upper
20's once established.
Plants are in 2 gal pots, well branched and ready to fruit next season.
Picture of the actual plants for sale:
You can save even more by using our Black Friday sales discount code on your order:
FRIDAY20 - 20% OFF - for orders over $200
FRIDAY15 - 15% OFF - for orders over $150
FRIDAY10 - 10% OFF - for orders over $100
Excluding S&H. Codes extended through Monday: 11/29/21
Remember, the special $19 prices are good for only 48
hours and expire Tuesday morning at 7 am EST.
Limited to availability, while supply lasts, hurry up!
Enjoy!
Date:
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Dragon Fruit Magic Tricks
Q: I purchased two sweet red pitayas, that arrived and were planted on May 28, 2020, they were damaged but not serious. my question is this one pitaya is a beautiful green, and has grown 6or 8 " already, the other is bigger and is a grayish green and has not shown any sign of growth at all in six weeks, how long do I wait before I throw it out and buy another?
A: Being a cactus, sometimes Pitaya slows down its growth waiting
for more favorable conditions. If one of your plants doesn't show any new
growth, just give a it some more time and make sure the plant stays happy. To
make pitaya happy, provide the following:
- Water. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya prefers regular watering (but not
a wet soil). Make sure it is planted in well-drained media. Do not water
again if soil remains moist, wait until it dries out on the surface. During hot
weather, Pitaya enjoys light daily watering.
- Light. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya benefits from a filtered light
especially while establishing. Try to create a temporary shade over the plant
until it starts active growth (if grown in the ground), or move the pot in
filtered light. Dull color or dry spots are signs of sun burn. Once the plant
shows new growth, you may remove sun protection, or move the pot gradually into
the full sun.
- Food. Pitayas are heavy feeders. Use the following fertilizer:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Q: I've been growing dragon fruit cuttings from Okinawa, Thailand and Vietnam for several years in pots and cannot get them to fruit. Any fertilizer suggestions? I live in Northern Virginia so I bring the massive pots in the garage under lights and a heater for the winter but back outside once the temperature warms up.
A: There is a little trick to get Dragon fruit to flowering and
fruiting. This plant likes flowering when it is attached to a strong support.
In commercial plantations, they use special trellises/frames made out of
logs, but you can make one yourself using simple materials.
See article: Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit.
And of course, don't forget a special plant food for tropical fruit - Sunshine C-Cibus.
You can successfully get your Dragon fruits to fruit in pots, providing
bright light in Summer. In Winter, keep the plants on a dry side to give them
some rest and a chance to hibernate before the next fruiting season.
Date:
How to grow a Dragon Fruit
Q: I want to grow a Dragon Fruit. Should I use cuttings or seed? What varieties do you recommend? How difficult it is to grow? How soon does it start flowering and fruiting?
A: Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya is a highly prized, vining, fruit bearing
cactus, extremely unusual terrestrial/epiphytic plant. It has magnificent flowers,
stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense color, curious shape, and a
delicious taste. The night blooming white flowers can be up to 14 inches in
length. The fruit is most often eaten chilled and cut in half so the flesh may be
spooned out. The juice is used in frozen drinks and it is in a new Tropicana
Twister flavor. It is a must have for any collector or gardener with the flair
for the unusual.
It takes 2-3 years for seedlings to fruit, besides the variety pay not
come true to seed. We grow our plants from cuttings that are easy to root.
We offer many selected varieties, most of them self-pollinating. The plants are
ready to flower and fruit this year, or the next year.
Dragon Fruit Cactus is easy to grow, doesn't need much other than strong
support, full sun, well-drained soil - adenium soil mix works great - and fertilizer during hot months, and SUNSHINE-Honey applications for growing sweeter fruit. For larger fruit
bud thinning is recommended.
Check out Dragon Fruit varieties
Date:
Easy compact bush for sandy soil
Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Red Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise.
Q: Can you recommend a flowering bush that will be in full sun and in sandy soil. I do not want it to exceed 10 feet.
A: For a garden specimen bush that is medium size and tolerates poor soils, we can recommend to choose from the plants below. These are all easy to grow, not fussy about soil and water, and stay compact and require minimal or no trimming at all.
Calliandra surinamensis - Powderpuff - 6-8 ft
Hibiscus
mutabilis Cotton Candy - Mallow Hibiscus - 5-6 ft
Dombeya seminole
- Tropical Rose Hydrangea 4-6 ft
Allamanda
schottii - Dwarf Allamanda Bush 3-4 ft
Brunfelsia
pauciflora Compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow - 4-5 ft
Calliandra
schultzii - Dwarf calliandra - 4-5 ft
Plumbago
auriculata Imperial Blue
Caesalpinia
pulcherrima - Red Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise - 2-4 ft
Hibiscus
schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus - 5-6 ft
Jatropha
integerrima compacta - 4-5 ft
Clerodendrum
bungei - Glory Bower - tolerates shade, 4-5 ft
Eranthemum
pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower (prefers shade) - 4-5 ft
Magnolia figo -
Banana Magnolia - small tree, 6-8 ft
Megaskepasma
erythrochlamys - Brazilian plume (tolerates shade) - 5-6 ft
Tibouchina
lepidota - Ecuador Princess, Jules Dwarf - 3-4 ft
Leonotis leonurus
- Lions Ears - 3-4 ft
Also, for your further reference, check out the reference chart Hedges with Benefits Chart to see different flowering bushes that are great for hedges as well as garden specimens, depending on your specific needs.
Megaskepasma erythrochlamys - Brazilian plume.
Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow.
Leonotis leonurus - Lions Ears.
Date:
Hedges
with Benefits
Reference Chart
Large and fast growing
Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree
Acacia farnesiana
- Sweet Mimosa
Calliandra
surinamensis - Powderpuff
Aloysia virgata
- Almond Bush
Dombeya x wallichii - Tropical Hydrangea
Cornutia grandifolia - African lilac
Gmelina
philippensis - Parrots Beak
Hibiscus
mutabilis Cotton Candy - Mallow Hibiscus
Senna alata -
Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant
Medium or easy-trim
Acalypha hispida - Cat tail, Chenille plant
Bauhinia galpinii - Pride of De Kaap
Cestrum nocturnum
- Night blooming jasmine
Dombeya seminole
- Tropical Rose Hydrangea
Gardenia thunbergia - Forest
gardenia
Hamelia patens - Fire Bush
Hibiscus variegated
Snow Queen
Jasminum sambac
Maid of Orleans
Ochna integerrima
- Vietnamese Mickey Mouse, Hoa Mai
Odontonema callistachyum - Lavender Butterfly Bush
Odontonema cuspidatum - Firespike, Red
Rondeletia
leucophylla - Panama Rose
Tecoma stans - Yellow Elder
Short or slow growing
Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant
Allamanda
schottii - Dwarf Allamanda Bush
Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow
Clerodendrum
incisum - Musical Note
Calliandra schultzii -
Dwarf calliandra
Gardenia
vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia
Leonotis leonurus
- Lions Ears
Neea psychotrioides - Pigeon Plum, Hoja de Salat
Plumbago auriculata Imperial Blue
Garden Specimens
Combretum constrictum Thailand, Ball of Fire
Caesalpinia
pulcherrima - Red Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise
Clerodendrum
quadriloculare - Winter Starburst
Euphorbia
leucocephala - Snows of Kilimanjaro, Pascuita
Gardenia nitida - Shooting Star Gardenia
Hibiscus schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus
Jatropha integerrima compacta
Kopsia fruticosa - Pink Gardenia
Malvaviscus x penduliflorus
Variegata - Summer Snow
Mussaenda philippica
x flava - Calcutta Sunset (Marmelade)
Plumeria pudica - Bridal Bouquet
Semi-Shade to Shade
Clerodendrum bungei - Glory Bower
Clerodendrum
paniculatum - Pagoda Flower
Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower
Clerodendrum
speciosissimum - Java Glorybower Mary Jane
Justicia carnea
- Pink Brazilian Plume, Jacobinia
Magnolia figo -
Banana Magnolia
Megaskepasma erythrochlamys - Brazilian plume
Thunbergia erecta - Kings Mantle
Tibouchina lepidota - Ecuador Princess, Jules Dwarf
Edible Hedges
Eugenia uniflora - Black Surinam Cherry Lolita
Camellia sinensis
- Tea Leaf
Hibiscus
sabdariffa - Flor de Jamaica, Karkade Sorrel
Laurus nobilis - Bay Leaf
Manihot esculenta
- Yuca Root
Nashia inaguensis
- Moujean Tea, Bahamas Berry
Sauropus androgynus - Katuk, Tropical Asparagus
Sauropus Variegata - variegated Katuk
Date:
New Video:
How to make a "Dragon Fruit" fruit?
Selenicereus megalanthus
Selenicereus megalanthus - Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit, is the best tasting Dragon Fruit in the world that is not only sweet, it has a great flavor (unlike
most Pitayas that are pretty watery). This particular species of Dragon fruit doesn't mind regular water and rains but is also
drought-tolerant.
In this video you will find out how to grow this plant and how to make it fruit.
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!
