Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date:

Who thinks this is an Eggplant? Do you? What is it? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Who thinks this is an Eggplant? Do you? What is it?

🍆 Who thinks this is an Eggplant? Do you? What is it?

Correct answer: Avocado Red Russel.

🛒 Shop Avocado Varieties

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

#Food_Forest #PeopleCats #Nature_Wonders

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

Shocking content: flowers with lady's parts used for making tea. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Shocking content: flowers with ladys parts used for making tea

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Lavender

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Lavender

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea White double flower

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea White double flower

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue Double flower

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue Double flower

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea White

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea White

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue Tea

Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea Blue Tea

Shocking content: flowers with lady's parts used for making tea...

Now that you've met the Sausage Tree, it's time to introduce you to Clitoria...
  • 💙 Clitoria ternatea - also called Butterfly Pea, has distinctive, delicate blooms resembling certain anatomical features... These curious flowers have the shape of clitoris - hence the name of the plant.
  • 💙 Nature's Wink: the Clitoria vine boasts these beautiful sexy flowers in vibrant shades of blue, white, or purple. They’re an absolute showstopper!
  • 💙 Herbal Benefits: beyond its looks, the clitoria flower is known for its traditional uses as a herbal tea, including stress relief and cognitive support. The flowers also used in salads. The plant is both pretty and practical!
  • 💙 Blue Tea is a caffeine-free herbal tea, or Tisane - a beverage made from a decoction or infusion of the Clitoria flower. This stunning blue tea changes color with a squeeze of lemon 🍋 - science and beauty in your cup!⛾
  • 💙 In Thailand and Vietnam the Blue Tea is mixed with honey and lemon for a drink served after dinner, or as a refreshment at hotels and spas; a preparation called Nam Dok Anchan in Thai.
  • 💙 Pollinator's Paradise: Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators can't resist Clitoria's allure 🐝
  • 💙 Easy to grow: Clitoria vine is a gardener’s dream. It is very delicate, fine vine that is both fast growing and easy to control. It can cover a small fence, trellis in a few months. It is also great for containers - this vine will grow just the way you want it.


📚 Learn more about Clitoria and its Tea Infusion

🛒 Get your own Clitoria Vine for fun and Blue Tea

#Nature_Wonders #Recipes #Fun_Facts
#Remedies #Butterfly_Plants #Food_Forest

🏵 TopTropicals

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Craving a Mojito? Beat the Summer heat with Mojito Elephant Ears! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Craving a Mojito? Beat the Summer heat with Mojito Elephant Ears!

Colocasia sculenta Mojito

Colocasia sculenta Mojito

Colocasia sculenta Mojito

Colocasia sculenta Mojito

Mojito

Mojito

Colocasia sculenta Mojito

Colocasia sculenta Mojito

🍹 Craving a Mojito? Beat the Summer heat with Mojito Elephant Ears!

Colocasia sculenta Mojito, a spectacular variety of Elephant Ears, is a must for a rare plant collection:
  • 🐘 Striking variegation: bold, mottled leaves in shades of green and dark purple, reminiscent of a refreshing mojito!
  • 🐘 Large, impressive leaves: massive, heart-shaped leaves that create a dramatic and tropical look.
  • 🐘Versatile: thrives in both sun and partial shade, making it adaptable to various garden locations.
  • 🐘 Water-loving: ideal for bog gardens, ponds, or as a stunning addition to water features.
  • 🐘 Container friendly: perfect for pots and containers, allowing you to bring its tropical charm to patios and balconies.
  • 🐘 Fast growing: quickly establishes, providing lush foliage and rapid visual impact.
  • 🐘 Low maintenance: minimal care once planted, making it a great choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners.
  • 🐘 Heat and cold tolerant: performs well in warm climates. During cool winters, leaves may die back and regrow in Spring.
  • 🐘 Edible tubers: produces edible corms (roots) that are a staple in many cuisines, adding a functional aspect to its beauty.
  • 🐘 Unique garden accent: an eye-catching focal point or accent plant.


🛒 Get some Mojito for your garden

#Nature_Wonders #Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What does a dragon taste like? Does Dragon Fruit come from a monster cactus? Learn why you need to grow your own. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What does a dragon taste like? Does Dragon Fruit come from a monster cactus? Learn why you need to grow your own

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya trees on trellis

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya trees on trellis

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya on trellis

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya on trellis

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya red fruit

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya red fruit

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya purple fruit

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya purple fruit

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya Yellow Parlora

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya Yellow Parlora

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya flower

Hylocereus and Selenicereus Dragon Fruit or Pitaya flower

🐲 What does a dragon taste like? Does Dragon Fruit come from a monster cactus? Learn why you need to grow your own. 🌵
  • 🔴 You may have tried a Dragon fruit from the store l, but do you know how it grows? On a cactus tree!
  • 🔴 Names: varieties of Hylocereus and Selenicereus - these fruit bearing cactus plants are also called Dragon Fruit or Pitaya.
  • 🔴 Commercially grown fruit sold in a grocery store may be tasteless. You need to grow your own good variety to have tasty, sweet, flavorful fruit!
  • 🔴 Dragon fruit comes in many varieties. Colors of flesh differ: white, pink, dark red and even purple. The outside of the fruit can be red/pink or yellow.
  • 🔴 In commercial groves, Pitayas grow like cactus trees, over a strong support - big "umbrella frames" ☂️
  • 🔴 It is an easy plant, with low water needs, takes both sun and semi-shade.
  • 🔴 Our favorite variety is Yellow Dragon Fruit Palora, (Selenicereus megalanthus). It is the sweetest and has the most flavor of all. We shared some recipes earlier.
  • 🔴 Can be grown in container with a wooden trellis. And the flower is beautiful, too!


📚 Learn more about Dragon Fruit
🍹 Recipe: What to do with a Dragon fruit?

🛒Grow your own Tasty Dragon Fruits

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Nature_Wonders

🏵 TopTropicals

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Why nuts? We are not nuts! But we taste like peanut butter. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Why nuts? We are not nuts! But we taste like peanut butter

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Bunchosia argentea, Peanut Butter Tree

Why nuts? We are not nuts! But we taste like peanut butter... Craving a Nutty Surprise? Meet the Delectable Peanut Butter Tree!
  • 🔴 Bunchosia argentea, commonly known as the Peanut Butter Tree, earns its name from its fleshy fruits that boast a delightful peanut butter flavor - how cool is that?
  • 🔴 This attractive small tree dazzles with clusters of yellow flowers, followed by an abundance of dark red fruit with rich, sweet flesh reminiscent of peanut butter.
  • 🔴 Loved by both kids and adults, this exotic fruit is as fascinating as the Miracle fruit, making it a rare gem in cultivation.
  • 🔴 Compact in size, small tree reaching only 10-15 ft or kept as a bush, it's a perfect choice for limited spaces.
  • 🔴 Can thrive indoors, starting to fruit within just 2-3 years from seed.


🛒 Get your own Peanut Butter Tree

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders

🏵 TopTropicals

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What is Jaboticaba? It sounds so cool! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is Jaboticaba? It sounds so cool!

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit on a tree

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit on a tree

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit

🍇 What is Jaboticaba? It sounds so cool!

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) is the most popular native fruit of Brazil that famous Brazilian Vine La Vino Tinto is made of!🍷
  • 🟣 Grape-like purple fruit with a thick skin and delicious melting pulp somewhat resembling Northern Black Currant in flavor.
  • 🟣 Trees grow very slowly and due to small leaves and dwarfish growth habit are often used as bonsai. Some old bonsai specimens can fruit.
  • 🟣 Larger specimens are very valuable because it takes Jaboticaba up to 7 years from seed to start fruiting.
  • 🟣 Similar to Mamey, Jaboticaba has cauliflorous fruit - that grow on main stems or woody trunks.
  • 🟣 Jaboticaba is relatively cold hardy, mature trees are taking down to 23 F for short periods without serious damage.


🎥 Video about a mail ordered Jaboticaba tree.

🛒 Shop Jaboticaba trees

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is this spiny Hedgehog fruit and how does it taste? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is this spiny Hedgehog fruit and how does it taste?

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop, Hedgehog Annona

What is this spiny Hedgehog fruit and how does it taste?

👀 This is one of the coolest looking tropical fruit!

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop or Hedgehog Annona. It is also called Wild Custard Apple, Guanabana de Monte, or Wild Soursop.
  • 📍 This fruit is prized for its deliciously sweet and tangy fruit, reminiscent of a blend between pineapple and strawberry. It tastes similar to regular Soursop (or Guanabana), with slightly milder flavor. The pulp is highly scented.
  • 📍 The fruit, up to a pound, has the most unusual looks! Just look at these curious Hedgehog spines!
  • 📍 The tree is medium sized, with beautiful, large, leathery dark green leaves that emit a strong aroma when crushed.
  • 📍 Mountain Soursop is much more cold hardy than the Soursop, established trees can take some frost, down to 24F when full grown.
  • 📍 Trees produce within just 2-3 years from seed, like many Annonas, and can happily grow and produce in a large container.


👨�‍👧 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.

🛒 Order Hedgehog Annona

📚 Learn more about Hedgehog Annona

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Nature_Wonders

🏵 @TopTropicals

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Why exotic Mamey fruit is so much wanted? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Why exotic Mamey fruit is so much wanted?

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

Pouteria sapota, Mamey Sapote

🍊 Why exotic Mamey fruit is so much wanted?

Pouteria sapota, or Mamey Sapote - is Cuban favorite. It is considered by Cubans to produce the best fruit in the world.

🍹 The fruit has delicious bright orange soft flesh, sweet and pumpkin-like in flavor. The Mamey fruit is eaten fresh, in milk shakes and ice cream.

👀 Mamey has a curious growth habit: flowers emerge in clusters in the axils of fallen leaves along the branches, followed by the showy fruit. This is called cauliflorous - plants that flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks. Other examples are Cucumber tree and Jaboticaba.

🌳 Mamey is a slow growing, compact tree, but needs some space to spread the branches. It normally grows 20 ft in height and 20 ft wide.

🛒 Order Mamey Tree

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Nature_Wonders

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

How to grow the biggest fruit on Earth. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to grow the biggest fruit on Earth

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

🍐 How to grow the biggest fruit on Earth.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is one of the most fascinating tropical fruit, as we showed earlier.
  • 👉 In spite of reputation being ultra tropical, the tree is not as cold sensitive as everyone believes. Mature trees can withstand light frost for a few hours without significant damage. Keeping Jackfruit in a pot is also an option in colder areas.
  • 👉 The fruit is so large and heavy that the tree has a smart feature to produce only at the base of the trunk. This makes it possible to keep Jackfruit tree at very short height - 6-7 ft tall. It can be grown in containers considering regular topping/pruning.


🔻 Secrets of Jackfruit successful production:
  • 📍 Frost free temperatures
  • 📍 Soil rich of organic matter (compost, manure, peat moss)
  • 📍 Moist soil and regular watering
  • 📍 Constant pruning and keeping under 7-10 ft
  • 📍Regular application of fertilizer, microelements and SUNSHINE-Honey supplement for better quality fruit.


🎥 Videos: of the fruit and of the tree

🛒 Shop Jackfruit trees

#Food_Forest #How_to #Nature_Wonders

JOIN 👉 @TopTropicals

Date:

Why this Akee taste of deliciousness always follows me? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Why this Akee taste of deliciousness always follows me?

Akee fruit, Ackee

Why this Akee taste of deliciousness always follows me? Definitely the favorite fruit (it's actually a vegetable).

Can't wait for the next crop this year 😼

📖 Fun Fact: Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is a key ingredient in the traditional Jamaican dish, ackee and saltfish. However, it must be properly ripened and cooked due to its toxic properties when unripe.

‼️ Check out our previous post about Akee.

📚 More about Akee

🎥 YouTube Recipe: How to cook perfect Akee?

🛒 Grow your own Akee tree

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders #Recipes #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals
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