Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries! Feijoa Superfood
Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Feijoa sellowiana
Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Feijoa sellowiana
- Feijoa is certainly one of the easiest fruit trees to grow as it does not require much care.
- Feijoa is an attractive, evergreen large shrub that produces lovely edible flowers and fruit.
- The fruit is eaten fresh, added to smoothies, fruit salads, used to make delicious jam (that tastes like Strawberry Jam on steroids!), and wicked chutneys.
Feijoa fruit go a long way in flavor!
📚 Learn more about Feijoa
🛒Grow your own Feijoa
#Edible_Forest #Guava
TopTropicals.com
We Grow Happiness
Longevity Spinach Superfood Recipes: how to make healthy food delicious
Can healthy food taste delicious?
Healthy Longevity Spinach... It tastes like... spinach? You can add it to your salads, but let's face it, you can only eat so much of a salad. So try it cooked - you will be so surprised and want to eat it every day!
🍳 Eggs with Longevity Spinach
You will need:
🌿 Longevity Spinach or Okinawa Spinach: 2 handfuls
- 1 cup Bacon (optional), sliced or chopped, or: 2 tbsp Olive or vegetable oil
1 large Onion, sliced in semi-rings
1 sweet pepper, red or yellow, sliced
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped (optional, to taste)
5-6 eggs
1 cup ground beef or turkey/chicken (optional), or mushrooms
½ cup shredded cheese (regular or Parmesan)
salt and pepper to taste
🌶 Sweet Chile Sauce (optional. Tastes great with this dish!)
- 🍷 a glass of your favorite wine or cocktail to enjoy your dinner
Preparation time: 10 min
Makes dinner for 2
Open detailed recipe
🛒 Order Longevity Spinach
#Edible_Forest #Recipes
TopTropicals.com
We Grow Happiness
How to learn the Truth about fertilizers
Spring is here and so is the time to give your plants more food for active growth!
❓ How to decide which fertilizer to chose with so many of them on the market? The basic idea is -
❗️ All fertilizers and good for plants, because it's food!
But like with every food in must be in right time, right kind, and right amount.
Basic types of fertilizers:
❇️ Controlled-release fertilizer is coated and release nutrients slowly and constantly within labeled amount of time (3-6-12 months). Good for stepping-up and transplanting.
❇️ Slow release granulated fertilizer breaks down quickly, especially in the heat, and should be used as a top-dress only occasionally (for example, to green up a plant quickly).
❇️ Liquid fertilizers are the most efficient in a long run. They make plants strong, resistant, healthy and productive, slowly but surely building up energy in their system. This is why all professional food farms, from veggies to hemp, stick to liquid plant food.
We suggest Sunshine Boosters, they are safe to use with every watering and year around. Their formulas are natural (based on organic amino-acids) and great for edibles.
🛒Get your plants some food
#Edible_Forest #Fertilizers #How_to
TopTropicals.com
We Grow Happiness
What are the health benefits of Gardening?
Therapeutic effect of gardening is not just a modern discovery. Throughout history, various cultures have recognized the mental and physical benefits of gardening...
🏺 In ancient Egypt, physicians prescribed walks through gardens for patients struggling with mental health issues.
🕯 During the Middle Ages in Europe, monastery gardens were designed not only for sustenance but also for meditation and relaxation.
🔮 Gardening has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while promoting relaxation and a sense of well-being.
😅 The physical activity involved in gardening also provides exercise, contributing to overall health.
🌳 So, whether you're tending to a small indoor herb garden or cultivating a vast outdoor plot, the act of gardening can be a powerful tool for both mental and physical wellness.
🛒 Shop tropical spice plants and herbs
#Edible_Forest #Remedies
🏵 TopTropicals
How to get a HUGE crop
🍝 Your answer is SUNSHINE C-Cibus - eco-friendly concentrated nutrition booster for fruiting plants.
🟢 Helps to produce strong growth, high yield, larger fruit size.
🟢 Improves quantity and quality of flowers and ability to set fruit. Encourages profuse blooming and reduces bud-flower-fruit drop.
🟢 Can be used as often as with every watering and year around.
🟢 Scientifically-balanced stable formula is organic Amino-acid based and has NO EDTA chelators to eliminate nutrients lockup; it does not affect crop taste.
🟢 Great for edibles! Based on Organic Amino Acids.
🟢 Pollinating insects friendly!
🐞🐝
🛒Get food for your Grape Vines
#Edible_Forest #Fertilizers #How_to
🏵 TopTropicals
Do you know what is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world?
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Answer:
#Edible_Forest #Nature_Wonders
TopTropicals.com
We Grow Happiness
Tamarind
Tamarind fruit - Tamarinus indica
Tamarind fruit - Tamarinus indica
Tamarind flowers - Tamarinus indica
🍲 Tamarind Chutney Recipe
Ingredients:
- · 1 cup tamarind pulp
- · 1 cup water
- · 3/4 cup brown sugar or jaggery
- · 1 tsp each of ground cumin, ginger, and coriander
- · 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- · Salt to taste
- · Simmer tamarind pulp and water.
- · Strain, return to heat, and add sugar.
- · Stir in spices and salt.
- · Simmer until thickened.
- · Cool and store in the refrigerator.
Instructions:
🛒Grow your own Tamarind Tree
#Edible_Forest #Fun_Facts #Recipes
🏵 TopTropicals
Date:
Bauhinias: trees with Orchid Flowers
and Butterfly Wings...
Photo above: Bauhinia variegata - Purple Orchid Tree, one of the most spectacular varieties.
Q: We just moved to Florida and I see these beautiful trees with large purple flowers. I was told these are Orchid trees, do you have them?
A: Bauhinias, commonly known as Orchid trees, are renowned for their captivating flowers and unique foliage. These trees typically grow to a moderate height of 15-25 feet with a spread of 10-15 feet, showcasing a rounded to vase-like shape. Thriving in hardiness zones 9-11, they exhibit resilience to heat and can withstand mild frost. There are over 300 species of Bauhinia, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. These species vary in characteristics such as size, foliage, and flower color, contributing to the diversity and appeal of this genus. You can find them as trees, shrubs, and even vines.
Bauhinias are evergreen (in tropics) to semi-deciduous (in cooler climates), offering year-round beauty with intermittent blooming cycles. The peak bloom time varies depending on the species and location, often occurring in late winter to early spring, bedecking the tree with striking orchid-like flowers in hues ranging from white and pink to purple and red. The flowers boast delicate petals with intricate patterns, resembling the elegance of true orchids.
One of the distinguishing features of Bauhinia leaves is their unique bi-lobed or bilobed structure, which gives them a distinct appearance. The leaves are deeply divided, typically into two lobes or halves, hence the common name "Butterfly tree" due to their resemblance to butterfly wings. This characteristic is often used as an identifying trait for Bauhinia species. The bilobed leaves add to the visual appeal of the tree, contributing to its ornamental value in addition to its beautiful flowers.
Photo above: Bauhinia monandra - Napoleons Plume, starts flowering in small size. This one is very beautiful but the most cold sensitive and should be grown in pots in areas with winter freeze. It will happily bloom in container!
Low-maintenance by nature, Bauhinias require minimal upkeep. Annual feeding with a balanced fertilizer enhances growth and flowering. Pruning is generally optional but can be done in late winter or spring, after flowering, to maintain shape or remove dead or damaged branches. These trees thrive in full sun, preferring well-drained soil. With their enchanting blooms and easy care requirements, Bauhinia orchid trees are a delightful addition to any landscape, and a colorful specimen for tropical winter gardens.
In addition, Orchid trees grow fast and provide excellent shade. They can make a shady spot in your garden in no time, giving relief from the hot sun. This is really valuable, especially in places where it gets very hot. So, not only are Orchid trees pretty to look at with their lovely flowers, but they're also great for keeping you cool!
Read more about Bauninias:
Bauihnias: Orchid trees with Butterfly flowers... and leaves
Photo above: Bauhinia x alba (candida) - White orchid tree, the most cold hardy variety that can take light freeze once established.
Photo above: Bauhinia purpurea - Purple Orchid Tree, one of the most popular and easy trees in Southern landscapes.
Date:
When Bigger means Better
Everybody loves shopping online nowadays, and plants are no exception. Buying plants by mail order is not uncommon anymore; it only takes one click, and luckily, there are many sources - from big shopping malls like Amazon to small backyard nurseries that sell their seedlings on eBay or Facebook - all delivered to your door. But plants are alive... So when doing your online plant shopping, you must ensure that you fully enjoy your experience and are happy with a healthy plant that a) doesn't die; b) recovers quickly; and c) starts growing fast, so you can see flowers and fruit as soon as possible.
The rule of thumb for shipping plants: bigger plants undergo shipping better, experience less stress, less leaf drop, and recover quicker than plants with smaller root systems. So when it comes to buying plants online, the bigger, the better. Unfortunately, many mail-order plant sources may sell you a tiny twig that has very few chances of surviving. Shipping is very expensive today, so shipping a bigger size plant may cost more than the plant itself.
Below is a piece of advice on how to make the best plant selection for your garden...
Photo above: Loquat trees in 3 gal containers.
5 important rules on how to buy trees online
1. Find a source with bigger plants. Check reviews, ask friends
for recommendations, inquire from the company about the size of their plants
and how they pack their plants for shipping.
TopTropicals offers well-established, strong plants with developed root
system, in container sizes 1, 3, 7, 15 gallon, directly from a tropical
Florida growing farm. Our unique plant-packing techniques are state of the art!
2. Price not always reflects the size and quality of the plant
TopTropicals offers many deals, discounts and sales, while still
providing the biggest and strongest plants grown in real tropical conditions.
3. Most fruit trees must be grafted to produce good fruit. Make
sure you are not purchasing a seedling when it comes to Mango, Avocado,
Peaches and some other trees with named varieties that don't come true to seed.
TopTropicals offers only grafted - Mango,
Avocado and a large number of other tropical cultivars.
4. Pick up when possible from the nursery your ordered from, or
get a delivery, instead of shipping the plants. A drive to the nursery will save you more time and money in the
future, plus you can hand-pick the biggest and healthiest specimens.
TopTropicals is open 7 days a week for your convenience. Visit our Ft Myers Garden Center or Sebring Farm to select the biggest plants.
5. Take advantage of X-Large size plant material if you live
outside the tropical zone and are trying to zone-push your tropical garden.
Bigger plants will establish faster and have more chances to survive cold winters.
Again, it will save you money in a long run (although bigger plants may be
more expensive, but their survival rate is much higher when it comes to cold
nights).
TopTropicals offers X-Large flowering and fruiting trees (7-15-25
gallons), and most of the varieties you see in our online
store can be custom-ordered in big sizes. Delivery and installation
available.
Photo above: Avocado trees in 7 gal containers.
Photo above: Magnolia champaca - Joy Perfume Tree in 25 gal container.
Date:
Shade
Tree Discount Program
How to reduce an electric bill and energy costs?
Photo above: Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree - one of the most popular trees. This all time favorite is fast growing and elegant.
Q: How to reduce an electric bill and energy costs?
A: This summer is expected to be hot. And the next summer... and next... Want to reduce your electric bill and energy costs? There is an excellent solution: plant a shade tree! Once fully grown, these trees will help keep your house cooler and lower your energy expenses.
Today we are offering a special discount you can use for purchasing
trees that will keep your homes cooler in Summer and gardens warmer in Winter!
Check out Fast
Growing Shade Trees, as well as other flowering trees and fruit trees and use discount below:
GETSHADE
Your savings with this code:
5% off orders $100+
15% off orders $150+
20% off orders $200+
Excluding S/H. Excluding 15 gal material. Exp. 6-12-24
Photo above: Tabebuia - spectacular winter bloomer.
Photo above: Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree. The most beautiful of all orchid trees.
Photo above: Mango trees now. Many varieties are vigorous, large trees.
Photo above: Cattley Guava Tree is an elegant solution for small spaces. Red Button French Kiss Ginger goes well with it!