Date: 22 Sep 2022
Ceiba pentandra, Kapok Tree:
Maya's Sacred Tree at the Center of the Earth
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...Everybody who sees this tree for the first time, always says "What's THAT???" And everybody wants to have one! Kapok Tree is a large, magestic, gorgeous shade tree that just requires a little bit of space in your garden! It is definitely a conversation piece and is a must for every botanical garden or a large private tropical tree collection. Kapok is a fast growing tree, however, it may take many years to reach its mature size. It is worth the wait though!..
Date: 18 Sep 2022
The fruit of Heaven:
Phyllanthus acidus - Amlak, Otaheite Gooseberry
Grow Your Own Food
This is a fun rare fruit tree to have if you like lemonade and believe in Vitamin C benefits! The tree is super easy to grow, relatively cold hardy and doesn't require any special care. It is a fast growing plant, however the mature tree is only about 20 ft so it will be well suited for any size garden, even container garden. As you can see, it happily fruits in a pot. Bright yellow fruit are beautiful and curious, they always make a conversation piece!
About Otaheite Gooseberry
Otaheite Gooseberry, or Amlak, is a rare tropical fruit tree from SE Asia and India, very
close related to Phyllanthus emblica (Amla, Amlaki), however it is much cold
hardy than Amla. Known as Amritphala in Sanskrit, which literally means "the
fruit of heaven" or "nectar fruit". It is so called because it has many
helth benefits. Amlak is one of the favorite fruit of Indian people who definitely know what is good for
you! Fruit paste is a major ingredient of Chavyanprash, a popular Ayurvedic tonic. It is the
richest source of vitamin C.
Fruits are borne in loose clusters, which hang from the tree trunk and main branches. Fruits are esteemed for jellies,
preserves and pastries, and are great for making a delicious lemonade rich in vitamin C. There are no commercial plantings; trees grow only in
home gardens.
You need to have one! Or two. We have only limited quantities.
Date: 14 Sep 2022
PeopleCats Botanical Garden Grand Opening
Guided tour with Mark Hooten
Top Tropicals Garden Center is pleased to invite you to visit our new PeopleCats Botanical Garden on the grounds of Top Tropicals in Ft
Myers. It is named in honor of the relationship with our beloved Cats, who we treat like People. You'll see our Garden PeopleCats roaming the property. As a matter of fact, they rule
the garden!
The Garden has many mature trees and plants so you can see what they look like before your purchase them in our Garden Center. And of course, our
PeopleCats will be guiding you in the Gardens!
Date: 9 Sep 2022
Napoleana - Napoleon's Hat
Endangered species from the outgone era of the Napoleon's War
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...Napoleana was described in 1804, the same year its namesake (Napoleone di Buonaparte) crowned himself Emperor
of the French. Today the tree is almost extinct. Esteemed for the exquisite,
vividly colored, exotic hat-shaped flowers, Napoleana is a must of a rare
tropical tree collection. Napoleana seeds constitute a false kola, which has a
taste closely resembling that of true kola. The flowers are fragrant and smell like Butterscotch...
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Date: 4 Sep 2022
Avocado Black Prince
Grow Your Own Food
Avocado variety - what's the taste?
We obtained Black
Prince Avocado variety this year and at first didn't know much about it.
Until we tried the first fruit! The fruit was large, oval, green and
slightly pebbly. We were not sure if it would taste like some green avocados -
watery and less buttery? The fruit turned black couple days after it was picked,
ripened and softened. We were pleasantly surprised, Black Prince deserves its
title! The fruit pulp is thick, and has a rich, nutty flavor. The little
trees grew this year vigorously and didn't show any bug or deficiency problems.
Superior variety for a backyard grower! Giving it 5 stars! *****
We have Black Prince
Avocado in 3 gal pots, as well as in XX-Large size for local pick up - for those who want a large fruiting
size tree, please contact our Garden Center to pre-order from our Growing Farm (B-Farm).
It can be delivered and installed for you!
Why grow your own Avocado tree?
Why grow your own Avocado tree? This is why. Now we import 89% of the U.S. avocado from Mexico. How much of a difference we could make if we were all growing our own avocados? Support our own horticulture, help Avocado to become grown in the USA!
