Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date:

What is the most useful tree in the world? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is the most useful tree in the world?

Moringa oleifera - Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree

Moringa oleifera - Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree

Moringa oleifera - Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree

Moringa oleifera - Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree

Moringa oleifera - Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree

Moringa oleifera - Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree

🌐 What is the most useful tree in the world?
  • 💚 One of the most versatile and valuable trees known to humanity is Moringa oleifera, also called: Horseradish tree, Bridal veil, Horseradish tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Oil Tree. It is indeed considered one of the most useful trees in the world. This reputation stems from its wide range of nutritional, medicinal, and practical applications.
  • 💚 Moringa is a beautiful flowering tree with fragrant white flowers. It produces long green pods (looking like drumsticks!) and the seeds have been compared to a cross between peanuts and asparagus.
  • 💚 Moringa leaves are rich in vitamins (A, B, C, E), minerals (calcium, potassium, iron), and amino acids, and have strong antioxidant properties. they are used in traditional medicine to treat inflammation. Moringa can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
  • 💚 Almost every part of the tree is edible, including the leaves, pods, seeds, and flowers. Each part has its unique nutritional profile and culinary uses. Used in teas and cooking.
  • 💚 The roots are used as a substitute for horseradish and the edible leaves make a highly nutritious vegetable. The roots have also been used in many folk remedies.
  • 💚 Many Moringa products produced commercially: leaves, powder, oil. Moringa oil, extracted from the seeds, is used in cosmetics, skincare products. Seeds can be used to purify water, making it safer to drink.
  • 💚 The plant can be used as a natural fertilizer and pesticide. Leaves are used as a nutritious feed for livestock.


📚 Learn more: How to grow a happy Moringa Tree

🛒 Plant your own Moringa Tree and save the Planet

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

The Magic of 3 top tropical trees
from the legends of Caribbean

Yellow Poinciana, Jacaranda, and Royal Poinciana:
Three happy colors of the Tropics

paintings of 3 top tropical trees - Royal Poinciana, Yellow Poinciana, and Jacaranda

While traveling through the vibrant and diverse Caribbean, we acquired three exquisite local paintings. Two of these are masterfully rendered on jacaranda wood plates, and the third is beautifully crafted on a calabash. These stunning pieces of art celebrate the three most spectacular and revered flowering trees of the Tropics: Yellow Poinciana, Jacaranda, and Royal Poinciana.

These trees are not only visually stunning but also deeply embedded in Caribbean culture, legends, and folk remedies.

The Yellow Poinciana, with its bright golden blossoms, is often associated with joy and sunlight, symbolizing the warmth of the Caribbean spirit.
The Jacaranda, known for its striking lavender-blue flowers, is a symbol of wisdom and rebirth, often blooming in a breathtaking display that signals the change of seasons.
The Royal Poinciana, with its fiery red and orange flowers, is a symbol of passion and energy, often referred to as the "Flamboyant" tree due to its bold and dramatic appearance.

These trees hold a special place in the hearts of the Caribbean people. They are featured in numerous local stories and songs, and their flowers and leaves are used in traditional remedies and rituals. Owning these paintings feels like possessing a piece of the Caribbean's soul and its natural beauty.

Now, we are fortunate to have not only the paintings but also the actual trees. Watching them grow and bloom in our garden brings a piece of the Caribbean to our home, a constant reminder of our travels and the vibrant culture we experienced. These trees and their representations in art are a testament to the region's rich heritage and its enduring connection to nature.

Get them now while we have them. No need to go too far into Caribbean!

Peltophorum africanum - Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Poinciana

Peltophorum africanum - Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Poinciana. An excellent garden shade tree, beautiful in flower. This variety starts flowering at young age, in 3 gal pot.

Jacaranda mimosifolia (acutifolia)

Jacaranda mimosifolia - Hypnotizing bluish-purple, trumpet-like flowers create the magical image of the tree. Incredible, long-lasting purple blooms. When the trumpet-shaped blooms finally fall, they form a lilac carpet beneath the awe-inspiring Jacaranda for luxuriant curb appeal...

Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia

Royal poinciana, Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia - "One of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)

Shop Flowering Trees

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Cat of the Day - Mr B. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Cat of the Day - Mr B

🐈 Cat of the Day - Mr B.

Did you know that Lemon Grass freshens your pet's breath? Mr B knows. He is the fan. He doesn't brush his teeth before going to bed, but claims he has a lemon-fresh breath. Good night!🌜

📸 😺 👇 Share your cats in comments!

🛒 And get some Lemon Grass - a versatile performer in the kitchen where it can be used in teas, beverages, herbal medicines, Eastern inspired soups and other dishes.

🐾 More #PeopleCats in our Garden:
PeopleCats.Garden

#Remedies #Food_Forest

JOIN 👉 @TopTropicals

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How to grow your own tea? Where does the tea come from? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to grow your own tea? Where does the tea come from?

Camellia sinensis - Tea Leaf Tree

Camellia sinensis - Tea Leaf Tree

Camellia sinensis - Tea Leaf Tree and Tea in a cup

Camellia sinensis - Tea Leaf Tree and Tea in a cup

☕️ How to grow your own tea? Where does the tea come from? From Camellia!
  • 🍃 Did you know that tea comes from a Camellia plant?

    • Camellia sinensis - Tea Leaf Tree - is the plant used to make all types of true tea: green, black, white, and oolong.
  • 🍃Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water.
  • 🍃Green tea is rich in antioxidants, which help protect your cells from damage.
  • 🍃Drinking tea can boost your immune system, help fight off infections, improve oral health by reducing the growth of bacteria.
  • 🍃Regular tea consumption is linked to improved bone health and reduced risk of osteoporosis. It can aid in weight loss by boosting metabolism and help reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • 🍃Tea contains caffeine, which can improve mental alertness and focus. On the other hand, tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and reduces stress.
  • 🍃The plant is very slow growing, can be grown in container or in the ground in frost-free areas. Takes sun to semi-shade.


📚 Instructions how to make tea from tea leaves (PDF)

🛒 Plant your own Tea Tree

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Recipes

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

How to make healthy food taste delicious? Longevity Spinach Super-food Recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to make healthy food taste delicious? Longevity Spinach Super-food Recipes

Longevity Spinach recipe

Longevity Spinach recipe

Gynura procubens (Longevity Spinach, Okinawa Spinach)

Gynura procubens (Longevity Spinach, Okinawa Spinach)

How to make healthy food taste delicious? Longevity Spinach Super-food Recipes.
  • ☘️ Gynura procubens (Longevity Spinach, Okinawa Spinach) is one of the Superfoods, known for its longevity-promoting properties in traditional medicine.
  • ☘️ Native to Indonesia, commercially grown in China. It is a relatively hardy perennial that once planted, you will have these healthy greens for many years!
  • ☘️ Both the stems and the leaves are edible and nutritious, can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a unique flavor with a faint hint of pine, and will add a beautiful aesthetic element to cuisine.
  • ☘️ This green is also known as cholesterol spinach, and there are many claims that it lowers can cholesterol.
  • ☘️ Perfect for hot and humid climates unlike traditional Spinach that only grown in cooler areas. It will thrive in any type of soil, any type of light other than dark shade, and is pest-free.
  • ☘️ Very adaptable to container gardening and even grows well on a windowsill.
  • ☘️ The leaves and young shoot tips can be steamed, used in stir fry, tempura, stews, and soups. Just add them at the very end.


Check out the recipes⬇️⬇️⬇️

📚 Gynura: Longevity Spinach Superfood Recipes

🎥 Best Hot Weather Spinach Crops - Longevity and Okinawa Spinach

🛒 Plant Longevity Spinach and live long

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes

Fruit of Mulberry Tree (Morus x Alba hybrids)

Fruit of Mulberry Tree (Morus x Alba hybrids)

Mulberry fruit

Mulberry fruit

🍇 How Mulberry fruit helps with diabetes
  • 💜 Mulberry Tree (Morus x Alba hybrids) originated from China. Everyone knows this sweet, tasty, juicy fruit but very few people are aware of its amazing health benefits.
  • 💜 Mulberry fruit can lower blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes. They improve the absorption of carbohydrates in the gut. Eating this fruit slows the breakdown of sugar in the stomach so that it's absorbed more slowly into the blood. This helps the body keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.
  • 💜 Mulberry fruit have a low glycaemic index, making them suitable to consume after meals to avoid spikes in sugar levels.
  • 💜 More health benefits of Mulberry:

    • - help prevent fatty liver diseases, and lower cholesterol levels.
    - Mulberry leaves show their benefits against cardiometabolic risks, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity
    - Due to flavonoids and other phytochemicals, Mulberry juice has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, specifically against breast cancer cells.
  • 💜 Mulberry is called Tree of Life for a reason.

    • Revelation 22, Verse 2: "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
  • 💜 Mulberry Tree is very cold hardy and can grow in wide range of climate zones, from USDA 5 to 10. Dwarf cultivars available - perfect for container culture. One of them is called Dwarf Everbearing - it fruits virtually year around!


🛒 Plant your own Mulberry tree

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

What is Nescafe Coffee made from? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

What is Nescafe Coffee made from?

Mucuna pruriens - Nescafe, Purple Jade Vine

☕️ What is Nescafe Coffee made from? Purple Jade.

💜 Earlier we mentioned Green Jade Vine and Yellow Jade Vine. This one is purple!
  • Mucuna pruriens - Nescafe, Purple Jade Vine has unusual royal purple flowers. The dark violet blooms appear closely pushed together in grape like clusters, up to 1 ft long and 6" in diameter.
  • The seeds known as mucuna beans or Nescafe and used as a coffee substitute.
  • It has been used for generations in India as a medicinal plant.
  • Very vigorous woody tree creeper - during warmer weather this vine can grow 2 feet a day!
  • Related to red Jade vine (Mucuna bennettii).


🛒 Order Nescafe Vine

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits

🏵 TopTropicals

Date:

How to grow Noni tree for fruit? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to grow Noni tree for fruit?

Morinda citrifolia - Noni fruit

Morinda citrifolia - Noni fruit

Morinda citrifolia - Noni fruit tree

Morinda citrifolia - Noni fruit tree

Morinda citrifolia - Noni tree

Morinda citrifolia - Noni tree

Morinda citrifolia - Noni fruit

Morinda citrifolia - Noni fruit

How to grow Noni tree for fruit?

💊 The medicinal Noni tree (see our earlier post) is one of the most suitable fruit trees for potting culture. A 1-3 gallon size plant will flower and fruit for you within a year.

Noni's special features:
  • ✅ flowers and fruits at young age, nearly year around.
  • ✅ tolerates shade and grows large ornamental leaves in filtered light.
  • ✅ suitable for indoor culture

    • - easy in cultivation, drought and water tolerant, not susceptible to insects.
  • ✅ medicinal properties are endless and cannot be under-appreciated.
  • ✅ This plant can be grown in any climate indoors, and will produce fruit for you under minimal care. Just provide warm frost-free conditions, as this tropical tree is very cold sensitive.


📚 Learn more: Morinda citrifolia - Noni. Life Sustaining Plant

🛒 Order Noni Tree

#Food_Forest #Remedies #How_to

🏵 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

Date:

Can you eat bird-looking flowers? You can eat the whole tree! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Can you eat bird-looking flowers? You can eat the whole tree!

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree Red flower

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree Red flower

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree White flower

Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree White flower

Can you eat bird-looking flowers? You can eat the whole tree!
  • 🐧 Sesbania grandiflora - Hummingbird Tree - is named for its flowers resembling little birds.
  • 🐧 It produces a mass of large, 3-4", curved flowers from November to June. Flowers can be coral red or white.
  • 🐧 The fun part is - the flowers are edible! As well as the rest of the plant: tender leaves, green fruit (bean pods), and flowers, used in curries, salads, or fried in batter.
  • 🐧 Medicinal uses: bark, leaves, gums, and flowers have medicinal properties.
  • 🐧 Lower branches form a beautiful floral canopy. It is a fast growing, but a small tree that will fit any yard. Great everblooming tree for container culture.


🛒 Get an edible Hummingbird Tree

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Butterfly_Plants #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals
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