Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
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Cats in the
Garden.
Cat Breed: The Norwegian Forest Cat - Skogkatt
By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
Meet the cats around us - they're our friends, protectors, and magical
mascots. They keep us healthy and can even save us in emergencies...
Winter brings a special time called the Solstice. It's when the earth
pauses its yearly cycle and starts a new one. This magical moment marks the
beginning of something enchanting...
Let's begin with the Norwegian Forest Cat. It's a mysterious and northern
feline friend, also called Skogkatt. It's like the wildcats in Scandinavian
fairy tales...
Skogkatt's favorite flower
What's Skogkatt's favorite flower in their homeland? Viking Poms, small yellow daisies. But in more southern regions, Daisy Trees - Montanoa - serve as substitutes, reminding them of their distant Northern homeland.
Montanoa atriplicifolia - Tree Chrysanthemum, Tree Daisy - one of the most impressive winter bloomers.
Date:
Five most useful edibles for your Food Forest
Tired of mowing a boring lawn? Use your yard instead of being used by your yard - grow edible landscape! Below are several plants that made our life happier and meals healthier. Besides, these are fun to grow! Try them out:
1. Hibiscus
sabdariffa - Flor de Jamaica, Karkade Sorrel - Flowers are used to make
a tea "Agua de Flor de Jamaica". Medical studies show that it lowers blood
pressure and has diuretic effects. The pleasant flavor is on the tart side
similar to a cranberry juice. We make this cold tea every day - perfect for hot
summer. Full sun.
2.
Gynura procubens - Longevity Spinach, Cholesterol spinach - one of the
Superfoods, and there are many claims that it lowers cholesterol. We use it in
our cooking all the time and so far we are all alive! Full sun.
See recipe >>
3.
Sauropus androgynus - Katuk, Tropical Asparagus. Delicious young shoots,
one of the most popular leaf vegetables in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, people
cook it in stews and soups. It is among only a few flora containing vitamin K.
Full sun or semi-shade.
Learn more >>
4. Cymbopogon citratus - Lemon grass: Versatile performer in the kitchen where it can be used in teas, beverages, herbal medicines, Eastern inspired soups and other dishes. Full sun or semi-shade.
5. Lippia dulcis - Aztec Sweet Herb, Sweetleaf: Mexican herb with incredibly sweet leaves that can be eaten from the plant like candy or tossed into fruit salads for an unusual addition. It has been used since the time of the Aztecs for coughs and colds. Tastes great, can be used by diabetic patients. We add this herb to Karkade or Mint tea as a sweetener. Shade or semi-shade.
Date:
Cat of
the Month:
Winter Adventure of Lisa the Cat
After publishing the story about Skogkatts - Norwegian Forest Cats, we received inquiries about Lisa, if she is available for adoption? Luckily, Lisa now has her wonderful sweet home in Sweden, so unfortunately for those who fell in love with her, she is not adoptable. But Lisa's life story wasn't all that sweet and simple! Rather thrilling and adventurous. So we decided to share her story with you...
By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
"...Lisa, who illustrated our story about Skogkatt Cat Breed, lives with my daughter Vanda, along with her family: husband Vitaly and two children - Max and Maria. They live in Sweden. Lisa is 13 years old now. About 10 years ago, Lisa had a heartbreaking adventure almost ended with a tragedy... But luckily, she made it through. However, since then, she can't jump high and sometimes walks funny, sways and limps... And here's what happened..."
Date:
Grow Your Own Food...
Affordable for everyone!
Grow Food Not Lawns - this is the theme for our Garden party. But it's much more than that. It's a philosophy and a
state of mind. One that more and more people are adopting as the world's food
supply continues to dwindle and get more expensive...
Like all things plant and garden related, each of us can adopt this state
of mind at whatever level we're capable of and comfortable with. Many of our
customers just want to start small and see what it's all about. After all, the
world of tropical plants can be more than just beautiful, it can be
sustaining as well!
Growing your own food is more than just about price, it's also about quality, choices and availability. As you watch the choices, and quality of store bought food go down and prices continue to go up, maybe it's time to grow more of your own food?
Fun Facts
- A mature mango tree can produce 200 to 300 fruit per year
- A single avocado tree is capable of producing 500 avocados in one
year
- A mature papaya plant can produce as many as 100 fruits per
growing season
- One longevity spinach plant can provide you with a fresh supply of
healthy spinach leaves all the time!
At Top Tropicals we offer a wide selection of fruit, including mango and avocado, and even spinach to get you started and to continue down the road on your own self sustaining journey. Even better, to help you with your food project, we have not only added to our varieties, but we have reduced prices on many items to make it even more affordable and enjoyable!
Who is cutting prices in today's world?! - We are, because...
...it's important that we do what we can to make it easier for our customers!
We have Avocados starting at only $49.95 and Mangos as low as $79.95, with dozens of varieties in stock! Use our discount coupons to save even more, and if you're local or in Fort Myers, stop by our Garden Center and save even more!
Date:
Edible Landscape
Four must-have herbal edibles for your instant Food Forest
Q: What attractive and useful edibles or herbs can I grow in my yard landscape without needing dedicated garden beds?
A: When we think of an "herb garden," parsley and chives often come to mind -plants that aren't particularly showy and typically require a dedicated vegetable garden, space, and regular maintenance. However, creating a food forest in your yard doesn't have to be a complex project. Useful edibles and medicinal herbs can also be exotic and beautiful, enhancing the charm of your landscape. Here are some examples of unusual tropical edibles that are not only stunning ornamentals but also bring delicious goodness to your kitchen.
1. For drinks: Jamaica Tea flower - Karkade Hibiscus
Hibiscus
sabdariffa - Flor de Jamaica, Karkade Sorrel, Roselle, or Jamaica Tea flower
(Karkade Tea) - yes, many hibiscus species are edible!
- Flowers of Roselle hibiscus are used to make a tea "Agua de Flor de
Jamaica". To be exact, those are flower bracts around flowers and seed pods.
- Medical studies show that it lowers blood pressure and has diuretic
effects.
- The pleasant flavor is similar to a cranberry juice and it's so good, you
may not even want to add any sugar. We make this cold tea every day -
perfect for hot summer.
- Karkade Hibiscus grows into a large bush within just one season from
seed! Lots of flowers to harvest will last you the whole winter. It can be
treated as annual in cooler areas due to its fast growth and same-year harvest.
Thrives in full sun.
- Short video:
&feature=youtu.be">how to make hibiscus tea
2. For medicine: Aztec Sweetleaf - Lippia
Lippia dulcis
- Aztec Sweet Herb, Sweetleaf is a wonderful fragrant groundcover.
- Fragrant Mexican herb with incredibly sweet and aromatic leaves.
- The fresh leaves can be eaten from the plant like candy or tossed into
fruit salads for an unusual addition, or used for making a healing tea.
- It has been used since the time of the Aztecs for coughs and colds.
- The sweetness tastes great, and can be used by diabetic patients. We add
this herb to Karkade or Mint tea as a sweetener, instead of sugar or
honey.
- Grows like a ground cover, in shade or semi-shade, great perennial
container plant.
3. For salads and stews: Longevity Spinach, or Cholesterol spinach
Gynura
procubens - Longevity Spinach, or Cholesterol spinach is a perennial spinach, and
once you plant it, you have it for many years, and can grow many more easily
from cuttings!
- Longevity Spinach is one of the Superfoods, and there are many claims
that it lowers cholesterol.
- We use Longevity Spinach in our cooking all the time and so far we are
all alive, so it works! :)
- Longevity spinach can be eaten raw in salads or cooked wherever you would
use a regular spinach.
- Grows as a large spreading herbal bush, in full sun.
- See some recipes with more pictures
4. For meat wraps: Vietnamese Pepper or Wild Betel Leaf
Piper
sarmentosum - Vietnamese Pepper, Lalot, Wild Betel Leaf, Chaa-plu adds wonderful
peppery flavor to meats and is great for wrapping meats and cooking in the oven,
on a stove or grill. We use it all the time, wrapping ground beef of turkey
and putting wraps on a grill or on a frying pan, very easy!
- Vietnamese Pepper leaves are eaten raw in salads or cooked with other
greens or dishes.
- The leaves are used as food wraps in Vietnam. It is used medicinally in
India and SE Asia.
- It is also chewed with Betel Nut as a tonic and medicine, very similar to
Betel Leaf (Piper Betel) which is very popular tonic in Indian culture.
- Vietnamese Pepper grows as a vining herbaceous shrub or ground cover, in
both sun or shade, and spreads with runners so you can have plenty if you
want to have more. Can be grown in container and indoors, too.
- Check out recipes of meat wraps for grilling
Use your yard instead of being used by your yard!
Exotic tropical fruit and edibles - Food Forest
Tired of mowing a boring lawn? Get some colors in your yard and grow edible landscape!
Select useful, functional plants:
🌺 Spectacular Eye Candies
🌳 Hedges with Benefits
Butterfly Attractors
🍒 Food Forest
👉#Food_Forest
Pick the right plants with TopTropicals free expert help.
At TopTropicals, we have 25 years experience growing rare tropical fruit trees and flowering plants.
Plants are the best therapists.
You can Grow Happiness - we can help.
💥 Still not a subscriber? Join TopTropicals community and you will know everything about tropical plants!
🏵 TopTropicals
Date:
The best Aquarium fish food ever - stikiStik
Everyone knows that Top Tropicals is good at unique, special novelties.
And it is not a secret that most plant people also are pet people - cat
people (with PeopleCats), dog people (with PeopleDogs) or at least fish people,
right?
Today we are excited to introduce our new revolutionary Fish Food developed
by our business partners at Floritin Aquarium Labs
Floritin stikiStikâ„¢ - Ultimate Aquarium fish food
StikiStik is a dry powder that you just mixed with water to create a sticky paste. The paste can be attached to any surface inside your aquarium.
StikiStik is a patent pending fish food that does things which conventional fish food does not. It introduces picky eaters to a more natural feeding environment, does not pollute the fish tank, is easy to mix from its powder format and provides gradual feeding. It is easy to apply to any surface in the aquarium, such as interior glass wall, rocks or coral skeleton.
stikiStik advantages
- Easy to use. Just mix with a few drops of water and stik it in!
Self adhesive paste can be applied to any surface. Stays intact for hours in
aquarium. Does not pollute water
- Scientifically designed and proven for all types of aquarium fish,
invertebrates, and corals
- Optimal and balanced nutrition. Contains vitamins and amino
acids
- Natural. No hormones, no artificial colors
- Stimulates fish appetite and enhances fish color
- Promotes natural feeding habits. Helps training hard to feed fish.
The perfect food to acclimate newly introduced fish, including Moorish Idol,
finicky butterfly fish, such as Copperband Butterfly, Pearscale
Butterfly, Mandarinfish, and many oithers
- Easy to store. Can be used immediately or frozen for future use
- Add any frozen fish food or medications to mix
See element contents / instructions and more information with videos on stikiStik website
- Mr Booster -
Date:
Fertilizing in Fall:
Plants need food too!
Q: I know that I am not supposed to fertilize plants in winter. But I just bought several ground orchids from you, they are blooming now and I wonder if I can give them some food to support their bloom energy? When should I do the last application of fertilizer? I will keep them in a sun room during Winter until Spring.
A: Traditionally, end of October to November is the time when we
give the last dose of fertilizer to our tropical plants. Liquid fertilizers,
and especially amino-acid based Sunshine Boosters, are safe to apply year around. This means, you can
continue feeding your plants with Sunshine Boosters through the Winter without
risk of over-feeding or burning roots. Why?
The answer is very simple: even with their metabolism slowed down in
Winter, plants will use all that food.
Sunshine Boosters have special mild formulas that are scientifically
designed and based on Amino Acids. Plants will use all essential elements from the
solution as needed.
Liquid fertilizer is diluted in water, and will be applied only when you
water the plant. During Winter, water needs are lowered = watering times are
less frequent, with less amount of water = the plants will get less water and
less fertilizer accordingly.
Importance of micro elements
in combination with plant food during winter
In the photo: winter chlorosis on Kumquat leaves that is very hard to treat and should be prevented instead
Keep in mind that feeding your plants regularly during Winter will help to avoid "winter chlorosis" and other deficiency problems. So called "cool-temperature-induced chlorosis" (CTIC) is especially common in Spring on young, actively growing leaves. Unless chlorosis is prevented by micro-element applications, affected leaves may remain in this condition for the rest of the growing season.
Make sure to select proper type of fertilizer for your over-wintering plants. We have special formulas for foliage, flowering plants, fruit trees, young seedlings, even for for orchids and bromeliads. Check out our selection!
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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Sonya, the Co-Author
In our previous newsletter, you met our editor/photographer tandem - Tilda & Marina. Today we introduce our columnist assistant - Sonya. For the past decade, this True Norwegian Forest Cat has been a great helper and inspirational co-author for Alexandra, TopTropicals website writer and social media blogger.
Alex has been with TopTropicals since Day One (2003). In 2011, she got Sonya, a 3-month old kitten that someone kicked out: at that young age she already had quite a temper of a real Wild Cat. No one wanted to adopt her and Sonya was doomed to suffer a street life... So Alex invited her in the house... and it took her many months to teach Sonya some good manners! And Sonya turned into a beautiful and affectionate Purrrson as well as became the Boss in the house (what a surprise, duh) and Alexandra's dearest life companion. Sonya also discovered her talent in writing plant stories for TopTropicals, sitting on Alex's shoulder and whispering into her ear while she is typing Sonya's horticultural tips. And when Alex stares at monitors for more than 5 hours, Sonya lays on her keyboard saying: "Now get up and get some stretch lady! Let's go re-pot some plants for a change!"
We will be following up on Sonya's creative work, and you will hear from her again soon...
Check out and more Cat of the Day stories.
Date:
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!
Photo above: blue light in the forest - TopTropicals Garden Ghost, the spirit is always watching!