A: Adeniums, also known as Desert Roses, are exotic and striking plants that can bring beauty to any indoor or outdoor garden. Despite their desert origins, they require a bit of care to thrive. Here's a simple guide to help you grow healthy and vibrant adeniums:

Light and Location: Adeniums prefer filtered light, although they can tolerate full sun. In hot climates, they thrive in bright, indirect light. Position your plant accordingly to ensure optimal growth.

Potting and Soil: Use a small pot with excellent drainage to prevent waterlogging. Opt for a well-draining soil mix specifically designed for adeniums or create your own mix using cactus mix with added limestone for slightly alkaline conditions.

Watering: Water sparingly, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Avoid overwatering, which can lead to caudex rot. Water in the early morning and ensure the plant drinks up throughout the day.

Fertilization: Use a liquid fertilizer with high phosphate content to encourage both caudex growth and flowering. Apply according to label instructions, avoiding direct contact with the caudex. We recommend Sunshine Megaflor.

Caring for the Caudex: To promote a large swollen caudex, gradually raise the plant each time you repot it, exposing the upper roots. This encourages the formation of additional roots.

Maintenance and Blooming: Adeniums typically bloom from spring through fall. Ensure they receive ample light for heavy flowering. Avoid wetting the leaves and apply fertilizer to support overall plant health.

By following these simple steps, you can enjoy the beauty of adeniums in your own garden or home. With proper care and attention, your Desert Roses will flourish and delight you with their stunning blooms.

A: Surprisingly, such a plant does exist! Meet the Desert Rose - Adenium - the perfect flowering plant for low-maintenance beauty. Just look at those colors!

Why choose Adenium for your container garden?

Desert roses - Adeniums - are among the most popular container plants for both indoor and outdoor settings. Here's why:
- Easy to grow - Thrives in sun or shade, indoors, and in low humidity.
- Drought-tolerant - Requires minimal water and can go long periods without it.
- Not picky about soil and pH.
- Spectacular blooms - Produces vibrant, showy flowers.
- Unique and eye-catching - Forms a curious, swollen caudex with unusual shapes.

How many varieties and colors are out there?

- At Top Tropicals, we offer over 200 varieties of Adeniums, with more than 100 in stock at any time.
- With so many stunning hybrid colors, you'll want to collect them all!
- Enjoy double flowers, red, purple, yellow, striped, dotted, rainbow, and even black flowers!

The secret to a large, swollen caudex:

- Raise the plant slightly each time you repot it, exposing the upper part of the roots - this encourages the plant to form more roots that grow downward.
- Unlike most tropical and houseplants, Adeniums prefer neutral to hard water, have very low water needs, and can thrive in full sun or shade.

Adeniums truly check all the boxes for a carefree, long-blooming, and striking poolside or patio plant!

A: Yes, we do have the plant you're looking for! We've just made some delicious jam from this tropical gooseberry, and it tastes just like the northern varieties but even more flavorful! Florida's winter is the perfect season for this wonderful fruit. Right now, our plant is growing quickly and vigorously over our fence, and it's covered with fruit. Just a couple of months earlier it was full of fragrant, beautiful white flowers!

The plant in question is Perescia aculeata, commonly known as Barbados Gooseberry. It's a unique cactus with both edible leaves and fruit, making it a tropical treasure that offers beauty as well as culinary delights.

The fruit is yellow with a juicy, subacid pulp that tastes remarkably similar to traditional gooseberries. You can enjoy the fruits fresh, stewed, or transformed into jams and jellies.

The young leaves are also edible, adding a nutritious boost to your meals.

This fast-growing vining cactus prefers well-drained soil that remains moist during the summer and drier in winter, and it can be effectively grown in containers on a trellis.

Watch a short video of Barbados Gooseberry fruiting.