Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

👀 This is why Tibouchina is called the Eyelash Flower

👀 Tibouchina is often called the Eyelash Flower because of the long, delicate, and hair-like stamens that protrude from its vibrant flowers. These stamens resemble eyelashes, giving the flower its unique and eye-catching appearance.

📸🕊The stunning Tibouchina Peace Baby, a new selection bred in Queensland, Australia, now making waves globally! This compact beauty stands out with its large, clear white flowers and vibrant purple stamens that bloom throughout the warmer months, bringing gorgeous color to your garden. The blooms are so abundant, they often cover the foliage completely! Perfect for pots and containers, this easy-to-grow variety is ideal for adding a splash of beauty to any space.

📚 More Tibouchinas in previous posts:

• 💋How this addictive purple took over yards
• 💋Why this tree grows in every yard of Central Florida
• 💋Is purple your favorite color? This is your plant!
• 💋Why this Tibouchina is so popular: giant leaves & bold purple flowers of Quaresmeira

🛒 Shop Tibouchinas

#Hedges_with_benefits #Fun_Facts

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Here is how Blackberry Jam comes from Gardenia

• Did you know that Blackberry Jam Fruit Tree blooms like Gardenia?
• Randia formosa, or Jasmin de Rosa is a unique small evergreen tree or bush that offers both beautiful, fragrant flowers and delicious fruit.
• The fruit, with its rich, sweet flavor, tastes just like fresh blackberry jam, making it a delightful treat right off the tree.
• Its white flowers, which resemble those of gardenias, fill the air with a pleasant fragrance.
• Native to tropical regions, this plant is the perfect choice if you're looking for something unique and useful in your garden. Its fruit can be enjoyed fresh or used to create delicious jams and desserts, making it a great addition to both ornamental and edible landscapes.

📚 Learn more from previous posts:

• 💋Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: Blackberry Jam Fruit (Randia formosa)
• 💋The best small fruit trees that will produce right away
• 💋Truth about Blackberry Jam: it comes from Gardenia
• 💋Top 10 fast-fruiting trees

🛒 Elevate your garden with fragrance and flavor of Blackberry Jam Fruit

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Perfume_Plants

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🐾 Six-Toed Cats: The Paws That Made History

• 
  🐾 What is your favorite place in Florida?

Ours is Florida Keys! And what is our favorite place in Florida Keys? Hemingway Museum with Six-Toed Cats!
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  🐾 Six-toed cats, also known as polydactyl cats, are a unique genetic trait that makes their paws look like they're wearing mittens - sometimes even with a "thumb." Most commonly, they have extra toes on their front paws, though some may have them on their back feet too.
• 
  🐾 Ernest Hemingway’s home is famous for housing about 40-50 polydactyl cats, all descendants of a white six-toed cat named Snow White, a gift from a ship captain. The polydactyl gene is passed down, so even cats with the usual number of toes can have six-toed kittens.
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  🐾 Polydactyl cats can appear in many breeds - Tabbies, Tortoiseshells, Calicos, and more. They're found in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but they share one fascinating feature: extra toes!
• 
  🐾 True to Hemingway’s tradition, all of the museum's cats are named after famous people. These cats aren't just cute - they’re smart and can learn to respond to their names, making them extra special!
• 
  🐾 So next time you see a six-toed cat, remember you're looking at a piece of literary history with a bit of extra "paw-some" charm!

📚 Learn more:
Hemingway's six-toed cats

🐈 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Fun_facts

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🎩 A French Emperor's Hat Blooming in Your Garden?

• 🎩 Napoleon's Hat (Napoleonaea imperialis), a unique and charming plant that's sure to stand out in your garden!
• 🎩 Napoleon's Hat lives up to its name with large, saucer-shaped flowers that bloom straight from the leaf axils or even directly from the trunk! Talk about making a statement.
• 🎩 The hat-shaped, brightly colored flowers smell like butterscotch! Yes, your garden will smell like a candy shop🍬
• 🎩 It's Kola's Cousin! The reddish seeds resemble kola nuts and even have a similar taste, giving you a fun, "false kola" experience.
• 🎩 An instant conversation starter, Napoleon's Hat is a quirky, fragrant addition to your garden - perfect for those looking for something a little different.

🛒 Plant Napoleon's Hat and show off with the most bizarre flower!

#Fun_facts #Trees #Nature_Wonders

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Flower of Dinosaurs

Did you know that -
Magnolias are one of the oldest flowering plants, dating back about 95 million years! They actually predate bees, as their flowers are designed to be pollinated by beetles. In fact, magnolias and dinosaurs coexisted during the Cretaceous period, making them one of the oldest living species of flowering plants!

🐈 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Fun_facts

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🌳 Perfect neglect plant?

👍🏾 Yes, such plant exists! A Brown Thumb plant. Even your cat can handle its care!

🌿 Cissus rotundifolia - Arabian Wax Leaf - is a perfect neglect plant! Grow it either as house plant, hanging basket, fast growing ground cover, or decorate your patio with it. It needs no attention and will reward your "no-efforts" with beautiful waxy foliage. Needs very little water, just like another Brown Thumb plant - Peperomia x scandens - Emerald Girl that we mentioned earlier. No worries if you forget to water them!

🐈 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Fun_facts

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🌸 Fun Facts About the Guava Flower

• 🌸 Frilly and Fabulous - Guava flowers may be small, but they're packed with fluffy white stamens that give them a soft, powder-puff look.
• 🌸 Pollinator Magnet - Bees and butterflies love guava blooms, making them a great addition to a pollinator-friendly garden.
• 🌸 Scent-sational - The flowers have a light, pleasant fragrance that adds a touch of sweetness before the fruit even arrives.
• 🌸 Bloom to Fruit - Each flower can turn into a delicious guava fruit, making them both beautiful and productive.
• 🌸 Part of the Showy Family - Guava (Psidium) belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which also includes eye-catching bloomers like Eucalyptus, Bottlebrush (Callistemon), and the stunning Rose Apple (Syzygium).

📚 More from previous posts about: #Guava

🛒 Shop Guava Trees

#Food_Forest #Guava #Fun_facts

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🌱 Why do the Chinese drink tea?

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  🍃 It actually has to do with the Chinese theory of the five elements - wood, metal, fire, water, and earth:

木 金 火 水 土

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  🍃 Tea comes from a plant - Camellia sinensis - the Tea Leaf Tree - that is used to make all true teas: green, black, white, and oolong. The Tea Tree contains the element of wood (木) 🌳
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  🍃 When it's roasted in a cast-iron pan, it gains the element of metal (金)
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  🍃 Then it's dried over fire, adding the element of fire (火) 🔥
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  🍃 When it's brewed with boiling water, the element of water enters (水) 💦
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  🍃 Finally, tea is poured into a clay vessel, symbolizing the element of earth (土) 🍯
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  🍃 In this way, all five elements - wood, metal, fire, water, and earth - come together in a single cup.
• 
  🍃 The plant grows slowly and can thrive in containers or frost-free gardens with sun to semi-shade.

🛒 Grow your own tea

📚Learn more from previous posts:
Tea facts
How to grow your own tea?
Where does the tea come from?
Instructions how to make tea from tea leaves (PDF)

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Fun_facts

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🍑 What is better than Apricot? Tropical Apricot!

• 🍑 Looking for a small, ornamental fruit tree with big flavor? Pitomba (Eugenia luschnathiana) - The Tropical Apricot Tree - is a Brazilian gem that's as beautiful as it is delicious.
• 🍑 This slow-growing evergreen reaches 15-20 feet, with glossy dark green leaves and a striking light brown trunk. In spring, it bursts into white and yellow flowers, followed by apricot-colored fruits ripening from May to July.
• 🍑 The fruit is juicy, aromatic, with a flavor and texture similar to apricots. Rich in vitamin C, minerals, and dietary fiber, Pitomba is perfect eaten fresh or turned into jams, jellies, and juices.
• 🍑 Pitomba grows best in full sun, likes acidic soil, and appreciates regular water and feeding. Whether in the ground or in a pot, it’s a stunning and fruitful addition to your edible landscape.
• 🍑 Why grow Pitomba?

🟡Unique tropical fruit with apricot-like flavor

• 🟡Beautiful, compact tree for small yards or containers
• 🟡Fruits in 2–3 years from seed
• 🟡Cold-hardy to the upper 20s (°F) once mature. Grows in USDA zones 9–11 or indoors with winter protection
• 🟡Traditional medicinal uses in Brazil for colds and digestive health

🛒 Buy Pitomba to add a small fruit tree with big flavor to your yard

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Discover

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🍒 Why grow Grumichama? Benefits of Brazilian Eugenia Tree - Cherry of the Tropics

• 🍒 Did you know you can grow a tropical cherry right in your backyard? Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis), also known as the Brazilian Cherry, is a compact, evergreen fruit tree that's as beautiful as it is delicious.
• 🍒 With glossy green leaves and reddish new growth, it’s an ornamental gem. In spring, it produces white flowers that quickly turn into dark purple, cherry-like fruits - ready to harvest just four weeks after flowering!
• 🍒 The fruits have soft, melting flesh with a flavor similar to northern cherries. Enjoy them fresh, dried, made into jams, or even in baked goods and herbal teas. This is our favorite fresh cherry @TopTropicals!
• 🍒 Grumichama plant grows into a small tree or bush in tropical and subtropical climates. It tolerates light frost.
• 🍒 Fruits in small spaces or containers (5–10 gallon pots)
• 🍒 Perfect for edible landscaping and home orchards. Loaded with fiber and antioxidants.
• 🍒 Whether in the ground or in a pot, Grumichama is easy to grow, stunning year-round, and gives you a sweet, juicy reward.

📚Learn more about Eugenia cherries:
Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes. # 3: Tropical Cherries: Eugenias.

🛒 Plant Grumichama and bring a little bit of Brazil to your garden

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Discover

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