Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!

Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Vine

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!
  • Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Flower: did you know this Florida native passion vine is more than just a butterfly host? Birds love it too - they’ll happily snack on the little fruits and sing you thank-you songs all day long!
  • And yes, the fruit is edible for people as well! The berries are small, but they make a fun and exotic treat.
  • The plants has a tiny flower and a tiny fruit – both only about half an inch – but together they create a mighty native habitat.
  • It's a triple win: butterflies, birds, and people can all enjoy something from this charming little plant. Plus, it’s the larval host for Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies, and its tiny greenish flowers provide nectar all year long. Fast-growing, easy, and full of life – a real gem for any Florida garden.
  • This vine is delicate and compact, perfect for a medium trellis or climbing a small tree. Unlike the big, aggressive passion vines that can cover a whole fence, this one stays manageable.
  • This Passion vine is not just charming and wildlife-friendly, it’s also tough as nails. Cold hardy and easy to grow, this native vine takes whatever Florida throws at it – heavy rains, long droughts and heat, poor sandy soils, even total neglect – and still thrives. A perfect choice if you want beauty, wildlife, and resilience all in one little plant.


🛒 Plant this small and tough vine with food and wildlife benefits

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to

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Hiding in plain sight. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Hiding in plain sight

Cat Google

Cat Google

🔍 Hiding in plain sight

"All the secrets of the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight." - Robin Sloan

🐈📸 Cat Google (partial view) at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

#Quotes #PeopleCats

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Blue Ice Cream banana youll never find in stores! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Blue Ice Cream banana youll never find in stores!

Blue Java Banana, Ice Cream Banana

🍌 Blue Ice Cream banana you’ll never find in stores!
  • 🔵 The Blue Java Banana, also known as the Ice Cream Banana, is the banana everyone wants - and for good reason.
  • 🔵 First of all… it's blue. Yes, really. When the fruit is unripe, it has a frosty blue-green tint - especially striking in the sun. These short, chunky bananas are only about 4 inches long and grow in beautiful bunches under mauve-colored flowers. The whole plant is a tropical showstopper.
  • 🔵But the real magic happens when the fruit ripens. The blue fades to yellow… and inside? Oh my God - it’s heaven! The texture is soft, smooth, and creamy. And the flavor? Like vanilla ice cream.
  • 🔵That’s how it got the name Ice Cream Banana. And this isn’t just a gimmick - it’s a cold-tolerant, vigorous variety that grows fast, reaches 10-15 feet tall, and produces heavy bunches (up to 60 pounds!) of sweet fruit that you can eat raw or cook with.
  • 🔵 Your store-bought bananas can’t compete with this. Add it to your edible landscape, food forest, or patio garden - this one is a must-have! Grab it while it’s in stock. Or if it’s sold out - hit that wishlist button.


🛒 Explore Banana Varieties

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Bananas

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Peanut butter fruit smoothie: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Peanut butter fruit smoothie: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Peanut butter fruit smoothie

Peanut butter fruit smoothie

🍴 Peanut butter fruit smoothie: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
  • 🔴Peanut butter fruit (Bunchosia argentia) makes delicious shake!
  • 🔴Blend ripe peanut butter fruits with milk and honey.
  • 🔴A creamy shake that tastes like dessert straight from the tree!

Peanut Butter Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ripe peanut butter fruit (Bunchosia argentea), seeded
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 1–2 tablespoons honey
  • Ice cubes (optional)

Instructions

  1. Remove seeds from ripe peanut butter fruits.
  2. Blend fruits with milk and honey until smooth.
  3. Add ice cubes if desired for a chilled version.
  4. Serve immediately and enjoy a creamy shake that tastes like dessert straight from the tree!

🛒 Harvest Peanut Butter Fruit - the tree is fast fruiting!

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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