...Who doesn't like tropical beauty? Everyone wants tropical plants. But not everyone lives in a warm climate. Is it possible to grow tropicals outside of Tropics?
Top Tropicals horticulturist Mark Hooten, who is well known to many
gardeners as the Garden Doc with his
Saturday Plant Clinic, is answering gardeners' questions about how to prepare and protect tropical plants during winter...
The diva of tropical trees. Huge red-orange flowers blanket the branches
from late winter through summer. If you’ve ever seen one in full
bloom, you know — it stops traffic.
Best in large yards or open spaces, but young ones do great in big pots for
a few years.
🛒 Shop Tatiana: “If you want a tree that makes
people
say ‘wow,’ this is it.”
Tabebuia chrysotricha – Dwarf Golden Tabebuia
Small tree, big drama. It turns solid gold just before new leaves
appear.
Blooms while completely bare — a stunning contrast of yellow on brown
wood.
Perfect for patios, courtyards, and containers. Handles cool nights down to
the mid-20s F.
Bright, cheerful, and forgiving — the kind of tree that always looks
like it’s celebrating. 🛒
Shop
The Florida “cherry blossom.” Pink-lavender flowers smother
the branches each winter, often before any leaves return.
Thrives in sandy soil, tolerates drought, and grows beautifully in large
planters or pots indoors near a sunny window.
Ideal for seasonal residents or anyone who wants color when everything else
is asleep. 🛒
Shop
Jacaranda mimosifolia
If color had music, this would be jazz.
Soft, fern-like leaves and cascades of violet-blue trumpet flowers —
airy, elegant, unforgettable.
Outdoors, it makes a graceful shade tree; in containers, it stays compact
with regular pruning.
Jacarandas reward patience — they bloom bigger each year. 🛒
Shop
Koelreuteria paniculata – Golden Rain Tree
A favorite for its surprises — golden blooms in summer, pink paper
lantern pods in fall, and bronze leaves before rest.
Fast-growing, tough, and easy. Loves full sun and moderate water.
Great for open lawns or patio tubs. The kind of tree that gives you
something new to look at every month. 🛒
Shop
Callistemon citrinus – Bottlebrush Tree
The hummingbird magnet.
Bright red, brush-shaped flowers bloom several times a year —
sometimes even in cool weather.
The dwarf form, ‘Little John,’ stays about 4 feet tall, perfect
for pots or small borders.
Trim lightly after flowering to keep it compact and colorful. 🛒
Shop Tatiana: “If you’ve never grown a
tropical tree before — start here. It’s the friendliest
one.”
Bauhinia variegata – Pink Butterfly Tree
Graceful, fragrant, and forgiving.
Its pink-lavender orchid-like flowers open from late winter through spring,
filling the garden with color and pollinators.
It’s fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and excellent for both ground
and pots.
Even the buds are edible — a fun bonus for adventurous gardeners. 🛒
Shop
Bauhinia blakeana – Hong Kong Orchid Tree
The queen of them all.
Huge magenta-purple blooms that last for months, from fall through spring.
Fragrant, clean (no messy seed pods), and perfect for patios or large
decorative containers.
Give it sun, a little water, and it will reward you with bloom after bloom.
🛒 Shop Tatiana: “It’s the one tree that never lets winter
win.”
A note on grafted Hong Kong Orchid Trees:
Most Hong Kong Orchid Trees are grafted, and that’s actually a big
advantage.
Because they don’t grow from seed, grafted plants mature faster and
begin blooming while still small — sometimes within the first year.
That makes them perfect for patio pots or small gardens where space is
limited.
Bringing the Tropics Home
Whether your garden faces the Gulf or your window faces the snow, these
trees let you live in color year-round.
Plant them outdoors in warm zones or grow them in pots indoors — they
adapt, they bloom, they brighten every corner.
Gardening isn’t about waiting for spring — it’s about
finding joy in every season.
And when a tree blooms in January, that joy feels twice as sweet.
Yes! Smaller species like Bottlebrush ‘Little John,’ Dwarf
Tabebuias,
and many
Bauhinias bloom beautifully in pots with bright light or grow lamps.
Q: Do they lose their leaves in winter?
Some, like Tabebuias
and Jacarandas,
drop leaves right before blooming — it’s normal
and part of their charm. Others, like Bottlebrush,
stay evergreen.
Q: What fertilizer works best?
We use Sunshine
Boosters — gentle, balanced, and perfect for tropicals.
Feed every 2–3 weeks during active growth.
Q: How do I know when to water?
Touch the soil! If it’s dry an inch or two down, water deeply.
Overwatering is the main mistake with tropicals.
Q: Can they handle frost?
A quick dip into the upper 20s F is fine for most mature trees. Cover
young ones or move containers under shelter if colder.
Q: Which are best for beginners?
Start with Bottlebrush ‘Little John’ or Golden Tabebuia
— compact, colorful, and nearly foolproof.
Q: When will they bloom?
Usually within few years if they get enough sun and warmth. Grafted
plants blooms much sooner
Q: Which of these trees are best for pot
growing?
For patios, balconies, or indoor sunrooms, choose the compact or grafted
types:
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cats of the day: Biggy's Cat Hospital
Biggy checking on patient Abu when he couldn't walk
During these challenging times for the whole planet, we receive kind
letters from our customers checking on how our PeopleCats are doing, especially those that previously were ill. And
since we promised to follow up on everyone, including heart-breaking story of
Raja and Abu, today's report is about everybody's progress!
As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, several cats in TopTropicals
Cat Sanctuary had a coronavirus (we call it COVID-Cat-20), or simply a cat respiratory infection. Chiefy, Snitch, Marco and Biggy had it really bad, but some other PeopleCats surprisingly didn't
get it! Just like with humans. Lucky King didn't have a single sneeze!
Finally, everybody has recovered by now, but it has been a very stressful
couple of weeks for us, considering limited vet availability at this stay-home
time. On top of that, Lil S had an abscess and was also contained in a home hospital, away
from flu-quarantined PeopleCats. Our homes become real cat hospitals!
We are thankful to our customers support, especially Silvia who made
several donations for our PeopleCats, and also recommended antiseptic pads - those worked great for Lil S! Abu and Raja's adventures were not over... After 2 weeks of seeing a
vet treating their infections and injuries, they got worse... Then after a
couple of weeks in another hospital (and a couple thousand more in bills) we were
suggested to put them down as hopeless since they would never walk again...
But Kristi did not want to believe it, she did not give up! The kittens heard
her. They won. Today, they are all better, walking, jumping and playing!
Thank you Kristi!
Never give up hope!
Stay safe and healthy with your PeoplePets!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us. Every little
bit helps! Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date: 22 Oct 2025
💞 Cassia or Bauhinia?
Looking for a small tree that blooms like fireworks but still fits on
your patio? We hear this question all the time at Top Tropicals: Cassia or
Bauhinia? Both are tropical showstoppers, but they shine in very different
ways.
🌞
Cassias: Sunshine Fireworks
Cassia trees
are some of the most rewarding tropical bloomers you can
grow. Fast-growing, free-flowering, and surprisingly cold-tolerant, they
thrive in full sun and summer heat. Their bright clusters come in shades of
yellow, orange, pink, red, and even multicolor blends. The famous Rainbow
Cassias
show swirls of coral, gold, and rose on the same tree, creating a living
fireworks display.
Cassias can also be grown in pots with pruning and
patience. Once mature, they reward you with breathtaking color that turns
any patio
or pool deck into a tropical show. Most showy cassias (numbers correspond to
the photos in the collage above):
Cassia
bicapsularis (Butterfly Bush) - is a fast-growing,
low-maintenance shrub covered in bright yellow, butterfly-like blooms from
fall
through winter.
Cassia roxburghii (Ceylon Senna) - graceful tree with spreading,
drooping branches appearing to be overweighed by its wealth of clustering
red
blossoms.
Cassia
x nodosa (Pink Shower) - is a spectacular medium-sized, fast-growing
tree with cascading clusters of fragrant pink-and-white appleblossom blooms
in spring and summer.
Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) - to many tropical gardeners, the
most beautiful of cassias with masses of bright gold flower clusters appear
on
almost every branch.
Cassia javanica (Apple Blossom) - dazzles with dense clusters of
pink-to-white blossoms that change shades as they bloom, creating a
spectacular
display that lasts for months.
"Cassias love the heat and sunshine," says Tatiana
Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant Expert. "They are perfect for anyone
who wants big
bursts of color and doesn’t mind giving them space and light to grow."
Bauhinia Magic: Orchid-Like Blooms in a Compact Size
Bauhinia orchid trees: top left
– Bauhinia acuminata (Dwarf White Orchid Tree), middle left –
Bauhinia blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid Tree), bottom left – Bauhinia
monandra
(Napoleon’s Plume Orchid Tree), top right – Bauhinia
madagascariensis (Red Dwarf Orchid Tree), and bottom right – Bauhinia
tomentosa
(Yellow Orchid Tree)
Bauhinia trees
known as Orchid Trees, bring a touch of tropical luxury
to any space. Their butterfly-shaped leaves and orchid-like blossoms appear
in shades of red, pink, purple, white, and yellow, often lasting up to ten
months a year. Bauhinias are ideal for gardeners who want nonstop color in a
manageable size. Most species grow well in large pots and bloom young, often
within the first season.
The following compact varieties stay neat and flower almost
continuously in warm weather:
Bauhinia blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid Tree). A large tree in the
ground, but compact in pots if trimmed. Grafted trees flower right
away.
Winter bloomer, cold hardy to light frost.
The Hong Kong Orchid Tree is especially prized because it
is sterile and produces no messy seed pods, keeping patios clean. Grafted Buhinia
blakeana trees begin blooming while still small, making them perfect for
containers or tight spaces.
"Bauhinias are generous bloomers," Tatiana explains. "They respond
beautifully to regular feeding and full sun. If nights turn too cold, just
move the
pot to a sunny porch - they’ll keep their tropical charm most of the
year."
Give them full sun, regular fertilizer, and a well-drained
mix such as Sunshine
Abundance, and they will reward you with months of vivid
blooms. When nights turn too cold, simply move the pot to a sunny porch or
bright
window. Bauhinias adjust beautifully and keep their tropical grace year
after
year.
🎥
Watch Short Videos:
💲
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Get 20% OFF Cassias and Bauhinias with code
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Smokey and Sunshine Prepare Plants for the Cold Night.
Smokey: Come on, Sunshine, help me move these plants inside before it gets
dark!
Sunshine: I am helping... see? I’m supervising the mango
tree.
Smokey: You call that supervising? The frost cloth’s upside down!
When the forecast drops into the 30s, panic is not a plan. This is your
simple, clear checklist to protect every tropical in your garden. Think of
it as the quick emergency manual that goes hand in hand with the previous
cold-weather newsletter.
"We
all love our tropical flowers, mangoes, bananas, and rare fruit trees. A
single cold night does
not have to be a disaster. The key is knowing what to do, when to do it, and
what mistakes to avoid." - Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant
Expert
🌡️ FROST AND FREEZE
A frost and a freeze are not the same. A frost is when you see ice crystals
on leaves or grass, while a freeze is when the air temperature drops below
32 F. The tricky part is that you can get
frost even when the air is above freezing, and you can have a freeze with no
frost at all. It all depends on humidity and the dew point. If the dew
point
is below freezing, the ground can cool faster than the air, letting frost
form even when your thermometer reads 35 or 36 F. And once the air itself
drops below 32 F, even for an hour, tender tropicals can be damaged. For
plants, a freeze is far more dangerous, because freezing air pulls heat out
of stems, branches, and roots. Frost usually burns leaves, but a true freeze
can injure wood, kill buds, and damage the entire plant.
Frost on the grass and leaves on Winter morning in Central
Florida
WHAT TO DO
AND NOT TO DO BEFORE A COLD SNAP
✔️ 5 THINGS TO DO:
Water well. Hydrated plants tolerate cold better than dry, stressed
ones.
Add mulch. A thick layer around the base keeps roots warm.
Block the wind. Move pots to a sheltered corner or patio.
Cover at night, uncover in the morning. Let plants breathe and get
light.
Add gentle heat if needed. Non-LED Christmas lights or a small old style
15-20W light can raise temps a few degrees.
❌ 5 THINGS NOT TO DO:
Do not prune or trim. Fresh cuts freeze first.
Do not overwater. Wet, cold soil invites root rot.
Do not let plants dry out either. Wilted plants freeze more easily.
Do not use dry fertilizer. Gentle liquid feeds like Sunshine
Boosters are safe to use with every watering: its intake naturally slows
down as watering decreases.
Do not look only at the thermometer. A long, windy night can be worse
than a short freeze.
TEMPERATURE
ACTION GUIDE (40 to 25 F)
40 to 38 F: Move potted plants to shelter, water soil, and cover
tender tropicals.
37 to 33 F: Use frost cloth and anchor it down so the wind does
not lift it.
32 to 30 F: Add a heat source like non-LED lights.
29 to 25 F: Double-cover sensitive plants, wrap trunks, and
protect roots heavily.
COLD
TOLERANCE BY PLANT TYPE
Before a cold night, it really helps to know your plant’s exact
cold limits. Every species is different, and young plants are always more
sensitive than mature ones. Take a few minutes to look up your varieties in
our Tropical
Plants Encyclopedia
— it will tell you the safe temperature range, how much protection
each plant needs, and which ones must be covered or moved before the next
cold snap hits.
Bananas: leaf burn below 37 F
Mango, Annona: hurt around 32 F
Cold hardy avocados: Mature tree can take about 25 F. Young trees must
be protected
Olives, Citrus, Guava, Jaboticaba: usually OK outside with mulch
QUICK-ACTION
TABLE
Before the cold arrives, make yourself a quick list of every plant and
what action each one needs. It saves time when temperatures start dropping
and keeps you from scrambling in the dark. Check that you have enough frost
cloth, blankets, and supplies on hand so you can cover everything without
rushing. Planning ahead makes cold nights much less stressful.
Bring Indoors: Cacao, Bilimbi, Coffee. They need warm, bright
light.
Cover Outdoors: Mango, Jackfruit, Banana, Annona. Use frost cloth, not
plastic on leaves.
Covering large mango and avocado trees in pots at TopTropicals during
cold nights
GADGETS AND
TOOLS THAT HELP
Indoor helpers: LED lights, small heaters, bottom-heat mats,
timers.
Outdoor helpers: frost cloth rolls, mini greenhouses, non-LED Christmas
lights or small incandescent lights, smart thermometers.
Always keep electrical safety in mind, especially if you are using extension
cords outdoors. Use only weather-rated cords, keep all connections off the
ground, and protect plugs from moisture. Make sure heaters and lights are
stable, secured, and never touching fabric covers. A few minutes of safety
check
can prevent a dangerous situation on a cold, wet night.
And if you want to keep plants strong through winter, add Sunshine
Boosters to your watering routine. It is gentle, safe in cold weather,
and gives plants an extra edge.
AFTER THE
COLD PASSES
In the morning, uncover plants. Leaving covers on during the day can trap
heat and cook the tender new growth, especially under the sun. The only
exception is true frost cloth designed for all-day use, which allows air,
light, and moisture to pass through. Regular blankets, sheets, and plastic
must come off as soon as the sun rises.
Do not cut anything yet. A plant can look completely dead after a freeze,
but many branches are still alive under the bark. Cutting too soon removes
wood that would recover on its own. Wait until new growth begins in spring.
That is when you can see exactly which branches are truly dead.
Use the scratch test. Gently scratch the bark with your nail or a small
knife. If the layer underneath is green, the branch is alive. If it is brown
and dry, it is likely dead. But even then, wait until warm weather to be
sure, because sometimes only the tips die back while the lower part of the
branch survives.
Once the weather stabilizes, resume light feeding. Plants coming out of cold
stress need gentle support, not heavy fertilizer. A mild liquid feed like
Sunshine
Boosters helps them rebuild roots and push new growth without burning
tender tissue.
Your tropical garden can survive any cold night if you prepare right. Cold
snaps always feel stressful in the moment, but once you know your plants,
have the right supplies, and follow a simple plan, it becomes routine. A few
minutes of preparation before dark can save months of growth and keep your
collection healthy all winter.
Frost cloth is the true workhorse of cold protection: it keeps heat in,
keeps frost off, and will not suffocate plants the way plastic or blankets
can. Having a few rolls ready means you never have to scramble at the last
minute. Sunshine
Boosters give your plants gentle support during the colder months so
they stay strong enough to bounce back quickly when warm weather
returns.
A little planning now will pay off in spring, when your mango, banana,
citrus, and all your favorite tropicals come back happy and ready to
grow.
