Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 24 Jul 2023

Easy, stress-free plants
for Summer planting

Cat  with  Bananas

Q: With the rising temperatures, I'm concerned about shipping my plants safely. Can they withstand the heat during transit? Also, is it okay to plant them in the ground now, or should I wait for cooler Fall weather?

A: Your concern about shipping plants in hot weather is valid. For sensitive plants, we'll delay shipping until conditions are more favorable in your area. However, there are plenty of heat-tolerant tropical plants that handle shipping well with minimal stress. These plants adapt easily when planted during the hot summer months. Simply follow the included planting instructions, gradually acclimate them to full sun, and they should thrive.

Certain flowering tropical plants, such as Allamandas, Calliandras, Caesalpinias, Adeniums, and Clerodendrums, are excellent options for shipping and establishing during the summer. Flowering vines like Jasmines also adapt well. Consider using Sunshine Booster fertilizers to promote robust growth, they are safe to use right after planting.

Additionally, many fruit trees flourish in heat. Mangoes, Avocados, Pomegranates, Pineapples, Loquats, Eugenias - Tropical cherries, Bananas, Jackfruits, Dragon Fruit, and Olive trees are great choices for summer planting. Noni trees are hardy survivors and usually ship and grow well during the summer, in spite of their lush tropical leaves.

Feel free to check with us about the specific plant you plan to order for its suitability in summer shipping. We're here to take care of your green babies and address your year-round planting needs!

Pitaya  Yellow  Dragon  Fruit,  Selenicereus  megalanthus

Pitaya, Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus

Cat  with  Bananas

Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans thrives and blooms in hot sun

Cat  with  Bananas

Kalanchoe synsepala Magnificent - Walking Cup Kalanchoe, spectacular plant, loves dry and hot conditions

Date: 6 Jun 2025

How to grow Dragon Fruit

🐉 How to grow Dragon Fruit


  • 🌵 Selenicereus megalanthus - Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit Palora, is the best tasting Dragon Fruit in the world that is not only sweet, it has a great flavor (unlike most pitayas that are pretty watery).

  • 🌵This particular species of Dragon fruit doesn't mind regular water and rains but is also drought-tolerant. Watch a short video how to grow it:

📱

📚 Learn more:



🛒Grow your own Tasty Dragon Fruits

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 10 Sep 2025

Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

🌵 Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

Both names refer to climbing cacti in the genus Hylocereus. The word pitaya is more common in Latin America, while dragon fruit is the name used in Asia and English-speaking countries. They come in different types: white-fleshed (Hylocereus undatus), red-fleshed (Hylocereus costaricensis), and yellow-skinned (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus). All share the same growth habit and care needs. Pitaya or dragon fruit - whichever name you use, it's one of the easiest exotic fruits to grow at home.

  • 🍉 How to grow Dragon Fruit


  • Get a desired variety or start from a cutting - let the cut end dry for a few days before planting to prevent rot.
  • Plant in well-draining soil with lots of sun.
  • Give it a strong support to climb on - it's a vining cactus.
  • Water deeply but let the soil dry between waterings.
  • Flowers open at night and need pollination - some types are self-fertile, others need cross-pollination.
  • With care, you can enjoy fruit in 1-2 years. Remember to ferilize!


🍉 Dragon fruit varieties


  • 🔴 ⚪️ Red skin, white flesh (Hylocereus undatus) - The most popular type, and the biggest fruit. Mildly sweet, refreshing, and often compared to a kiwi crossed with a pear.
  • Varieties: David Bowie, Delight, Hana, Lake Atitlan, Seoul Kitchen, Vietnamese Jaina, Hana

  • 🔴🔴 Red skin, red flesh (Hylocereus costaricensis) - Sweeter, juicier, and more intense in flavor. The deep red juice can stain, but it’s loaded with antioxidants.
  • Varieties: American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Eureka Red, Costa Rican Sunset, Mac Edwin, Halleys Comet, Mac Edwin, Makisupa, Mega Red, Physical Graffiti, Sweet Red

  • 🔴🟣 Red flesh, purple/magenta flesh (Hylocereus x costaricensis) - Hybrids, usually between red and white varieties.
Varieties: Cosmic Charlie, Edgar's Baby, Halleys Comet, Natural Mystic, Physical Graffiti, Purple Haze, Tricia, Voodoo Child, Zamorano

🟡⚪️ Yellow skin, white flesh (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus) - Smaller fruit, but the sweetest of all. Crisp, juicy, and tropical with notes of pineapple or honey.
Varieties: Amarilla (Kirin), Colimbiana, Godlen Dragon, Palora, Thai Gold (Hawaiian)

Each type looks stunning and tastes slightly different, but all are easy to grow once you give them sun, support, and patience.

🛒 Explore and collect Dragon Fruit varieties

📚 Learn more:


#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 17 May 2023

NEW VIDEO:
ABC7 Fort Myers News:
Rare Tropical Fruit Trees at Top Tropicals

We received lots of orders from our customers for butterfly attracting plants after our recent . We are glad you liked the story and the plants!

Today's topic is on tropical fruit. Enjoy this quick tour and learn more about different varieties of rare tropical fruit and what can be grown in your yard. We have them all! And we can ship them to your door.

Fruit and plants introduced in the video:

Persimmon
Coffee
Sapodilla
Sapote
Vanilla
Pomegranate
Yellow Dragon fruit
Litchi
Tamarind
Chocolate Tree
Raspberry
Grape

Watch the news segment by Rachel Anderson for ABC-7: Rare fruit trees at Top Tropicals.

Subscribe to our Channel:

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

Yellow  Dragon  Fruit,  Selenicereus  megalanthus,  fruit

In the photo: Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus, the sweetest and the most flavorful rare Yellow Pitaya. The taste is said to be superior to most cactus fruits.

Date: 4 Jul 2019

Super RARE: the Honduran Moon-Torch Cactus

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

The most wonderful, easily growing, giant flowering, fragrant, and floriferous species of Selenicereus I have grown is an almost unknown species called Selenicerius hondurensis.  While its climbing stems are rarely thicker than a Sharpie marker, it's flowers measure 12 to 14 inches across (!), open as the sun is setting, and produce a most incredible fragrance... very rich and spreading thru the area. It smells like a combination of both white chocolate and vanilla. S. hondurensis also develops the most richly colored flowers of the Selenicerei, the outermost petals being a glowing orangey-gold. It's very stunning and provocative!  It flowers magnificently, several times during the summer... Continue reading...

Recommended fertilizers:

Tropical Greenhouse Plus - Plant Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Picture of the actual plants for sale: