Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 18 Nov 2025

This giant red stared right back at me

Disocactus ackermanni, Red Orchid Cactus, Jungle Cactus

👹 This giant red stared right back at me

  • 🌺 Disocactus ackermanni, also called the Red Orchid Cactus, or Jungle Cactus - is one of those plants that surprises you even when you already know it well. It grows like a tropical fern, with flat, leaflike stems that hang and drape from a basket. Most of the year it looks calm and green. Then, without much warning, it opens a single huge, bright red flower that can reach up to 6 inches wide. The color is intense, almost glowing, and the bloom only lasts a short time, which makes it even more special.
  • 🌺 Despite being a cactus, it behaves nothing like a desert plant. This species is native to the tropical forests of Mexico, where it grows as an epiphyte in trees. It prefers shade or filtered light, and it enjoys regular watering. No spines, no trouble, just a very unusual growth habit and a spectacular bloom.
  • 🌺 The plant usually flowers from spring through summer, sometimes offering more than one flush. When it does, it always steals attention, and it is one of those plants visitors immediately point at and ask about. This makes it a favorite among collectors of epiphytic cacti and unusual hanging plants.
  • 🌺 If you grow it in a hanging basket and give it bright shade, humidity, and consistent moisture, it rewards you with one of the most striking red flowers you will ever see!


🛒 Add Red Orchid Cactus to your collection

📚 Learn more:


Red Orchid Cactus puts out the biggest bloom show
More epiphytic jungle cacti:
Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night
Pseudorhipsalis (Wittia) amazonica - Blue Flame
Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Orchid Cactus, Curly Locks

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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Date: 27 Nov 2025

🎃 Thanksgiving Weekend Deal

Schlumbergera  x  New  Deal  -  Thanksgiving,  Christmas  Orchid  Cactus,  plant
    covered  in  cascading  bright  pink  flowers  indoors.

Photo above: A long-blooming holiday classic, Schlumbergera New Deal, an heirloom Thanksgiving-to-Christmas cactus with cascades of oversized pink flowers. Blooms from Thanksgiving through Easter!

As our way of saying thank you for growing with us all year long, here is your exclusive holiday code. Use it for 15% off any order over $100 (excluding shipping and handling):

THANKS2025

Ends November 30th, 2025 (Sunday) at midnight.
Min order $100 (exculuding S/H).
One use per customer.
Cannot be combined with other discounts.
Cannot be applied to previous orders.

Check out our specials below - hand-picked by our horticulturist for size, beauty, and vigor! These are the biggest, fullest plants you'll see all year! Take advantage of this Holiday discount code and get them now at their best and fullest point!

🛒 Shop Tropical plants

Gloxinia  sylvatica  -  Bolivian  Sunset,  close-up  of  a  flowering  plant 
 with  many  bright  red  tubular  blooms  and  dark  green  leaves.

Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset. A perfect fall-winter standout: it bursts with glowing blooms and makes a great holiday gift as a flowering start.

Large  blooming  Gardenia  nitida  plant  with  many  white  star-shaped 
 flowers  and  glossy  green  leaves  growing  in  a  container

Gardenia nitida

Date: 8 Dec 2025

Floridians, mark your calendar: December 13, 2025 - Holiday Plant Market!

🎉 Floridians, mark your calendar: December 13, 2025 - Holiday Plant Market!


  • 🔴 Welcome to the Holiday Plant Market, proudly hosted by the #PeopleCats of TopTropicals.

King is on gate duty (checking every car, as usual).
Paisley is rearranging plants for the tenth time this morning because he wants them perfect.
Snitch is already relaxing in a chair, supervising with a cup of iced tea.
Persephone is under the tables, greeting guests from the Underworld.
Sushi and Loki are grooming - getting ready for the guided tours.
Together they invite you to stroll the gardens, snack on a donut, enjoy holiday music, and pick out something tropical and beautiful to take home.

  • 🔴 Why you should come


It is December in Florida - warm breeze, sunshine, and perfect planting weather. While the rest of the country is scraping frost off windshields, you're choosing which banana tree to take home. Come enjoy a colorful Saturday surrounded by plants, music, snacks, and friendly #PeopleCats. This is your holiday escape, your plant-hunting adventure, and your chance to bring home something amazing before the season ends.

  • 🔴 What makes this event special


We bring out the biggest, rarest, most impressive plants we grew all summer.
Trees with developed branches, vines ready to take off, fragrant blooms that stop people mid-walk.
Everything looks better by December in Florida, and this is the day we put it all on display!

🔴 Holiday extras



- 30% OFF online prices
- FREE plant with purchase
- $5-10 specials
- Mini donuts and holiday treats
- Cold drinks, iced tea, citrus-infused water
- Tropical Christmas music playing all day
- Cat-guided tours from our PeopleCats (they know the garden better than we do) - Subject to Purrrson's schedule/availability
- Exciting Raffle prizes
- Fruit tasting table (subject to enough ripe fruit in the morning!)

📱 Event discounts and specials valid at both locations:



🎁 Learn more about this Event, Holiday deals and extras

Date: 12 Dec 2025

🎄 Holiday Plant Market:
Saturday, Dec 13, 2025, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM 🎉

Smokey  the  tuxedo  cat  and  Sunshine  the  ginger  cat  sitting  at  a  table, 
 studying  a  Holiday  Plant  Market  flyer  with  a  notepad,  coffee  cup,  and 
 donut.

Smokey: We invited people, so we need to be prepared for the crowd.
Sunshine: I am prepared. I saw yummy donuts on the flyer.
Smokey: Of course you did, genius. You are responsible for donuts and coffee.

It is almost here. Our big end-of-season Plant Day. All year we grow the rare and unusual plants that will be featured at this event, and Saturday is the day they finally meet their new homes. The garden turns into a small holiday escape: fresh air, bright colors, music, snacks, and the PeopleCats greeting everyone like they have known you for years.

Meet PeopleCats crew in charge

TopTropicals  CatPeople:  cat  King
King
TopTropicals  CatPeople:  cat  King
Sushi
TopTropicals  CatPeople:  cat  Snitch
Snitch
TopTropicals  CatPeople:  cat  Paisley
Paisley
TopTropicals  CatPeople:  cat  Persephone
Persephone
TopTropicals  CatPeople:  cat  Loki
Loki

Why you should come

It is December in Florida - warm breeze, sunshine, and perfect planting weather. While the rest of the country is scraping frost off windshields, you're choosing which banana tree to take home. Come enjoy a colorful Saturday surrounded by plants, music, snacks, and friendly PeopleCats. This is your holiday escape, your plant-hunting adventure, and your chance to bring home something amazing before the season ends.

Not Local?

Not everyone is lucky enough to live close by. For our online customers, here is 20% for online orders:

EVENT2025

Valid for online orders only. Minimum order $120 (excluding shipping and handling). Cannot be combined with any other discounts, coupon codes, automatic promotions, or special offers. Not valid on previous purchases. One use per customer. Code must be entered at checkout. Offer valid through the end of Sunday, 12/14/2025

Learn more about the event

🛒 Go Shopping

Date: 25 Dec 2025

Do not throw out your poinsettia - 4 simple tips how to keep it alive for next Christmas

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima veriegated leaves

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima veriegated leaves

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - white, pink and red

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - white, pink and red

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - white and red

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - white and red

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - in a pot

Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - in a pot

🎄 Do not throw out your poinsettia - 4 simple tips how to keep it alive for next Christmas



Poinsettias - Euphorbia_pulcherrima - are tender perennials, not one-season plants. After the holidays they naturally fade, rest, and regroup. With a few simple care tweaks, a healthy plant can live all year and rebloom next winter.
  • 🎄 1. Let it rest after the holidays


  • ✦ Flowering ends naturally - faded bracts and some leaf drop are normal.
  • ✦ Prune when bracts fall: cut stems back by 1/3 to 1/2, leaving 4-5 inches.
  • ✦ Wear gloves - the sap can irritate skin.
  • ✦ Move to a cooler, bright spot for 4-6 weeks.
  • ✦ Ideal temp: 55-60°F
  • ✦ Reduce watering.
  • ✦ Water only when the top 2 inches of soil are dry.
  • ✦ Avoid soggy soil.


🎄 2. Repot in late spring

  • ✦ New growth usually starts in late spring.
  • ✦ Repot at this stage to refresh nutrients and give roots space.
  • ✦ Use a well-draining, slightly acidic potting mix.
  • ✦ Choose a pot only slightly larger, with drainage holes.
  • ✦ Loosen roots gently and remove old compacted soil.
  • ✦ Water lightly, then place in a bright, warm spot.
  • ✦ Resume regular watering and light feeding through spring and summer.


🎄 3. Adjust care during the growing season

  • ✦ Increase temperature gradually to 64-68°F.
  • ✦ Water more often once growth resumes.
  • ✦ Wilted or curling leaves signal thirst.
  • ✦ Water thoroughly and evenly.
  • ✦ Bright light is key, but avoid harsh direct sun.
  • ✦ Use sheer curtains or a grow light if needed.
  • ✦ Fertilize periodically with a balanced houseplant fertilizer.
  • ✦ Pinch back new shoots in late spring for a fuller, bushier plant.


🎄 4. Preparing for winter color

  • ✦ In fall, poinsettias need long nights to bloom.
  • ✦ Provide 12-14 hours of complete darkness nightly for 6-8 weeks.
  • ✦ This triggers colorful bracts in time for the holidays.


❓ Quick FAQ



Can it go outside?
Yes, in warm months only. Bring it indoors before temps drop below 50°F.

Winter outdoors?
No - poinsettias are cold-sensitive and must stay inside.

🎄 Poinsettias don't die after Christmas - they just take a nap. Give them rest, light, and patience, and they will reward you next year.

✍️ Expert reference: Homes and Gardens

🛒 Explore plants for containers

📚 Learn more:

Plant Facts

Euphorbia pulcherrima
Ponsettia, Poinsettia, Christmas Plant, Poincettia
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSemi-shadeShadeModerate waterOrnamental foliageIrritating plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant
  • Poinsettia - Euphorbia_pulcherrima in Plant Encyclopedia
  • Can Poinsettia grow for years? 5 most common mistakes with new container plants

  • #How_to #Container_Garden

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