Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 15 May 2026

Smokey and Sunshine HIRING NOW: Customer service / sales in garden center

👨‍� Smokey and Sunshine HIRING NOW: Customer service / sales in garden center

Sunshine: Smokey, we need plant people.
Smokey: Does your girlfriend know plants?
Sunshine: Of course. She fertilized my donuts so they would grow larger.
Smokey: Did it work?
Sunshine: Kind of. I gained three pounds.
Smokey: Perfect. Bring her in.

TopTropicals.com is looking for a part-time customer service and sales team member for our Ft Myers Garden Center.

If you genuinely love plants, enjoy helping people, and don't mind getting your hands dirty in a tropical nursery environment – then working with rare tropical plants, fruit trees, and fellow plant lovers can be fun and rewarding!

💼 Responsibilities



· Help walk-in customers select plants and check out
· Answer customer questions by phone, email, social media, and message board
· Open and close office, operate cash register
· General customer service and sales support

📚 Requirements



· Genuine love for plants and willingness to learn. We will train
· Friendly, patient, and polite with customers
· Strong work ethic and reliability; punctuality is essential
· Ability to follow instructions and work efficiently
· Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs and comfortable working outdoors in Florida heat and weather
· Drug-free - background check and drug test upon employment
· Valid Florida driver's license and reliable transportation
· Must love cats - our famous "PeopleCats" helpers patrol the gardens daily

‍� Preferred qualifications



· Basic computer skills (email, office, internet). We will train
· Previous plant knowledge or nursery experience
· Sales or customer service experience

💰 Pay



· Starting pay: $18/hour depending on experience and performance
· Opportunity for growth based on performance

📅 Schedule



· Part-time to start, potential for full-time later
· Friday and Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm

📍 Location:



Top Tropicals Garden Center
13890 Orange River Blvd
Ft Myers, FL 33905

✍️ How to apply:



Please email a brief resume and a short paragraph explaining why you'd like this job.

Resume guidelines:
· Keep it brief; include job history and education
· Please avoid long descriptions of unrelated experience
· Tell us why working with plants and people interests you

🚶‍➡️ To apply in person:



You are welcome to visit our Garden Center during business hours:
Monday-Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm
To apply in person, ask for Kristi - our manager.
No phone calls please.

Thanks for applying - we hope to see you working alongside our plants, #PeopleCats, and fellow plant lovers soon.

#Smokey_Sunshine


🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 25 Jun 2026

Why Everyone Is Obsessed With This Intoxicating Night Blooming Jasmine

Why Everyone Is Obsessed With This Intoxicating Night Blooming Jasmine

⭐️ Why Everyone Is Obsessed With This Intoxicating Night Blooming Jasmine



Night blooming jasmine, Cestrum nocturnum - why is everybody searching for this exact plant? If you’ve ever walked outside after dark and been stopped in your tracks by a sweet, mesmerizing scent, you already know the answer. This fast-growing, dense shrub has earned its reputation as one of the most famous and desirable fragrant plants in the world.
If you want to fill your entire yard with a dizzy, romantic perfume, here is why this magical plant belongs in your garden.

✨ A Nighttime Perfume Machine



Night Blooming Jasmine doesn’t play around when it comes to fragrance. The magic begins exactly when the sun goes down:
· Sunset to Sunrise: The tiny, understated pale yellow-to-white flowers open exclusively after dark, releasing a sweet, powerful aroma that stays intensely fragrant until the morning sun breaks.
· Garden-Wide Scent: The fragrance is so airborne that it will literally follow you all over the garden at night. You can even cut a few branches to bring indoors, instantly filling your living space with a rich, pleasant perfume.
· A Botanical Surprise: The crazy part? It is actually a member of the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family, making it a cousin to tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. But it acts nothing like a vegetable - it functions purely as a high-powered, nighttime perfume machine during the warm months.

✨ Cultural Royalty



This plant’s fragrance is so legendary that it holds a sacred place in many traditions. In India and across South Asia, these flowers are widely harvested for high-end perfumery, traditional medicinal applications, and religious ceremonies. They are a staple at weddings and festivals because the scent is unmatched in its intensity and beauty.
  • ✨ What Does "Nocturnal" Really Mean?
    It's no wonder the botanical name is Cestrum nocturnum!
    💡 noc·tur·nal: adjective - done, occurring, or active at night. "Most owls are nocturnal..."
  • ✨ Where to Plant for the Full Effect


To get the absolute most out of your Night Blooming Jasmine, placement is everything. You want to plant it where the evening breeze can carry the scent directly to you.

The Best Locations:
✓Near a favorite walkway or driveway
✓Right beneath a bedroom or living room window
✓Framing an entrance, porch, or patio

Just one or two of these fast-growing shrubs are enough to transform your entire outdoor space into a fragrant paradise after dark.

Do you have one in your garden yet? Let us know how far the fragrance travels at your house!

🛒 Experience the Fragrance

📚 Learn more:

Night Blooming Jasmine Plant Facts

Botanical name: Cestrum nocturnum
Also known as: Night Blooming Jasmine, Queen of the Night, Night Jessamine, Lady of the Night, Huele de Noche
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSmall plant 2-5 ftSemi-shadeFull sunWatering: Regular. Let topsoil dry slightlyYellow, orange flowersWhite, off-white flowersToxic or PoisonousPlant attracts butterflies, hummingbirdsEthnomedical plant. Plants marked as ethnomedical and/or described as medicinal, are not offered as medicine but rather as ornamentals or plant collectibles. Ethnomedical statements / products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We urge all customers to consult a physician before using any supplements, herbals or medicines advertised here or elsewhere.Fragrant plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region

· Cestrum nocturnum in Plant Encyclopedia
· Do this if you want to smell a dizzy perfume!
· How many flowers on Night Blooming Jasmine?
· This magical fragrance follows you all over the garden at night
· Why everybody wants this plant

🎥
Dizzy perfume of Night Blooming Jasmine

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 8 Feb 2024

Mark your calendars: March 2, 2024

March 2, 2024 - SATURDAY - Spring Plant Market: March into Spring!

Plant Festival "March into Spring!"
Saturday, March 2, 9 am - 4 pm

Save the date! On March 2, 2024, join us for our vibrant Plant Festival, "March into Spring!"
Dive into a world of lush greenery, blooming delights, and rare fruit trees at our garden event. Discover unbeatable sales, exclusive deals, delightful gift bags, and receive free plants with every purchase.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to embrace the beauty of spring and elevate your garden to new heights!

Highlights of the event:

30% OFF online prices, one day only! (excluding 15 gallon material and rare plants)
Gift bags - for first 25 customers with $50 order
Secret Garden: Super savings area 50-70% off
$5 and $10 plants
Raffle
Free plant with any purchase as a token of our appreciation

Event discounts valid at both locations:

Ft Myers Garden Center: 13890 Orange River, Ft Myers, FL
Sebring B-Farm: 9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL

Facebook event page - Download invitation

to confirm attendance
RSVP on Facebook!

Cat with plants in a bag

Learn more

Date: 6 Oct 2021

Top Tropicals Top House Plants

Photo above: Clerodendrum indoor garden of Ludmila Ezhova, St Petersburg, Russia.

Enjoy the Tropics Year round!
Bring them inside...

Q: I just discovered your amazing website and spent hours browsing your beautiful tropical plants! I wish I could have them all! But it's getting cold here (I live in Chicago area), too late? Can you recommend something of a small size, colorful, that I can easily overwinter indoors? Thanks for bringing this beauty into our lives!

A: Don't get discouraged even in colder climates. Yes, you can grow tropical plants indoors! Remember that all traditional houseplants are in fact tropical plants that grow in tropics in a wild habitat. Humans didn't invent them as indoor plants, they originally collected them from the rain forests and jungles! Most of tropical plants, including trees and fruit trees, can be grown in containers and even indoors. It's just a matter of space limitations and amount of time you are willing to spend caring of your exotic babies. Many gardeners up North are very successful with their tropical plant collections.
Below are a few suggestions of compact growing, easy species for your indoor collection. Enjoy the Tropics Year round!

See more plants well-suitable for indoor culture and our specials at the end of this newsletter.

Photo above: small tropical indoor garden of Julia Nikolayeva, St Petersburg, Russia.

Date: 26 Sep 2021

Edible Landscape: fruit bearing hedge

Photo above: Biquinho Pepper (2 months old plant)

Q: My mom had to remove a hedge for some renovations and after being heartbroken about losing my little bird haven, I've decided to plan on a fruit bearing hedge that offers some privacy and places for the little fledgling to wait for food. Any suggestions? I was thinking blueberries or citrus but open to any ideas.

A: Below are a few suggestions for a fruit bearing hedge planted with fast-growing, tropical species. They will contribute to a nice edible landscape for both your family and the birds - they will be very happy!

Larger size hedge (small trees), grows full-size within 1 season:
- Loquats
- Dwarf Mulberries (very cold hardy too) such as Dwarf Everbearing

Medium size hedge (shrubs or vines), 2-3 seasons to grow full size:
- Black Surinam Cherry Lolita
- Blackberries and raspberries

Low hedge (4-5 ft tall, 1 season, fast growing):
- Biquinho Pepper
- Wiri Wiri Pepper

Citrus is probably not a good idea, not bird's favorite, and blueberries require a special acidic soil here in Florida, so they will need extra maintenance, special soil, and heavy mulching.

Blackberry hedge

Surinam Cherry Lolita, 2 year old plant

Loquat (5 years old bushy specimen)

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