Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 7 Jan 2025

When is the season for the Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae)

💔 When is the season for the Bleeding Hearts



❣️ Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) is named for its red and white flowers that look like dangling hearts.

❣️ Native to tropical West Africa, this climber thrives in bright light and can be grown as a houseplant or trained on a trellis.

❣️ It shows off its most spectacular blooms in winter, but with enough light, it'll happily flower year-round.

📚 More about Clerodendrums in previous posts:


💋What is the most spectacular Clerodendrum
💋How to grow Clerodendrums
💋Fireworks of Winter
💋Fragrant Cashmere Bouquet
💋Fountain Clerodendrum
💋What is better - Blue or Pink
💋Why is it called Blue Butterfly
💋Clerodendrum paniculatum
💋Seaside Clerodendrum
💋Pink Bleeding Heart
💋Why is it called Musical Notes
💋Bleeding Heart Vine
💋Cashmere Bouquet

🛒Get your own Bleeding Heart

#Butterfly_Plants #Shade_Garden #Fun_Facts #Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden

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Date: 18 Feb 2025

What cactus vine produces gooseberries

Perescia  aculeata,  Barbados  Gooseberry  fruit

Q: I've heard about a tropical gooseberry suitable for making jams but don't know its exact name. Do you have it? Gooseberry jam is my husband's favorite, but I can't find gooseberries here in Florida - too hot, maybe?

A: Yes, we do have the plant you're looking for! We've just made some delicious jam from this tropical gooseberry, and it tastes just like the northern varieties but even more flavorful! Florida's winter is the perfect season for this wonderful fruit. Right now, our plant is growing quickly and vigorously over our fence, and it's covered with fruit. Just a couple of months earlier it was full of fragrant, beautiful white flowers!

The plant in question is Perescia aculeata, commonly known as Barbados Gooseberry. It's a unique cactus with both edible leaves and fruit, making it a tropical treasure that offers beauty as well as culinary delights.

The fruit is yellow with a juicy, subacid pulp that tastes remarkably similar to traditional gooseberries. You can enjoy the fruits fresh, stewed, or transformed into jams and jellies.

The young leaves are also edible, adding a nutritious boost to your meals.

This fast-growing vining cactus prefers well-drained soil that remains moist during the summer and drier in winter, and it can be effectively grown in containers on a trellis.

Watch a short video of Barbados Gooseberry fruiting.

Perescia  aculeata,  Barbados  Gooseberry  jam

Perescia  aculeata,  Barbados  Gooseberry  flowers

Date: 19 Mar 2025

Why everyone loves these tulips growing on a tree

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tre

🌷 Why everyone loves these tulips growing on a tree



🌷 Ever wondered what it's like to have tulips growing on a tree? Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tree - offers just that with its bold, orange-red, tulip-like flowers that bloom in winter and spring. It is the most spectacular flowering tree!

🌷Known for its large, vibrant orange-red, tulip-like flowers with yellow throats, creating a spectacular display from winter through spring.

🌷Adds to its visual appeal with rich green leaves.

🌷Sensitive to frost when young but becomes more cold-hardy as it matures.

🛍 Get your own Tulip Tree

#Nature_Wonders #Trees

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Date: 2 May 2025

Have you ever seen a Bridal Bouquet Plumeria this size?

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

👀 Have you ever seen a Bridal Bouquet Plumeria this size?



📸 In the photo: This beauty is right at our front door! We planted it a few years ago, and after a tough winter frost damaged it, it bounced back stronger than ever. Now, it's grown into a dense, clumping bush that's impossible to miss! People passing by often stop to admire it and ask what it is. It's truly a miracle plant!

💮 Bridal Bouquet Plumeria - Plumeria pudica - is evergreen, unlike most plumeiras, that drop leaves in winter. It has vibrant, fiddle-shaped leaves! It's a tropical beauty that stays ornamental even when it's not in bloom.

💮 Plumeria pudica blooms almost non-stop with large clusters of 3"white flowers with small yellow centers, forming a beautiful bouquet on the plant. It's like having your own tropical garden show every day!

💮 Unique Growth Habit: This plumeria is versatile - it can grow as a small tree or as a dense, clumping bush, making it perfect for small yards or patios. The plant can be shaped to fit the space, growing rapidly and upright.

💮 Low Maintenance: Easy to care for and tolerant of drought, Plumeria pudica thrives without the need for special attention. It's resistant to insects and fungus, unlike other plumerias. Simply plant and enjoy!

💮 We have in our collection very interesting variety of Plumeria pudica from Thailand. It has variegated leaves! Plumeria pudica variegata - Snow Bridal Bouquet, or White Arrow Leaf - has variegated leaf margins. Like regular Plumeria pudica, it is evergreen, never drops leaves, and grows into a beautiful, dense multi-stem bush. Great for container culture.

🛒 Shop Bridal Bouquet - Plumeria pudica

📚
Learn more:
Plumeria pudica variegata, Snow Bridal Bouquet - the most unusual Plumeria

#Container_Garden #Nature_Wonders #Trees

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Date: 15 Feb 2025

This is the bush you should let flower for you: Chinese Hat is in bloom

Holmskioldia sanguinea, Chinese Hat Flower

💋 This is the bush you should let flower for you: Chinese Hat is in bloom



💋 The Holmskioldia sanguinea, or Chinese Hat Flower, gets its charming nickname from the shape of its blooms. Each flower resembles a tiny, colorful hat or parasol, with a narrow tubular structure backed by a broad, circular calyx, giving it a "hat-like" appearance!

💋 It blooms from Winter to Spring, offering a spectacular view!

💋 Graceful branches are densely covered with vibrant flowers before the new leaves begin to regrow after winter.

📚 Learn more from previous posts:


· Why is it called Chinese Hat Flower
· Colorful varieties of Holmskioldia sanguinea - Chinese Hat Flower

🛒 Shop Chinese Hat Plants

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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