Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 11 Nov 2024

Why is it called Chinese Hat Flower? Winter bloomer is here!

Holmskioldia sanguinea, or Chinese Hat Flower

💍 Why is it called Chinese Hat Flower? Winter bloomer is here!

  • 👒 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!
  • 👒 This unique form has also inspired other playful names like Cup and Saucer, Parasol Flower, and Mandarin's Hat.
  • 👒 One of the most amazing features of the Chinese Hat Flower is that it's a vibrant winter bloomer. Just when many plants are dormant, it bursts into color, brightening up gardens with its eye-catching hues.
  • 👒 The classic variety produces red blooms, but there are also rare types, including Holmskioldia citrina, which has bright yellow flowers, and a bronze variety with orange-bronze blooms. These vibrant colors make it a fantastic choice for adding a splash of color to any garden during the cooler months.
  • 👒 This scrambling shrub is not only beautiful but also hardy and fast-growing, perfect for training along trellises, fences, or arbors, where its cascading blooms can shine.
  • 👒 Besides being visually striking, the Chinese Hat Flower is a magnet for pollinators, drawing in butterflies and hummingbirds.
  • 👒 For gardeners seeking a low-maintenance, colorful plant with a tropical vibe, the Chinese Hat Flower is an ideal choice!


📸 More photos of varieties in the next post ⬇️⬇️⬇️

🛒 Shop Chinese Hat Plants

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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Date: 10 Nov 2024

New variety of Sapodilla? Thai Brownie!

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

✏️ New variety of Sapodilla? Thai Brownie!

  • 🍪 Back in 2005, TopTropicals crew traveled to Thailand and discovered very interesting variety of Sapodilla at the fruit market (first pic). No one could tell us the name of this variety so we named it Brownie. We brought the seeds with us...
  • 🍪 Seven years later, we've had fruiting trees from those seeds! The fruit was even more elongated that the parent.
  • 🍪 The trees we have right now for sale are the second generation, seedlings from that original Thai Brownie. Try these for your fruit forest!
  • 🍪 The elongated fruit is small, 3-4"long, smooth pulp is very sweet.


👍 What is your favorite tropical fruit? Share in comments⬇️

🛒 Online order: Sapodilla Thai Browny, Achras (manilkara) zapota

#Food_Forest

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Date: 6 Nov 2024

What flower is perfect for coastal gardens

Iris Neomarica caerulea

🏖 What flower is perfect for coastal gardens

  • 💙 Neomarica caerulea - Iris is a graceful gem with a royal twist!
  • 💙 The variety Regina, discovered in Brazil lounging by the ocean, was introduced by plant enthusiast Sid Gardino, who named it after his wife, Regina - talk about romance!
  • 💙 This beauty thrives in shady spots and sandy soil, making it perfect for gardens near the coast, thanks to its salt tolerance.
  • 💙 With its elegant blue-violet blooms and sword-like leaves, Iris Regina adds a splash of tropical charm to your garden, all while asking for very little in return. It's the kind of plant that makes your garden look fabulous without breaking a sweat!


🛒 Plant your own beautiful Iris

#Container_Garden

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Date: 4 Nov 2024

Why Hog Plum is the most popular fruit tree after mango?

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit on a tree

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit on a tree

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Why Hog Plum is the most popular fruit tree after mango?

  • 🍑 Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela... This fast-growing, spreading tree with thick branches is a favorite of tropical fruit lovers!
  • 🍑 In spring, its showy, fragrant flowers bloom from bare, leafless branches in shades of red, purple, or yellow, hinting at the color of the fruit to come. The tree produces oval to round mildly sweet fruits, 1 to 2 ½ inches long, with waxy skin, juicy flesh, and a strong plum-like flavor.
  • 🍑 Highly productive, the pleasant aroma of the ripe fruit can be smelled from many feet away!
  • 🍑 The fruits are enjoyed fresh, stewed with sugar, or pickled while green for East Indian dishes. Mombin butter, made like apple butter, is especially delicious.
  • 🍑 Even the young leaves can be cooked, though they carry a tangy, sour taste.
  • 🍑 Deciduous and quick-growing, this tree can bear fruit before sprouting new leaves in spring. It thrives in many soil types and propagates easily from large cuttings, making it perfect for a living fence.
  • 🍑 Very fast growing, and fruiting right away. Fruiting from May through July, the Hog Plum brings beauty, fragrance, and flavor to your edible landscape.


🛒 Plant Mombin Hog Plum

#Food_Forest

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Date: 15 Nov 2024

How mini is Mini Monstera?

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma - Mini Monstera, Monstera Ginny, or Dwarf Monstera

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma - Mini Monstera, Monstera Ginny, or Dwarf Monstera

😎 How mini is Mini Monstera?

  • 🍀 Rhaphidophora tetrasperma - often called Mini Monstera, Monstera Ginny, or Dwarf Monstera, is a rare collectible for plant enthusiasts.
  • 🍀 This beautiful vining plant hails from Thailand and resembles the popular Monstera deliciosa, with similarly split leaves that stay very compact and manageable. The plant can be maintained under 3-4 ft with pruning, even more compact that famous Baby Swiss Cheese Monstera we mentioned earlier.
  • 🍀 Mini Monstera makes an excellent houseplant, thriving in bright, indirect light and easy to care for. Its foliage changes as it matures, adding to its appeal.
  • 🍀 Ideal for a pot or trained up a trellis, this plant brings a tropical vibe to any indoor space, staying lush, green, and full of character!


👍 Do you grow Monstera indoors? Share in comments⬇️

🛒 Order Mini Monstera Ginny

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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