Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 12 Sep 2025

What flowers do NOT attract bees?

Butterfly on a flower that doesn't attract bees

❌ What flowers do NOT attract bees?



Most tropical flowers bring in pollinators, and bees are usually first in line. But what if you’d rather avoid them? Maybe you’re allergic, or just don’t want bees buzzing around. Good news: some flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, or even flies - but not bees.

👉 Quick rules:



✔️ Night-blooming + strong fragrance = moths or bats, not bees.
✔️ Red tubular flowers with little scent = hummingbirds or butterflies, not bees.
✔️ Rotten or fermented smell = flies, not bees.
✔️ Carnivorous plants = trap insects, no bee nectar.

1.

Night-blooming, fragrant - moth and bat flowers



Bees forage by day, so many night-fragrant flowers skip them.

Brugmansia - Angel’s Trumpet - big, hanging blooms, moth and bat pollinated.
Cestrum nocturnum - Night-blooming Jasmine - powerful night scent, moths only.
Hylocereus Dragon Fruit - huge cactus flowers, bats and moths.
Brunfelsia - Lady of the Night - sweet fragrance at dusk, no bee interest.

2.

Hummingbird and butterfly flowers



Bees don’t see red well. Tubular reds, oranges, and yellows usually go to birds and butterflies.

Hibiscus - hummingbirds and butterflies visit, bees less so.
Heliconis and Gingers - designed for hummingbird beaks, bold tubes are for birds, not bees.
More good picks: Ruellia, Sanchezia, Aeschynanthus, Aphelandra, Anisacanthus, Cuphea, Fuchsia, Iochroma, Justicia, Lonicera, Hamelia, Russelia, Odontonema, Tecomaria, Bougainvillea.

3.

🐱 Fly-pollinated oddballs



Some flowers smell bad to us but irresistible to flies.

Amorphophallus (Voodoo Lily) - rotting meat scent.
Tacca (Bat Head Lily) - spooky black flowers, fly-pollinated.
Stapelia (Carrion Flower) - also fly-pollinated.
Aristolochia (Pelican Flower) - giant, bizarre fly-traps.

4.

🌸 Specialized orchids



Not all orchids rely on bees. Many use moths, butterflies, or beetles instead.

Vanilla orchid - its natural bee pollinator is absent in most regions, so no bee appeal elsewhere.
Brassavola nodosa and others - open at night for moths, not bees.

5.

🕷 Bonus: carnivorous curiosities



Carnivorous plants don’t offer nectar. They trap insects instead, so bees stay away.

Nepenthes (Pitcher Plant) - uses pitchers of liquid to lure and digest insects.

These flowers keep the beauty, fragrance, and wildlife appeal - but without making your garden a bee hotspot.

🛒 Explore butterfly attractors

#Butterfly_Plants #How_to #Discover


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Date: 14 Nov 2018

Plant Horoscope. Scorpio Zodiac lucky plants: Plants with thorns, red in color, and grow under adversity

TopTropicals.com

Scorpio - 10/23-11/21.
A WATER sign ruled by both Mars and Pluto.
Scorpio's plants are often found in remote places or on poor ground. They will likely have thorns, can be red in color, and grow under adversity. The good news is, most of these plants are nearly indestructible! This makes them desirable for every gardener.
The reproductive organs are ruled by Scorpio, so these are plants that balance the hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, help with childbirth and pregnancy. Until this century, Scorpio was ruled by Mars, and the herbs associated with it had to do with the urogenital system and the colon. Many of the herbs related to Scorpio are cleansing and revitalizing. Now, astrologers assign Scorpio to Pluto, discovered in 1930 (Pluto is said by astrologers to be a higher octave of Mars). Physiologically, Scorpio involves the processes of catabolism and anabolism, the death and regeneration of body cells. Diseases of Scorpio are often involved with the slow buildup of toxic substances in the body (carcinogens, etc) or in the mind (anger, jealousy). Scorpio loves a spice with depth and complexity. Camphor Basil adds rich flavor to every dish it seasons, and its own aphrodisiac tendencies appeal to Scorpio's lusty nature.

Scorpio Zodiac lucky plants:
Ceiba, Baobab, Pistachio, Nutmeg, Thunbergia, Combretums, Dragon fruit, Medinilla, Camphor Basil, Oregano, Vanilla orchid, Hibiscus, Various cacti and succulents, Adenium, Honeysuckle, Peppers, Cordyline, Spider plant, Jasmine, Gooseberries, Wild indigo, Bougainvillea, Aloe vera, Raspberry , Palmetto, Horseradish tree, Camphor, Allspice and Bay Rum,Jujube, Sweet Mimosa, Agave, Milkweed, Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Pony Tail, Dwarf Poinciana, Bottlebrushes, Clusias, Crocosmia, Zig-Zag Cactus, Dracaena, Fire Bush, Hoyas, Jatropha , Kalanchoe, Sausage tree, Devils Backbone, Pereskia, Red Plumeria, Firecracker, Rattlebox, Rhoeo, Calendula, Geranium, Thistles, Mint , Sage, Catnip, Coriander, Sandalwood, Ginseng, Euphorbias, Acacias.

Date: 22 Oct 2016

Plant Horoscope. Scorpio Zodiac lucky plants: Nearly indestructible plants

Scorpio - 10/23-11/21. A WATER sign ruled by both Mars and Pluto.
Scorpio's plants are often found in remote places or on poor ground. They will likely have thorns, can be red in color, and grow under adversity. The good news is, most of these plants are nearly indestructible! This makes them desirable for every gardener.
The reproductive organs are ruled by Scorpio, so these are plants that balance the hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, help with childbirth and pregnancy. Until this century, Scorpio was ruled by Mars, and the herbs associated with it had to do with the urogenital system and the colon. Many of the herbs related to Scorpio are cleansing and revitalizing. Now, astrologers assign Scorpio to Pluto, discovered in 1930 (Pluto is said by astrologers to be a higher octave of Mars). Physiologically, Scorpio involves the processes of catabolism and anabolism, the death and regeneration of body cells. Diseases of Scorpio are often involved with the slow buildup of toxic substances in the body (carcinogens, etc) or in the mind (anger, jealousy). Scorpio loves a spice with depth and complexity. Camphor Basil adds rich flavor to every dish it seasons, and its own aphrodisiac tendencies appeal to Scorpio's lusty nature.

Scorpio Zodiac lucky plants: Ceiba,  Baobab,  Pistachio,  Nutmeg, Black-eyed Susan Thunbergia, Combretums,  Dragon fruit,  Medinilla,  Camphor Basil,  Cuban Oregano, Vanilla orchid,  Hibiscus, Various  cacti and succulents,  Adenium, Honeysuckle,  Peppers,  Cordyline,  Spider plant,  Jasmine,  Gooseberries, Wild indigo,  Bougainvillea,  Aloe vera,  Raspberry,  Palmetto,  Horseradish tree,  Camphor,  Allspice and Bay Rum, Jujube,  Sweet Mimosa,  Agave, Milkweed,  Hong Kong Orchid Tree,  Pony Tail,  Dwarf Poinciana, Bottlebrushes,  Clusias,  Crocosmia,  Zig-Zag Cactus,  Dracaena,  Fire Bush,  Hoyas,  Jatropha,  Kalanchoe,  Sausage tree,  Devils Backbone, Pereskia, Red Plumeria,  Firecracker,  Rattlebox,  Rhoeo, Calendula, Geranium, Thistles, Mint, Sage, Catnip, Coriander, Sandalwood, Ginseng, Euphorbias, Acacias.

For other signs information, see full Plant Horoscope.

Date: 5 Oct 2024

The most beautiful of all orchid trees

Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree

🌺 The most beautiful of all orchid trees



Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree:
"...Edging the golf course of the club was a glorious sweep of glowing purple. Even before I was near enough to identify the trees, the rich, heady perfume which filled the air told me they were Bauhinias. The sight left me breathless and it was then I realised how difficult was the attempt I was making to describe in mere words the trees I know better how to paint..." (D. Cowen, "Flowering trees and shrubs of India")

🛒 Order online

#Trees #Quotes

📱 Watch the video about Hong Kong Orchid Tree:

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Date: 13 Oct 2024

What is the prettiest flower for shade?

Spathoglottis Tropical Punch - Sorbet Ground Orchid

⚜️ What is the prettiest flower for shade?

❗️ Ground orchids grow in regular garden soil instead of in the air on tree branches, come in many colors and shapes, bloom in sun or shade and are very easy to grow!

🎥 Spathoglottis Tropical Punch - Sorbet Ground Orchid

📚 Learn more from previous posts:


🟡 Ground orchids: all-summer colors
🟡 Why do we love Ground Orchids?
🟡 Epidendrum radicans - Orange Reed Ground Orchid, Sunrise
🟡 Terrestrial orchids
🟡 What orchids can be grown in the ground?

📱 Watch YouTube video: Ground Orchids

🛒 Order Ground Orchids

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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