Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 4 Sep 2025

📅 Do not miss: September 6 - Fall Plant Market!

September  6,  2025  -  Fall  Plant  Market  at  Top  Tropicals

Saturday, September 6, 2025: 9 am - 4 pm

Fall is just around the corner, but Florida is still full of sunshine and growing energy! It’s one of the best times to plant - cooler days are coming, but there are still months of warmth ahead for your garden to thrive. Our nursery is bursting with big, healthy plants that grew all summer long - loaded with blooms, fruit, and lush foliage, ready to shine in your yard.
Come stroll the gardens with our PeopleCats, enjoy the most beautiful season for planting, and let us help you find the perfect picks for your space. Bring your friends and family for a weekend of fun, color, and fresh ideas - this is your moment to plant, grow, and enjoy!

Explore the Event

Event Highlights:

30% OFF online prices
FREE plant with any purchase (including Guava)
Gift bags for first 25 customers with $50+ order
Special deals on select plants
Exciting raffle prizes
Green Magic fertilizer FREE samples
The LAST PERFORMANCE of the Famous Hand Pan Lady! (She is moving from Florida)
See her previous performance at Top Tropicals - here and here.

Event discounts valid at both locations:

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

to confirm attendance
RSVP on Facebook!

Date: 7 Oct 2025

🌸 Caring for Winter-Blooming Trees

Smokey  the  tuxedo  cat  plants  a  young  Bauhinia  blakeana  tree  in  the 
 ground  while  Sunshine,  a  ginger  cat,  relaxes  in  a  wicker  recliner  with  a  cup
    of  pumpkin  latte.  A  Callistemon  Little  John  bottlebrush  blooms  beside  him, 
 surrounded  by  pumpkins,  autumn  leaves,  and  warm  golden 
 light.

Tips from Top Tropicals Plant Expert - Tatiana Anderson

When northern gardens fade into gray, our tropicals wake up. Winter is color season here - and even if you live up north, you can still enjoy these same flowering trees indoors or on a sunny patio.

From the fiery Royal Poinciana to the golden Tabebuia and violet Jacaranda, these eight trees prove that winter can bloom anywhere

How to Care for Winter-Flowering Trees

We're often asked, at Top Tropicals, “Can I really grow tropical trees in winter?” Yes — with the right light and care, you can. Here’s what works best both outdoors and indoors, according to our expert, Tatiana Anderson.

🌡️ Fall Planting Guide

Let’s talk about timing, because that’s the part most people get nervous about. Everyone asks: “Isn’t it too cool to plant now?” — and the answer is no! Fall and early winter are actually the best months for tropicals in Zones 9 to 11.

Here’s why: the air has cooled off, but the soil is still warm. Roots love that combination. They quietly spread underground while the rest of the plant takes a break. By spring, those roots are ready to feed a burst of new growth — and that’s when you’ll see the first big flush of flowers.

Pick a sunny spot that gets plenty of light — six to eight hours if you can. Loosen the soil and mix in compost or pine bark so it drains well. Dig a hole about twice as wide as the pot and just as deep. Set the plant level with the ground, backfill, and water it deeply to settle everything in. Then add mulch — two or three inches is plenty — but keep it away from the trunk so it can breathe.

Tatiana’s tip: “Fall planting builds roots while everyone else is resting. By spring, your tree wakes up ready to grow.”

🌳 Outdoor Care (Warm Climates Zones 9–11)

Now, let’s talk about what happens after planting — because real gardening starts once the plant is yours. Tropical trees thrive on routine: steady sunlight, deep watering, and just a bit of attention.

Water them about once a week when the weather is mild, more often if it’s dry or windy. Always check the soil first — if it feels dry two inches down, go ahead and water. Mulch helps more than most people realize — it keeps roots cool in summer and warm in winter, and it saves you from watering as often.

Now, for those of you in Zone 9, here’s the truth: your trees can take a chill, but they don’t love surprises. A quick night in the upper 20s F won’t hurt mature plants, but young ones appreciate a little help — a frost cloth or being planted at the south side.

And don’t underestimate the wind. Cold, dry gusts can burn leaves faster than frost. Use fences, hedges, or taller shrubs as windbreaks, and take advantage of microclimates — those warm pockets next to the house, brick patios, or corners that get extra afternoon sun.

Tatiana’s tip: “A tropical garden in Zone 9 isn’t about fighting nature — it’s about cooperating with it. Find the warm corners, protect from the cold wind, and your trees will thank you with flowers all winter.”

🏚️ Indoor & Patio Care (Cooler Climates)

For our northern friends — yes, you can grow tropicals indoors! You just need good light, warm air, and a little attention.

Pick a large pot, with drainage holes and a light tropical soil mix. Place it in a bright window — south or southwest if you can — or under grow lights for about 12–14 hours a day. Keep temperatures between 65 and 85 F, and water when the top inch of soil dries out.

Misting helps keep leaves clean and adds humidity. Rotate the pot every couple of weeks so all sides get sun. In summer, move your plant outdoors gradually so it can enjoy real sunlight — then bring it back in before nights drop below 40 F.

Tatiana’s tip: “Don’t be afraid of growing trees in pots. They adapt beautifully — just select the right trees and pay attention to their needs.”

✔️ Learn more: Secrets of Winter planting - tropical planting breaks the rules.

🎥 Watch short videos about Winter Bloomers:

Royal  poinciana,  Flamboyant  tree,  Delonix  regia

💲 Special Offer – 20% off Winter Bloomers!

Get 20% OFF winter bloomers with code

BLOOM2025

Min order $100. Excluding S/H, valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires October 13, 2025!

👉 Explore Winter Flowering Plants

Date: 31 Oct 2025

👻 When plants grow wings...

Smokey  the  black-and-white  tuxedo  cat  stands  upright  holding  a  glowing 
 jack-o'-lantern  filled  with  tropical  fruit,  while  Sunshine  the  fluffy  ginger
    tabby 
 lounges  in  a  hammock  under  string  lights,  sipping  cocoa.  Around  them  are 
 pumpkins,  lanterns,  and  tropical  plants  under  a  warm  twilight  sky.

🌴 Twilight in the garden. Smokey is holding a glowing pumpkin. Sunshine is sipping cocoa.

Sunshine: "Smokey, why does that plant look like it wants to fly away?"
Smokey: "That’s the Bat Lily - Tacca. It’s rare, it’s weird, and it’s in bloom just in time for Halloween."
Sunshine: "Figures. You always find the spooky ones."

Meet the Bat Lily (Tacca)

Tacca is also called the Bat Lily or Devil Flower. This tropical wonder grows bat-shaped wings and foot-long whiskers. The black form (Tacca chantrieri) looks straight out of a gothic dream, while the white one (Tacca nivea) is ghost-like and elegant.

Some of our plants are blooming right now in the nursery — true Halloween magic! Blooms are delicate and may not travel, but the plants are strong and will flower again soon in your care.

Black  Bat  Lily  (Tacca  chantrieri)  plants  in  bloom  inside  the  Top 
 Tropicals  greenhouse,  showing  dark  maroon  bracts  and  long  pale  whiskers 
 rising  above  large  green 
 leaves.

Black Bat Lily (Tacca chantrieri) with dark maroon wings and long whiskers

Close-up  of  White  Bat  Lily  (Tacca  nivea)  plants  in  a  greenhouse  at  Top 
 Tropicals,  showing  large  white  bracts  and  long  trailing  whiskers  above 
 glossy  green 
 leaves.

White Bat Lily (Tacca nivea) in bloom with wide ivory wings

"The White Bat Lily (Tacca nivea) is bold and sculptural, with oversized ivory wings that command attention. Its pale bracts stretch wide above clusters of deep maroon flowers, and long, silvery whiskers spill gracefully through the foliage. In filtered light, the plant seems to glow from within — elegant, crisp, and perfectly balanced between the strange and the beautiful. If I could pick, I’d go with the White Tacca. It feels more architectural, more balanced — those oversized wings catch light in a way that shows off every vein and curve. It looks engineered by nature, almost like an alien design prototype that actually works.

The Black Bat Lily (Tacca chantrieri) feels alive with shadow. Its dark maroon wings and wiry whiskers make it look like something that fluttered out of the jungle at dusk. The bloom’s layered structure and near-black sheen give it a quiet power — mysterious, understated, but impossible to ignore. But if I were designing mood lighting for a greenhouse at night, the Black Tacca wins. It’s subtle, mysterious, like a secret only visible up close. Together, they’re perfect opposites — yin and yang of the tropical underworld: white for daylight, black for moonlight." — says Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant Expert

Special Offer: Discounts on Rare Tacca Plants

Grow your own Bat Lilies — White or Black — at a special Halloween price!

Get 25% OFF Tacca plants with code

TACCA2025

Min order $25 (excluding S/H), valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires November 03, 2025!

🎃 Storewide Halloween Sale – For Everything Beyond Tacca

Not into spooky plants? Enjoy savings on all other tropical plants across the store!

Get 15% OFF tropical plants with code

HALLOWEEN2025

Min order $100 (excluding S/H), valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires November 03 2025!

👉 Collect Tacca plants:

Black - Tacca chantrieri

White - Tacca nivea

Green - Tacca leontopetaloides

Date: 29 Apr 2026

Soft peach tones - calm and glowing plumerias

Plumeria Morland

Plumeria Morland

Plumeria Thong Taweechok

Plumeria Thong Taweechok

Plumeria Gred Gaew

Plumeria Gred Gaew

Plumeria Moung Sangeam

Plumeria Moung Sangeam

Soft peach tones - calm and glowing plumerias. Pruning tip 🌈

Plumeria Plant Facts

Botanical name: Plumeria sp.
Also known as: Plumeria, Frangipani
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunWatering: Moderate. Water when top soil feels dryYellow, orange flowersRed, crimson, vinous flowersWhite, off-white flowersPink flowersPlant attracts butterflies, hummingbirdsDeciduous plantFragrant plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region


This set is all about warmth without intensity - soft peach, coral, and golden tones that feel calm, balanced, and easy on the eyes. These are the plumerias you enjoy up close, where the subtle color blends really shine.

🌸 Today's featured plumerias:



 ✦ Plumeria Morland - soft pink petals with a creamy yellow center fading into white edges. Gentle gradient with a fresh, radiant look and light fragrance.
 ✦ Plumeria Thong Taweechok - warm golden-yellow petals infused with orange and coral, softening into creamy edges with a light pink blush. Smooth, glowing and well-balanced.
 ✦ Plumeria Gred Gaew - soft coral and peach tones with a glowing orange center and a clean white edge. Refined, crisp, and quietly elegant.
 ✦ Plumeria Moung Sangeam - creamy white to pale blush petals with a warm golden-orange center and a hint of peach at the edges. Soft, delicate, and naturally graceful.

💡 Plumeria tip: pruning for more blooms



Light pruning encourages branching - and more branches mean more flower tips. Trim after a bloom cycle or in early growing season, and your plumeria will come back fuller, bushier, and ready to produce more flowers.

🛒 Shop Plumeria Collection and Enjoy the fragrant blooms

📚 Learn more:
· Plumeria varieties in Plant Encyclopedia
· Rainbow plumerias - the wild side of color. Winter dormancy tip
· Bold reds and ruby tones - plumerias with real intensity. Feeding tip
· Dwarf plumerias - big blooms in small spaces. Sun tip
· Plumerias that stand out: bold colors and clean contrasts. Pot size tip
· 5 striking variegated plumerias you can’t ignore. Soil tip
· Plumeria rainbow: Symbol of the Tropics
· 5 simple rules to grow a fragrant plumeria and make it bloom like the pictures
· What is the most celebrated fragrant flower?
· Thailand Plumerias
🎥 How to get endless Plumeria Blooms

#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden #How_to #Discover #PlumeriaRainbow

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 27 Apr 2026

Rainbow plumerias - the wild side of color

Plumeria Mui Rainbow

Plumeria Mui Rainbow

Plumeria Pink Jaopraya

Plumeria Pink Jaopraya

Plumeria Sunset Symphony

Plumeria Sunset Symphony

Plumeria Dook

Plumeria Dook

Rainbow plumerias - the wild side of color. Winter dormancy tip 🌈

Some plumerias don’t follow rules - they mix, swirl, and splash colors all over the petals like a tropical sunset in motion. These “rainbow” types are the most playful and unpredictable, with every bloom looking a little different from the next.

Plumeria Plant Facts

Botanical name: Plumeria sp.
Also known as: Plumeria, Frangipani
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunWatering: Moderate. Water when top soil feels dryYellow, orange flowersRed, crimson, vinous flowersWhite, off-white flowersPink flowersPlant attracts butterflies, hummingbirdsDeciduous plantFragrant plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region


🌸 Today's featured plumerias:



 ✦ Plumeria Mui Rainbow - deep orange-red center blending into golden yellow and finishing with pink to magenta edges. Bright, fiery colors with a smooth, glowing transition.
 ✦ Plumeria Pink Jaopraya - a bold swirl of red, white, pink, and yellow all in one flower. Complex, eye-catching, and impossible to ignore.
 ✦ Plumeria Sunset Symphony - creamy ivory, golden yellow, and coral-pink tones with deeper rose edges, creating a layered sunset effect that shifts from bloom to bloom.
 ✦ Plumeria Dook - rich pink petals melting into a glowing orange and golden center. Bright, warm, and full of tropical energy that stands out from a distance.

💡 Plumeria tip: winter dormancy



In cooler months, plumerias slow down and may drop all leaves. That’s normal.
During this rest period, cut watering way back and let the plant sleep.
Growth will restart when temperatures rise.

🛒 Shop Plumeria Collection and Enjoy the fragrant blooms

📚 Learn more:
· Plumeria varieties in Plant Encyclopedia
· Bold reds and ruby tones - plumerias with real intensity. Feeding tip
· Dwarf plumerias - big blooms in small spaces. Sun tip
· Plumerias that stand out: bold colors and clean contrasts. Pot size tip
· 5 striking variegated plumerias you can’t ignore. Soil tip
· Plumeria rainbow: Symbol of the Tropics
· 5 simple rules to grow a fragrant plumeria and make it bloom like the pictures
· What is the most celebrated fragrant flower?
· Thailand Plumerias
🎥 How to get endless Plumeria Blooms

#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden #How_to #Discover #PlumeriaRainbow

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals