Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 23 Apr 2024

Did you know that ice cream actually grows on a tree?

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis)

🍦 Did you know that ice cream actually grows on a tree?

Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga edulis) - fast growing shade tree with wonderful fruit that kids love! 👯‍♀️
  • ✳️ Bean pods up to 3 ft long contain sweet, juicy, white pulp that has a soft cotton wool texture and tastes of vanilla ice-cream.
  • ✳️ The fruit has fantastic health benefits. It contains up to 25% sugar, 10% protein, 5% fiber, vitamins C, A and E, and minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and zinc. The protein content is two times higher than that of a banana!
  • ✳️ A mature tree will produce around 100 fruits in a season. Seedlings start fruiting within 3-4 years.
  • ✳️ Fast growing, umbrella-shaped tree, 20 ft tall and almost as wide, provides plenty of shade. This is our favorite tree when we need to create shade quickly.


🛒 Shop Icecream Bean Tree

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders

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We Grow Happiness

Date: 9 Feb 2025

Mango Rainbow tasting table: varieties you should try

Kent Mango

🌈 Mango Rainbow tasting table: varieties you should try
  • 🥭 Kent Mango variety is native to Florida. It is originated in Coconut Grove, in 1945 from a Haden seed.
  • 🥭 Kent has an excellent flavor, large size, and very little fiber. Considered by many to be one of the best tasting Florida mangoes and one of the most beautiful, truly rainbow colored fruit!
  • 🥭 Eat before fruit gets too ripe.
  • 🥭 The most rewarding attribute is a bountiful late season crop.


What Mango varieties do you have in your garden?
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📚 Previous Mango Rainbow Tasting Table: 1 • 2 • 3 • 

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Date: 25 May 2025

Botanical bedhead: curly, crazy, and full of surprises

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, leaves

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, leaves

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, fruit

Epiphyllum guatemalense - Curly Locks, fruit

Botanical bedhead: curly, crazy, and full of surprises

  • This wild-looking jungle cactus doesn't grow straight - it spirals, twirls, and twists! Meet Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Orchid Cactus, or Curly Locks.
  • A natural mutation of Epiphyllum guatemalense, Curly Locks creates a tangled cascade of curly stems that look like botanical noodles!
  • Perfect for hanging baskets, it blooms fragrant, orchid-like flowers at night and produces juicy, edible pink fruit.
  • It's self-pollinating and thrives in bright, indirect light. Let it get root-bound to encourage blooms, and water moderately.
  • A must-have oddity for cactus lovers and collectors!


🛒 Get the curly cactus now

📚 More about exotic epiphytic cacti:


Disocactus ackermanni - Red Orchid Cactus
Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night
Pseudorhipsalis (Wittia) amazonica - Blue Flame

#Fun_Facts #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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Date: 24 May 2025

A flavor bomb of sugar and citrus, syrupy when ripe - Mango Sweet Tart

Mango Sweet Tart - tree with fruit on it

🌈 A flavor bomb of sugar and citrus, syrupy when ripe - Mango Sweet Tart

🥭 Sweet Tart is a Florida-grown mango prized for its rich, sweet-tart flavor and silky, fiberless flesh. Created by breeder Gary Zill, it's known for its dense orange pulp, excellent sugar-acid balance, and juicy texture. The fruit is oval, heavy for its size, and sometimes develops harmless speckles on the skin. Great fresh, underripe or ripe. Tangy when underripe, syrupy when ripe and perfect for containers thanks to its upright growth and high productivity. A standout variety that lives up to its name!

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Date: 22 May 2025

Wise Mango - a smart choice for flavor lovers: sweet, juicy, and Florida-tough

Mango Wise tree with fruit on it

🌈 Wise Mango - a smart choice for flavor lovers: sweet, juicy, and Florida-tough.

🥭 Mango Wise is a forgotten gem from the golden age of mango breeding in South Florida. Originating in Miami during the post-1930s boom of cultivar development, it was once part of a wave of exciting new introductions. Over time, many of these excellent varieties faded from commercial propagation, despite having outstanding eating qualities. Wise stands out with its nearly round fruit, minimal to no fiber, and rich, juicy sweetness. It's a smart, flavorful choice that deserves a comeback in Florida gardens.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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