Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 9 Nov 2018

Taste of Mango

TopTropicals.com

Mango harvest season is over, and now it's the time to plant young Mango trees for the next year season of flowering and fruiting. When choosing a mango tree, researching your location for proper growing conditions is relatively easy. But refining your decision-making process based on the taste of mango is both easy and fun (and filling)! However, since it is often difficult to find a convenient source for sampling a wide variety of mango fruits; we at Top Tropicals sat down and tasted a handful of varieties for you... Just another opinion on taste!

Pickering - Sweet, juicy, fiberless, with a hint of an apricot fragrance. (A universal favorite amongst the group.)

Nam Doc Mai - A slightly fibrous marmalade-like texture, with a sweet and floral flavor.

Cogshall - Very little fiber with a slightly tart and piney flavor.

Florigon - A mild, even flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart, and fiberless.

Mallika - A fiberless cantaloupe-like consistency. Slightly tart, with some semblance to non-acidic orange juice.

Valencia Pride - Slightly fibrous, with a tangy near citrus flavor.

Glenn - Very mild flavor, less sweet compared to other varieties, but very refreshing.

Read more about Mango varieties...

Date: 26 Dec 2025

Is it deadly snake? 2025 was the Year of the Snake

Black garden snake

🐍 Is it deadly snake? 2025 was the Year of the Snake...



That scary-looking black garden snake? Totally harmless.
In Florida, most black snakes you see around gardens are Black racer or Black rat snake. They are not poisonous, not deadly, and actually great neighbors.
Black racer - Coluber constrictor
Black rat snake - Pantherophis alleghaniensis
Both are non-venomous, common in Florida gardens, and often mislabeled as "deadly" just because they look bold and move fast.
  • ▪️They are actually shy - would rather run than fight
  • ▪️Excellent pest control - they eat rats, mice, frogs, and insects
  • ▪️Often mistaken for dangerous snakes because they are fast and jet black
  • ▪️If you see one, it means your garden ecosystem is healthy

So no, this is not a deadly snake - just a free garden helper doing its job. Let it pass, and it will disappear as fast as it showed up!

📚 Learn more about the passed Year of the Snake:



🐈📸 Black garden snake at TopTropicals Bfarm PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Horoscope

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 31 Dec 2025

2026: Year of the Fire Horse - time to grow bold, live free, and plant lucky

2026: Year of the Fire Horse

2026: Year of the Fire Horse

🐎 2026: Year of the Fire Horse - time to grow bold, live free, and plant lucky

  • 🔥 Hold on to your flower pots - because on February 17, 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse gallops in, ready to shake things up.
This zodiac year brings passion, freedom, and a go-big-or-go-home kind of energy.
If you've been itching to make a change, start a new project, or finally plant that herb garden - this is your cosmic green light!
  • 🔥 What kind of energy does the Fire Horse bring?



    The Horse is all about movement, independence, and bold decisions. Fire Horses, in particular, are fiery (naturally), adventurous, and stubborn in the best way. They're known for charging ahead fearlessly - sometimes without thinking it through. That means 2026 is a year to take chances, but stay grounded. Think big, but don’t skip the planning.
  • 🔥 What does that have to do with plants?



    A lot, actually. Horses are herbivores. In the year of the Fire Horse, plants aren’t just background decoration - they’re fuel, fortune, and Feng Shui. The Fire element thrives on bright colors, strong scents, and warm energy, so the right plants can balance all that intensity, boost your luck, and keep your home and garden in harmony.


📚 Learn more:


#Horoscope

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 25 May 2025

How to make chocolate dumplings in mango sauce: exotic recipe

chocolate dumplings in mango sauce

chocolate dumplings in mango sauce

How to make chocolate dumplings in mango sauce: exotic recipe



Ready to sneak this onto your dessert menu under a name like "Tropics Lost in Vienna"?

Ingredients

  • 🔸 For the dough:


• 200 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
  • • 1 egg
  • • 3 tbsp water
  • • Pinch of salt


🔸 For the filling:

  • • 70 g (2.5 oz) dark chocolate
  • • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • • 1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
  • • 1 tsp sugar (if chocolate is too bitter)


🔸 For the mango sauce:

  • • 1 ripe mango (or 150 g mango puree)
  • • 100 ml (just under ½ cup) heavy cream
  • • 1-2 tsp honey
  • • 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
  • • Pinch of salt


🔪 Instructions

  • ➡Make the dough: Mix flour, egg, water, and salt into a soft dough. Knead, wrap, and rest for 30 minutes.
  • ➡Prepare the filling: Melt chocolate with cream over a water bath. Stir in sugar and cocoa if using. Let cool until thick.
  • ➡Shape the dumplings: Roll out dough, cut into circles, fill with chocolate, and seal. Freeze for 10 minutes to firm up.
  • ➡Cook: Boil in lightly salted water. Once they float, cook 2–3 minutes more. Lift out gently.
  • ➡Make the mango sauce: Blend mango, then stir in cream, honey, citrus juice, and salt. Warm gently without boiling.
  • ➡Serve: Arrange dumplings, spoon over sauce, and garnish with mint or lime zest if desired.


🛒 Plant your own Mango Tree and always have mango supply

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Mango

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 25 Feb 2021

Container mango - Condo varieties

Q: What are the good varieties of mango trees available for container grow? Can you please share the details?

A: There are some great varieties of Mango selected specifically for container culture, they even have a nick-name - "condo mangoes". They have compact growth habit and respond well to pruning to keep them in small size. Here are a few of our favorites that we currently have in stock:
Glenn
Ice Cream
Cotton Candy
Mallika
Manilita
Pram Kai Mai
Mun Kun Si
Maha Chinook
You can see more condo mangoes on this page.

Related articles:

How to grow a Dwarf Mango tree
Choosing the right Mango for your garden
10 secrets of successful Container Mango growing on a balcony.
Condo Mango