Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 31 Jan 2017

Plants of Love. TopTropicals Webinars

Plants of Love - Valentines Day Sale. For Valentines day, look beyond roses for a plant that will last a lifetime! It is not a surprise that the most popular plants that has been ordered from TopTropicals for Valentines day for the past 3 years, are: Vanilla, Chocolate, Grape, Strawberry tree, Rose apple - all things you get for your Valentines!

This year we are celebrating Valentines day with our special local event - "Aphrodisiacs, or Plants of Love".

When: Saturday, February 11, 2017, from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Toptropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft Myers, FL 33905
Agenda:
10:00 am - Explore the grounds: Customers can come in to look through the nursery and guided tours through gardens.
12:00 pm - Aphrodisiac plants. Class on plants used for aphrodisiacs throughout history.
1:00 pm - Plant giveaway. Must be present to win one of the aphrodisiac plants in lecture.
2:00 pm - sale ends.
Special Love Discounts for local visitors! Snacks and drinks.

Just a few examples of the most famous plants of love that we will be talking about -
Coffea arabica - in East Africa and Arabia it was a sacred beverage to African sufis. For aphrodisiac results mix in cardamom and honey.
Banisteriopsis caapi, Ayahuasca - giant liana from tropical Amazon forests psychedelic, ritual inebriant that promotes potency. Drink is made from the bark and is taken in love rituals to revive the mythical past of the tribe.
Areca catechu, Betel Nut - seeds have stimulating effect on the entire body and eros. It's a traditional aphrodosiac in Ayurvedic medicine and is counted among the eight types of pleasure in the Brahmanic tradition. It has magical and religious properties and used as an offering to the Gods.
Theobroma cacao, Chocolate - mild stimulant, beans contain aphrodisiac. Antient Indian "recipe of chocolati" will be shared at the event! Cocoa was considered the "food of gods".
Cinnamon - in Southern Asia used as stimulant, in food or massage oil for erotic stimulation.
Cola nitida, Cola nut - used in love magic, was used as currency in W Africa.
Cananga odorata, Ylang-Ylang - increases eroticism with oil inhaled. Prescribed to treat impotency and frigidity.
Butea monosperma, Flame of The Forest - is traditionally used to manage male sexual disorders.
Mimosa pudica, Sensitive Plant - significantly increases the libido and hormonal levels of testosterone.
Satureja Viminea, Kama Sutra Mint Tree - used for love gel...
- and much more!

TopTropicals Webinars. Welcome to Top Tropicals Webinar! Discover the world of Rare Plants and surround yourself with a Tropical Paradise! Our plant experts will be answering your garden questions. Our next LIVE air time is just before Valentines Day - Saturday February 11, at 2 pm ET, with a topic of... of course, Aphrodisiac Plants! Get your questions ready!

Date: 28 Sep 2025

Guava: The Healthiest Fruit You Can Grow

Collage  of  guava  varieties:  pink,  white,  Cas,  red  Cattley,  and  golden 
 Cattley  guavas,  shown  as  whole  fruits,  cut  sections,  and  clusters  on  the 
 tree.

Guava varieties: Pink flesh (upper left quarter), White flesh and Cas (upper right quarter), Red Cattley Guava (bottom left quarter) and Golden Cattley (bottom right quarter).

Let’s talk Guava. Few fruits check as many boxes: flavor, productivity, health, and adaptability. We’ve grown guava trees at Top Tropicals for years here in Florida, and it never fails to surprise people with how easy it is — and how quickly it rewards you.

🌿 Health Benefits

We know the first question:"Why guava in addition to all the other fruit trees I could plant?"Because guava is one of the healthiest tropical fruits you can eat and grow — and it produces faster than almost anything else.

  • Vitamin C powerhouse — guava has four times more vitamin C than oranges. One fruit covers your daily needs and then some.
  • Potassium and fiber — good for balancing blood pressure and keeping your heart strong.
  • Antioxidants like lycopene and vitamin C — these keep your skin glowing and help protect your cells from damage.
  • Dietary fiber — aids digestion and helps keep blood sugar steady.
  • Guava is a true"food as medicine"tree you can plant right in your backyard or in pot.

♥️ Our Favorite Varieties are Available Now

We currently have a DOZEN excellent guava varieties in stock selected by our plant expert Tatiana Anderson — something special for every garden. Our top picks are:

Pink Guavas

  • Barbie Pink – Yellow pear-shaped fruit with thick pink flesh, sweet and juicy. Cold hardy for a tropical fruit. The best seller.
  • Hong Kong – Large, round, smooth pink fruit. Sweet flavor, very few seeds, and very productive.
  • Tikal – Our top pick. Fast-growing, disease-resistant, and produces the sweetest pink guavas with very few seeds.

White Guavas

  • Indonesian White – Aromatic, classic white-fleshed guava with an excellent tropical flavor.
  • Kilo White – Giant fruit up to 2 lbs (1 kilo) each! Few seeds, creamy white flesh, and fruits even in containers.

Compact/Dwarf

Dwarf  Guava  Hawaiian  Rainbow  tree  with  dense  green  foliage,  inset 
 showing  pink-fleshed  guava  fruit  with 
 seeds.

Dwarf Guava Hawaiian Rainbow

Specialty Varieties

Cas  Guava  fruits  on  tree,  with  ripe  yellow  and  unripe  green  fruit,  one 
 cut  open  to  show  pale  flesh.  Traditional  Costa  Rican  Agua  de  Cas 
 fruit.

Cas Guava with zero sugar for Costa Rican Agua de Cas drink

  • Cas Guava – Bold, tangy, almost zero sugar. The traditional Costa Rican Agua de Cas drink comes from this fruit. Cold hardy.
  • Hawaiian Gold, Yellow Strawberry Guava – The sweetest Strawberry Guava, golden fruit, great for fresh eating and drinks.
  • Brazilian Araca Pera – Rare hybrid used for Guava Wine in Brazil. Tart, concentrated juice makes excellent wine, sorbet, or jelly. Learn more...
  • Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen – Feijoa sellowiana. Strongly perfumed fruit, best enjoyed when the pulp is mixed with sugar – like forest strawberries. Cold-hardy, tolerates freeze, and doubles as a great windbreak. Learn more...

Pineapple  Guava  (Feijoa  sellowiana)  fruit  and  flowers.  Green  oval  fruit
    with  soft  aromatic  flesh,  and  white-red  blossoms  with  long 
 stamens

Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen – Feijoa sellowiana

Every one of these thrives here in Florida or in warm climate. Some are better in pots, some as landscape trees, but all produce generously.

🎥 Watch short videos about Guava:

💲 Special Offer – 20% off Guava Fruit Plants!

Get 20% OFF already discounted Guava plants with code

GUAVA2025

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

Hurry, offer expires October 02, 2025!

Explore Guava Fruit Plants

Date: 2 Apr 2026

Stop Fixing Your Soil: 15 Bulletproof Fruit Trees for Tough Ground

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) fruiting

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) fruiting

Stop Fixing Your Soil: 15 "Bulletproof" Fruit Trees for Tough Ground 💩

Not everyone starts with a lush, loamy paradise. In many parts of Florida and the South, "soil" is just a polite word for sand, limestone rock, or depleted clay.
The biggest mistake new gardeners make? Spending hundreds of dollars on soil amendments before they ever put a tree in the ground.
The secret the pros know: You don't need to change your land to fit your plants; you need to choose plants that love your land. Some of the most delicious fruits actually thrive on neglect - and a few even produce better fruit when the soil is "poor."


🌳 The "Big 5" Toughest Fruit Trees



If your yard is a dry, sandy lot or a rocky outcrop, start with these. They are the ultimate "survivors."

Jujube, Chinese Date (Ziziphus jujuba): Arguably the toughest fruit tree on earth. It laughs at drought, poor soil, and neglect. The fruit is crisp like an apple when fresh and sweet like a date when dried.

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica): A Southern staple. It’s evergreen, beautiful, and produces honey-sweet fruit in early spring when nothing else is ripe.

Mulberry (Morus alba): If you can’t grow a Mulberry, you might be gardening on the moon. It grows in sand, clay, or sidewalk cracks with equal enthusiasm.

Fig (Ficus carica): Figs actually prefer not to be pampered. In overly rich soil, they grow lots of leaves but little fruit. Give them well-drained, mediocre soil and they’ll thrive.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum): These trees are "stress-lovers." Rocky, alkaline soil is no problem, and a bit of soil stress often results in a higher sugar content in the fruit.

Pomegranate Plant Facts

Botanical name: Punica granatum
Also known as: Pomegranate, Granada, Grenade, Pomegranate, Granada, Anar, Granaatappel, Pomo Granato, Romeira, Melo Grano
USDA Zone: 8 - 11
Highligths Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunWatering: Moderate. Water when top soil feels dryRed, crimson, vinous flowersThorny or spinyEdible plantDeciduous plantEthnomedical plant.
Plants marked as ethnomedical and/or described as medicinal, are not offered as medicine but rather as ornamentals or plant collectibles.
Ethnomedical statements / products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We urge all customers to consult a physician before using any supplements, herbals or medicines advertised here or elsewhere.Subtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region


🌳 Tropical Flavors That Don't Need "Perfect" Dirt



You don’t need a rainforest to grow tropical treats. These species are surprisingly resilient once they get their roots established.

🌟 The Sand-Lovers:

Mango (Mangifera indica): While young trees need a little babying, a mature Mango is incredibly drought-tolerant and handles Florida’s sandy "sugar sand" like a champ.

Mango Plant Facts

Botanical name: Mangifera indica
Also known as: Mango
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large tree taller than 20 ftSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunWatering: Moderate. Water when top soil feels dryYellow, orange flowersPink flowersEdible plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region


Sapodilla (Manilkara sapota): A rugged, wind-resistant tree that produces fruit tasting like brown sugar and pear. It is a top-tier choice for coastal or sandy areas.

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica): It’s slow-growing but patient. Once it’s in, it’s there for a century, regardless of soil quality.

🌟 The Low-Maintenance Stars



Longan (Euphoria longana): If you’ve struggled with finicky Lychee trees, try Longan. It’s more cold-hardy and much less picky about its soil.

Citrus: While they need regular feeding (fertilizer), Citrus trees are naturally adapted to the sandy ridges of the South.

🌟 The "Quick-Win" Berry & Shrub Layer



If you want fruit this year, don’t wait for a tree to mature. Add these hardy producers to your edges. And here is why it works:

Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus). It’s a cactus! It literally prefers poor, fast-draining soil over rich potting mixes.

Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra). A vitamin C powerhouse that handles low-nutrient soil with ease.

Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis). Slower grower, but steady and tolerant once established.

Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora). Virtually indestructible. Often used as a hedge because it grows so vigorously in poor soil.

Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana). A beautiful silver-leafed shrub that is salt-tolerant and drought-resistant.

Pineapple Plant Facts

Botanical name: Ananas comosus
Also known as: Pineapple, Pina
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Small plant 2-5 ftSemi-shadeFull sunWatering: Moderate. Water when top soil feels dryOrnamental foliageThorny or spinyEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short time
Get personalized tips for your region



🌳 The Strategy: "Plant First, Improve Later"



In the South, the "dig a $100 hole for a $10 tree" rule doesn't always apply. Trying to completely re-engineer your soil often leads to drainage issues (the "bathtub effect").

Try this instead:
1. Select a species naturally adapted to your pH and texture.
2. Plant it at the correct height (never too deep!).
3. Mulch heavily with wood chips. This improves the soil from the top down over time, mimicking a natural forest floor.

🛒 Shop Fruit Trees and Mango

📚 Learn more:


· Loquat, Sapodilla, Mulberry, Eugenia, Tamarind - in Plant Encyclopedia
· 10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes

#Food_Forest #How_to #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Mar 2026

Sapodilla caramel toast: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Sapodilla caramel toast

Sapodilla caramel toast

Sapodilla (Achras zapota) fruit

Sapodilla (Achras zapota) fruit

🍴 Sapodilla caramel toast: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Sapodilla Caramel Toast

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe sapodilla
  • 2 slices toasted bread
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Mash the ripe sapodilla flesh in a small pan.
  2. Warm gently until it becomes thick and caramel-like.
  3. Spread the warm sapodilla mixture over toasted bread.
  4. Finish with a small pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.


🌿 About the plant:


Sapodilla is a tropical evergreen producing brown fruit with sweet, brown-sugar flavored flesh.

🏡 In the garden:


Likes heat and humidity. Grafted or air layered trees fruit earlier. Drought tolerant once established but best with regular watering.

🛒 Add Sapodilla - Brown Sugar Fruit tree to your Food Forest

📚 Learn more:

Sapodilla Plant Facts

Botanical name: Manilkara zapota, Manilkara achras, Achras sapota
Also known as: Sapodilla, Ciku, Naseberry, Nispero, Sapote, Brown Sugar Fruit
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large tree taller than 20 ftSemi-shadeFull sunWatering: Regular. Let topsoil dry slightlyEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region

Sapodilla (Achras zapota) in Plant Encyclopedia
How to make Sapodilla fruit profusely?
A sugar that’s good for your health
When does Sapodilla start fruiting and what is the best variety
New variety of Sapodilla: Thai Brownie

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 11 Mar 2026

📅 Do Not Miss: March 21 - Spring Equinox Plant Market

🍩 Saturday, March 21, 2026: 9 am - 4 pm

Smokey  the  tuxedo  cat  in  work  clothes  studies  the  Spring  Equinox  Plant 
 Market  poster  at  the  Top  Tropicals  nursery  entrance  while  Sunshine  the 
 ginger  tabby  cat  rides  a  bicycle  balancing  coffee  and 
 donuts.
Sunshine: Smokey, look at me! See what I can do on my bike? I'm practicing to give people what they like: coffee and donuts.

Smokey: You'd be perfect for a Gulf beach cafe. But gardeners don't come here for donuts.

Sunshine: Really? Then why do they come?

Smokey: Some gardeners lost plants to the freeze. Others want trees that will handle winter better. Cold-hardy avocados. Macadamia. Grumichama. And some just come for fun - to see the PeopleCats.


Sunshine: And my charm... and my donuts will make it more fun.

Read more about Smokey & Sunshine

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

More Spring Equinox Plant Market details

🌞 Welcome to our Spring Equinox Plant Market, proudly hosted by the PeopleCats of Top Tropicals.

This one feels different.

After Florida’s record freeze, many gardens are brown, trimmed back, or missing a few old friends. We felt it too. And now - we rebuild.

The equinox marks equal day and night. More light ahead. New growth beginning.

And the PeopleCats are ready🐾.

  • 🐱King is back on gate duty - inspecting every vehicle for proper plant-hauling capacity.
  • 😺Paisley is rearranging freeze survivors and new arrivals like a design consultant.
  • 😼Snitch is supervising recovery efforts from a comfortable chair.
  • 😸Persephone is checking under tables for "hidden spring energy."
  • 😻Sushi and Loki are preparing for guided garden tours - recovery edition.

This is not just a plant market. This is the spring reset.

👍 Why You Should Come

It is finally warm in Florida. After several nights of hard freeze, some plants survived - and some didn’t. This event is your chance to see real freeze champions in person.

If you lost plants, you are not alone. If you are ready to plant smarter, this is your moment.

Walk the gardens. See proven winter survivors. Discover cold-hardy fruit trees and resilient ornamentals. Get practical advice about replanting after freeze. This is rebuilding - Florida style.

♥️ What Makes This Event Special

We are featuring:

  • Verified freeze survivors
  • Cold-hardy fruit trees
  • Tough flowering trees and shrubs
  • Replacement plants for damaged landscapes
  • Smart layering ideas for frost-resilient gardens
  • You will see which species handled 25F with wind and multiple nights of freeze - with no protection.

Real-world test. Real results.

Cold hardy fruit favorites include:

Avocado Plant Facts

Botanical name: Persea americana, Persea gratissima
Also known as: Avocado, Alligator Pear, Aguacate, Abacate
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large tree taller than 20 ftSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunWatering: Regular. Let topsoil dry slightlyEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short time
Get personalized tips for your region

🌸 Cold hardy subtropical flowering trees including:

And many other cold hardy plants

Mexican Bird of Paradise Plant Facts

Botanical name: Caesalpinia mexicana
Also known as: Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Poinciana
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Small tree 10-20 ftSemi-shadeFull sunWatering: Moderate. Water when top soil feels dryYellow, orange flowersIrritating plantFragrant plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeSeaside, salt tolerant plant
Get personalized tips for your region

🎉Event Highlights

  • 30% OFF online prices
  • FREE plants with purchase
  • $5-10 specials
  • Exciting raffle prizes

🌳Don't just mow - grow!

Start your food forest, beat rising prices, and plant a future your family will thank you for.

🌿 Friendly Reminder
Just a quick reminder before we go: Sunshine Boosters are still shipping free. If you were thinking about stocking up for the season, now is a great time to do it while the offer is still active.

🛒 Feed your plants