Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 13 May 2025

What flower smells like lemons?

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant, Chinese Rice Flower

💐 What flower smells like lemons?

  • 🍋 Aglaia odorata, also known as Chinese Perfume Plant or Chinese Rice Flower, is in full bloom at TopTropicals, filling the air with its pleasant lemony fragrance virtually year-round!
  • 🍋 This tough, low-maintenance plant adds a touch of enchanted magic and delightful scent to your garden.
  • 🍋 Beyond its beauty, Aglaia boasts medicinal properties thanks to compounds like odorine and odorinol.
  • 🍋 It grows into a dense bush without the need for pruning, making it the perfect, cold-tolerant tropical hedge.


🛒
Get ever-blooming, fragrant delight - Aglaia

📚 Learn more:


Replacing a boring hedge witth Chinese Rice Flower: lemony fragrance year around

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Remedies

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Date: 12 May 2025

Here is how Blackberry Jam comes from Gardenia

Randia formosa - Jasmin de Rosa, Blackberry Jam

Here is how Blackberry Jam comes from Gardenia

  • Did you know that Blackberry Jam Fruit Tree blooms like Gardenia?
  • Randia formosa, or Jasmin de Rosa is a unique small evergreen tree or bush that offers both beautiful, fragrant flowers and delicious fruit.
  • The fruit, with its rich, sweet flavor, tastes just like fresh blackberry jam, making it a delightful treat right off the tree.
  • Its white flowers, which resemble those of gardenias, fill the air with a pleasant fragrance.
  • Native to tropical regions, this plant is the perfect choice if you're looking for something unique and useful in your garden. Its fruit can be enjoyed fresh or used to create delicious jams and desserts, making it a great addition to both ornamental and edible landscapes.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:



🛒 Elevate your garden with fragrance and flavor of Blackberry Jam Fruit

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Perfume_Plants

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Date: 11 May 2025

Which adenium is ever-blooming? Discover Flamingo Glow

Adenium Flamingo Glow

Which adenium is ever-blooming? Discover Flamingo Glow

  • If you've visited our Top Tropicals Farm in Sebring, you've surely noticed our two beautiful ever-blooming Adeniums Flamingo Glow - the favorites that always draw admiration (and wishlists) from everyone! Our 2 Flamingo Glow mother plants we have in 7 gal pots are in bloom most of the time, almost year around, except for the Winter dormancy period.
  • We're excited to share some great news: these two stunning Flamingo Glow adeniums cross-pollinated and have produced seeds, and their offsprings are now already blooming! The well-sized 3 year old seedlings have inherited the same vibrant, glowing color as their parents, and we now have a few plants available for sale.
  • Desert Rose Flamingo Glow is a dazzling Top Tropicals hybrid (A. arabicum x A. obesum) that adds a splash of tropical elegance to any collection. Its soft pink blooms glow like a flamingo at sunset, gradually deepening from delicate blush to rich rose with darker splashes that illuminate the petals. Compact and easy to grow, this variety has a naturally dwarf habit and forms a beautifully rounded caudex, perfect for containers or bonsai-style displays. A living jewel that glows brighter with time!


📚 Learn more: #Adenium

🛒 Claim Your Flamingo Glow and discover more Adenium colors

#Container_Garden #How_to #Shade_Garden #Adenium

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Date: 14 May 2025

NEW SHORT VIDEO:
Bordelon Banana - Red Leaves, Red Fruit, Real Wow!

Looking for a banana plant that turns heads and handles the cold? Meet Banana Bordelon - a stunning ornamental with bold red-striped leaves and towering height up to 15 feet. It's not just beautiful - it's tough too. Originally from Louisiana, Bordelon thrives in warm, humid gardens and can survive mild winters with a little protection. Best of all, it can flower and even produce fruit! If you want tropical drama with Southern grit, Bordelon is the banana you've been waiting for!

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Date: 5 May 2025

Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible?

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata, fruit

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata, fruit

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata, fruit

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata, fruit

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata, fruit

Sausage Tree - Kigelia pinnata, fruit

🌭 Is the Sausage Tree from Africa edible?



Despite the tempting name, the sausages that grow on the Sausage Tree don't actually taste like the sausages you're thinking of, but... in a nutshell, they are still edible! Let's dive into the details...
  • 🌭The Sausage Tree (Kigelia pinnata, also known as Kigelia africana) is a striking tropical tree native to sub-Saharan Africa, renowned for its large, sausage-shaped fruits that can grow up to 2 feet long and weigh up to 15 pounds.
  • 🌭While the Sausage Tree's fruit is technically edible, it is toxic when raw. To safely consume the fruit, it must undergo specific processing methods:

  • Drying: The fruit is dried thoroughly to reduce toxicity.
    Roasting or Baking: These methods help neutralize harmful compounds.
    Fermentation: In some cultures, the fruit is fermented, often with sugarcane juice or honey, to create traditional beverages like muratina in Kenya.
  • 🌭Even with these preparations, caution is advised. It's essential to consult with local experts or traditional practitioners before attempting to consume Sausage Tree fruit.
  • 🌭Various parts of the tree, including the fruit, bark, and leaves, have been used to treat ailments such as ulcers, skin infections.
  • 🌭In some African cultures, the fruit is associated with fertility and is used in rituals. The tree's presence is often considered auspicious.
  • 🌭Although the Sausage Tree might not be winning any awards for your dinner table, it's definitely a showstopper in the yard. Think of it as the ultimate conversation starter and the weirdest, most fascinating collectible you'll ever grow!


🛒 Grab your Sausage Tree now - impress your guests!

📚 Learn more about Sausage Tree:


Meet the tree everyone's talking about: sausages growing on a tree!

#Nature_Wonders #Trees #Discover

🏵 TopTropicals