Date: 16 May 2026
🔮 When the World Around Becomes Too Gray: Plant a Tree. Eat a Donut. Keep going.
Smokey: Plant a tree.
Sunshine: And if that does not help?
Smokey: Plant another one.
Sunshine: And eat a donut.
Smokey: Not strictly necessary, but statistically beneficial.
If you have been feeling a little worn down lately, you are not alone.
You already know about the headlines. We do not need to list them. You have probably seen them today before breakfast.
We are not here to pretend that is not happening. It is happening. And it is a lot. But here is the thing we keep coming back to, the thing that has been true for as long as people have had hands and a patch of ground: when the world feels out of control, you can still plant something.
Gardening is not an escape. It is an answer. When you put a tree in the ground, you are making a quiet statement. You are saying that you expect there to be a future. That you intend to be in it. That shade and fruit and flowers still matter, and you are going to make sure they exist in your corner of the world.
That is not naive. That is courageous in the most ordinary and underrated way.
One tree, planted this season, might give you fruit in a few years. It might give butterflies somewhere to stop. It might give a bird a place to nest. It will almost certainly give you something to look at on a hard day that reminds you the world still contains beauty, and that you put some of it there. And if one tree does not quite do it? Plant another one.
Dostoevsky said beauty will save the world. We think a mango fruiting in your backyard counts. So does a Magnolia opening on a quiet morning.
Do not skip the donut.
A donut is a small, simple, completely unnecessary thing. That is exactly the point. It is not productive. It does not solve anything. It is just good, and sometimes that is the whole reason. In a world that constantly demands you be useful and informed and concerned, eating a donut is a quiet act of being human. You are allowed to enjoy a small thing on a hard day. You do not have to earn it.
Rest a little. Then go put something in the ground. Anything that will grow and flower and remind you that beautiful things are still happening whether the headlines mention them or not.
We have the plants. You bring the donuts.
🛒 Plant a sweeter world: grow color and flavor
Date: 15 May 2026
Smokey and Sunshine HIRING NOW: Customer service / sales in garden center
Sunshine: Smokey, we need plant people.
Smokey: Does your girlfriend know plants?
Sunshine: Of course. She fertilized my donuts so they would grow larger.
Smokey: Did it work?
Sunshine: Kind of. I gained three pounds.
Smokey: Perfect. Bring her in.
TopTropicals.com is looking for a part-time customer service and sales team member for our Ft Myers Garden Center.
If you genuinely love plants, enjoy helping people, and don't mind getting your hands dirty in a tropical nursery environment – then working with rare tropical plants, fruit trees, and fellow plant lovers can be fun and rewarding!
💼 Responsibilities
· Help walk-in customers select plants and check out
· Answer customer questions by phone, email, social media, and message board
· Open and close office, operate cash register
· General customer service and sales support
📚 Requirements
· Genuine love for plants and willingness to learn. We will train
· Friendly, patient, and polite with customers
· Strong work ethic and reliability; punctuality is essential
· Ability to follow instructions and work efficiently
· Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs and comfortable working outdoors in Florida heat and weather
· Drug-free - background check and drug test upon employment
· Valid Florida driver's license and reliable transportation
· Must love cats - our famous "PeopleCats" helpers patrol the gardens daily
� Preferred qualifications
· Basic computer skills (email, office, internet). We will train
· Previous plant knowledge or nursery experience
· Sales or customer service experience
💰 Pay
· Starting pay: $18/hour depending on experience and performance
· Opportunity for growth based on performance
📅 Schedule
· Part-time to start, potential for full-time later
· Friday and Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm
📍 Location:
Top Tropicals Garden Center
13890 Orange River Blvd
Ft Myers, FL 33905
✍️ How to apply:
Please email a brief resume and a short paragraph explaining why you'd like this job.
Resume guidelines:
· Keep it brief; include job history and education
· Please avoid long descriptions of unrelated experience
· Tell us why working with plants and people interests you
🚶➡️ To apply in person:
You are welcome to visit our Garden Center during business hours:
Monday-Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm
To apply in person, ask for Kristi - our manager.
No phone calls please.
Thanks for applying - we hope to see you working alongside our plants, #PeopleCats, and fellow plant lovers soon.
#Smokey_Sunshine
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 15 May 2026
Smokey Sunshine HIRING NOW: Customer service / sales in garden center
Smokey and Sunshine HIRING NOW
Sunshine: Smokey, we need plant people.
Smokey: Does your girlfriend know plants?
Sunshine: Of course. She fertilized my donuts so they would grow larger.
Smokey: Did it work?
Sunshine: Kind of. I gained three pounds.
TopTropicals.com is looking for a part-time customer service and sales team member for our Ft Myers Garden Center.
If you genuinely love plants, enjoy helping people, and don't mind getting your hands dirty in a tropical nursery environment – then working with rare tropical plants, fruit trees, and fellow plant lovers can be fun and rewarding!
💼 Responsibilities
· Help walk-in customers select plants and check out
· Answer customer questions by phone, email, social media, and message board
· Open and close office, operate cash register
· General customer service and sales support
📚 Requirements
· Genuine love for plants and willingness to learn. We will train
· Friendly, patient, and polite with customers
· Strong work ethic and reliability; punctuality is essential
· Ability to follow instructions and work efficiently
· Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs and comfortable working outdoors in Florida heat and weather
· Drug-free - background check and drug test upon employment
· Valid Florida driver's license and reliable transportation
· Must love cats - our famous "PeopleCats" helpers patrol the gardens daily
� Preferred qualifications
· Basic computer skills (email, office, internet). We will train
· Previous plant knowledge or nursery experience
· Sales or customer service experience
💰 Pay
· Starting pay: $18/hour depending on experience and performance
· Opportunity for growth based on performance
📅 Schedule
· Part-time to start, potential for full-time later
· Friday and Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm
📍 Location:
Top Tropicals Garden Center
13890 Orange River Blvd
Ft Myers, FL 33905
✍️ How to apply:
Please email a brief resume and a short paragraph explaining why you'd like this job.
Resume guidelines:
· Keep it brief; include job history and education
· Please avoid long descriptions of unrelated experience
· Tell us why working with plants and people interests you
🚶➡️ To apply in person:
You are welcome to visit our Garden Center during business hours:
Monday-Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm
To apply in person, ask for Kristi - our manager.
No phone calls please.
Thanks for applying - we hope to see you working alongside our plants, #PeopleCats, and fellow plant lovers soon.
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 15 May 2026
The anti-cucumber legend
Cat Philemon and Avocado Red Russel
Cucumber videos prepared me for this moment.
They said cats fear cucumbers?
You brought me an avocado.
Nice try.
Wrong vegetable.
Wrong cat.
"Cat Philemon stress testing an Avocado Red Russel at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.
Explore Avocado varieties
#PeopleCats #Food_Forest
Join TopTropicals
Date: 15 May 2026
The Tropical Survivor: Why This Pink Plume Defied a 25F Freeze
Justicia carnea - the Pink Brazilian Plume
Justicia carnea - the Pink Brazilian Plume in a pot
The Tropical Survivor: Why This Pink Plume Defied a 25F Freeze
When Central Florida temperatures plummeted to 25F for two days, many gardeners braced for a total loss; and while most tropicals melted into black mush, Justicia carnea - the Pink Brazilian Plume or Jacobinia - proved that looks can be deceiving.
Tougher Than it Looks
As many other tropical plants from Acanthaceae family - Justicia plants are much hardier than they look.
At first glance, the Brazilian Plume looks like a greenhouse diva. It boasts huge, lush leaves and giant, cotton-candy pink flower clusters. However, it harbors a secret: it behaves more like a hardy perennial than a delicate shrub.
Even when a hard freeze burns the top growth to the ground, the root system remains remarkably resilient. Once the soil warms, fresh shoots often push through the dirt faster than expected.
A Hummingbird Magnet for the Shade
The real draw of Justicia carnea isn't just its survival skills - it’s the show-stopping blooms.
Large upright plumes can reach the size of a football. The tubular flowers are a primary target for hummingbirds and butterflies. Unlike most tropical bloomers, it thrives in filtered light and bright shade, making it perfect for understory planting.
👉 Gardener’s Tip:
Don't dig it up too soon! Freeze-damaged stems may look finished for weeks, but patience usually rewards you with new growth by late spring.
🌱 Quick Care Guide
Light: Bright shade or filtered sun
Soil: Rich, well-draining
Water: Regular moisture during heat
Best For: Pool areas, woodland gardens, and pollinator beds
For gardeners wanting that high-impact tropical aesthetic without the heartbreak of constant replanting, this Jacobinia is the ultimate comeback kid.
🛒 Plant beautiful and hardy Jacobinia
📚 Learn more:
· Justicia plants in Plant Encyclopedia
· Top 20 plants for a Butterfly Haven
· What flowers do NOT attract bees?
· Five best butterfly attractors for a Southern garden
· What tropical plants survived Florida's historic freeze without protection
#Butterfly_Plants #Discover #Container_Garden
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals