Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 10 Apr 2016

Growing by the sea

Q: Please recommend me some interesting plants that can grow on my waterfront property and can withstand some salt wind. All my neighbors have Sea Grape trees and bougainvilleas, and I want something different and special. I would love to have some colorful or fragrant flowers, or fruit around my paradise home.

Q: Considering your neighbors successfully grow Sea Grape (Coccoloba), and Bougainvilleas, you have a mild, frost free climate. There is a number of spectacular and useful tropical plants that are salt tolerant. Orchid Trees - Bauhinias, Poincettia - Delonix, and Geiger trees - Cordias, are very showy flowering trees. For large size bushes, try Dwarf Poincianas - Caesalpinias, and Scarlet-Coral Erythrinas. Frangipani - Plumeria, come in different colors and bring you perfume fragrance from Hawaii. And of course, Desert Roses - Adeniums, can be grown and showy specimens anywhere in your yard, both in the ground or as potted bonsai.

Most palms, especially popular Coconut Palm, source of tasty fruit and drink, are highly tolerant to salt breeze. If you are looking for something that nobody has, Lipstick palm, or Sealing wax palm - Cyrtostachys lakka, is definitely the most spectacular palm you can find. It is a stunning feather palm that develops a brilliantly red trunk. Palm is originally from Malaysia, but has been introduced to Costa Rica and other tropical areas of the world. Sealing Wax Palm seeds are very slow to germinate, up to a year, and large specimens are very rare and hard to find even in rare tropical plant nurseries. This palm will require a good overhead light, and constant warmth (above temperature 55F). It is definitely worth an effort to grow this beauty.

You may add more tropical accents to your landscape by the sea with many varieties of showy heliconias.

See full list of salt tolerant trees.

Date: 20 Mar 2016

Easter Lily Vine creates a fragrant privacy fence of virtually unlimited size

By Ron, South Florida. Easter Lily Vine (Beaumontia grandiflora) is a magnificent woody evergreen climber of unlimited growth potential. A branch of this vine will grow simply until you cut it. I have branches of up to 30 ft. and longer.

I've used two plants to turn a chain-link fence into a privacy screen that is 40 ft. wide by 10 ft. tall, but even a single plant can cover a much wider space if trained properly.

Easter Lily Vine's growth rate is moderate, so it doesn't require constant pruning to keep under control like other vigorous vines. I bought mine in 7 gallon pots, and planted them in the ground immediately. It took about 2 years to completely cover the fence. Since then, I prune it 3-4 times a year.

Keep in mind that these plants are heavy and require a solid structure as support. They twine by nature, but only around items with 3” diameter or more. Mine twined around a near-by lighting pole!

The absolute key in training Easter Lily Vine is to force it to grow horizontally. I recommend planting a young 3 gallon size vine in the ground diagonally, so it grows horizontally. Tie it no more than a foot above ground and let it grow a single branch until the end of the space you want to cover. Then force it to make a U-turn and let it grow the other way. See the following diagram for illustration..

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See step-by-step full size pictures and the rest of the article...

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.

    • 🌳 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.

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.



🌳 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:


#Food_Forest #How_to #Discover

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Date: 25 Jan 2021

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to get Canistel tree to produce
without dropping flowers and fruit

Q: My Canistel tree is 3 1/2 years old and is growing very well, see the picture below. It gets hundreds of pea sized "berries" but then they fall off. No canistel fruit. What's wrong?

A: You have such a nice looking tree, it is a shame you can't get any fruit to ripen.
In our experience, Pouteria trees dropping fruit prematurely is a very common problem. There may be one of the following reasons, or a combination of them:
- Cold winters may affect production, and while Canistel is generally pretty hardy tropical plant that can easily withstand short periods of chill, the fruit may never form properly if it had a cold winter.
- Lack of water. Canistel tree is pretty drought tolerant, but for the proper production cycle it needs regular irrigation. Especially during hot summer.
- The tree may be not strong enough; young trees drop fruit very often when they don't have enough "fruiting energy" built up in their system.
Your tree looks well established and vigorous, however, flower/fruit drop is often a sign of insufficient nutrients of particular kind, usually Boron (B) and/or Molybdenum (Mo): either when a tree is too young and not strong enough, or because of poor soils and lack of necessary elements.

Here is what can be done, considering you live in a warm, frost-free climate.

1. Provide regular fertilizing program. We recommend liquid fertilizers Sunshine Boosters that are safe to use with every watering and year around. It is beneficial to switch plants from traditional "slow-release" fertilizer to the liquid one because it makes a huge difference in plant growth and flower/fruit quality and quantity. See also:
- Why liquid fertilizers are better than dry
- Article about benefits of liquid fertilizers.

Use this plant food for your Canistel tree:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster

2. Apply micro-element remedies that are very effective for improving fruit production, especially when flower or fruit drop occurs:

SUNSHINE Honey - promotes more efficient blossoming and pollination, makes flowers bigger and reduces bud drop.
SUNSHINE SuperFood - improves plant vigor and quality and size of flowers These are all natural, eco-friendly supplements that work great for fruit trees and other edibles.

Date: 25 Apr 2026

♥️ Mother’s Day: More Than a Gift

Smokey cat with glasses showing mango tree to mother cat in garden
Mom: You grew this… for me? You remembered my favorite…
Smokey: I did.
Mom: You never forget what matters. It’s beautiful.
Smokey: Not as much as you. Happy Mother’s Day.
Sunshine: You raised him right. It shows.

Some things stay with you from your mom.

A favorite fruit. A smell from the garden. The way she showed you how to care for something and stick with it.

At the time, it felt small. Later, you realize it wasn’t. It turns into something real - a tree, a habit, a way of doing things you still follow.

Mother’s Day is simply a reason to tell your mom you remember. To say thank you for what she taught you, and to show your love.

It does not have to be complicated. Just something that makes it clear you were paying attention.

If you are thinking what to give, start simple.

A fruit she loves. A plant she will enjoy watching grow. Something alive, not just something that sits on a shelf.

It does not have to be big. What matters is that it means something to her.

And maybe, years from now, it becomes one of those things that stays.

We put together a few plants that make good Mother’s Day gifts.

Fragrant flowers. Fruit trees she can enjoy year after year. Easy growers that do not require much effort.

If she has a favorite, start there. If not, pick something simple and reliable.

🛒 Shop Gift plants

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