Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 11 Jan 2026

Did you know why its an Akee time, too?

Cat Bob with his Ackee fruit (Blighia sapida)

Cat Bob with his Ackee fruit (Blighia sapida)

🍊 Did you know why it's an Akee time, too?



Akee (Ackee) starts fruiting late Summer through Fall, but we still have some fruit on the trees through the Winter!

🐈📸 Cat Bob with his Ackee fruit at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats

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Date: 12 Jan 2026

Cherry of the Rio Grande quick compote: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Cherry of the Rio Grande quick compote over pancakes

Cherry of the Rio Grande quick compote over pancakes

Eugenia aggregata - Cherry of the Rio Grande fruit

Eugenia aggregata - Cherry of the Rio Grande fruit

🍴 Cherry of the Rio Grande Quick Compote

This fast cherry compote is made from Cherry of the Rio Grande (Eugenia aggregata). It is tart, rich, and perfect over pancakes, waffles, toast, or warm bread.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Cherry of the Rio Grande fruit, pitted
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. Place cherries and water in a small saucepan.
  2. Simmer over medium heat until the cherries soften and release juice.
  3. Mash lightly with a spoon for a chunky texture.
  4. Spoon warm compote over pancakes or bread and serve immediately.

🛒 Plant Cherry of the Rio Grande

📚 Learn more:

Plant Facts

Eugenia involucrata, Eugenia aggregata
Cherry of the Rio Grande, Cere Jodo Rio Grande
USDA Zone: 9-11
Small tree 10-20 ftSemi-shadeFull sunModerate waterRegular waterEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short time
  • Eugenia aggregata - Cherry of the Rio Grande in Plant Encyclopedia
  • Don't plant cherries until you see this one!
  • Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes. Tropical Cherries: Eugenias

    • #Food_Forest #Recipes

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    Date: 27 Jan 2026

    🌸 Adenium, Coffee, and Donuts

    Smokey and Sunshine with a blooming adenium desert rose on a worktable, surrounded by potted adeniums in the background.
    Smokey: Desert rose. One caudex. Multiple grafts. Different flowers.
    Sunshine: So it is a team plant. Everyone blooms, nobody agrees.
    Smokey: Yet it grows just fine.
    Sunshine: That is the secret. Coffee and donuts.

    🌸Featured Adeniums

    Recommended by our Horticulturist, Tatiana Anderson

    Moung Kusuma Moung Kusuma adenium flower with deep magenta velvety petals and dark edging

    Deep magenta flowers with a velvety look and a darker, almost black edge. A bold, elegant adenium that stands out immediately.

    Sunshine Adenium Sunshine flower with pink and white petals and bright color contrast

    Bright yellow and mauve swirls across layered petals create a warm, cheerful bloom that lives up to its name.

    White Rabbit Adenium White Rabbit flower with white petals and bright pink streaks. Clean white petals brushed with playful pink streaks. A reliable bloomer with soft ruffled flowers.
    Thong Samsee Adenium Thong Samsee flower with creamy yellow petals and soft pink edges

    Known for its three-color effect, shifting from yellow to pink to nearly white on the same plant.

    Candy Adenium Candy flower with creamy white petals and soft pink edges

    Cheerful yellow petals dipped in cherry red with bold ruffled layers. Bright, playful, and impossible to miss.

    Black Sheep Adenium Black Sheep flower with nearly black petals and deep red highlights

    Nearly black petals with a glowing red center. Dark, dramatic, and different.

    Free Adenium (Desert Rose) Shipping
    Plant now, bloom soon. Get select Adenium (Desert Rose) varieties shipped to you with FREE S&H.
    Offer valid through 02/06/2026. Limited quantities. While supplies last.
    Free shipping applies to qualifying Adenium items only. Excludes other items and prior orders.

    ✍️ Learn About Adeniums

    🎥 Watch Adenium Videos

    🛒 Shop Adeniums

    Date: 20 Feb 2026

    Top Ten Fruit Tree Winners of Florida 2026 Record Freeze

    Avocado tree with fruit

    Avocado tree with fruit

    Eugenia

    Eugenia

    Feijoa - Pineapple Guava

    Feijoa - Pineapple Guava

    Jaboticaba tree

    Jaboticaba tree

    Loquat tree

    Loquat tree

    Macadamia Nut tree

    Macadamia Nut tree

    Prunus sp - Peach

    Prunus sp - Peach

    Persimmon tree

    Persimmon tree

    Pomegranate tree with fruit

    Pomegranate tree with fruit

    Psidium littorale - Cattley Guava tree with fruit

    Psidium littorale - Cattley Guava tree with fruit

    🏆 Top Ten Fruit Tree Winners of Florida 2026 Record Freeze



    These fruit trees had no damage after 3 nights of hard freeze (25F) with NO PROTECTION:

    🛒 Explore cold tolerant tropical plants and cold hardy Avocados

    📚 Learn more:


    #Discover #How_to #Food_Forest

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    Date: 13 Feb 2026

    To trim or not to trim? When and how to trim damaged plants after winter

    Sprounting buds on a dormant branch and pruners

    Sprounting buds on a dormant branch and pruners

    ✂️ To trim or not to trim? When and how to trim damaged plants after winter



    Florida just went through a record freeze (Feb 2026). Now gardens look rough - brown leaves, blackened tips, mushy stems. The big question: do you cut now or wait?
    Here is the simple rule.

      • ✂️ When is the right time to trim?



      Do not rush.
      Wait until the danger of more freezes has passed and you start seeing new growth. In most of Florida, that means late winter to early spring.
      Why wait?
      Dead foliage actually protects living tissue underneath. If you cut too early and another cold snap hits, you can cause more damage.
      If a plant is completely collapsed and clearly mushy, you can remove that material. But for woody shrubs and trees - patience pays.

      • ✂️ How far should you trim?



      Trim back to healthy, green wood. Start by removing:

    · Black, mushy, or obviously rotted stems
    • · Broken branches
    • · Completely dried leaves
    Then cut slowly and test as you go. Do not cut everything to the ground unless you are sure it is dead.
    Many tropicals look terrible after freeze but recover beautifully in warm weather. Te rule of thumb is: once minimum temperatures stay above 65F for over a week, the active growth starts.

      • ✂️ How to tell if a branch is dead or alive



      Use the scratch test. Lightly scrape the bark with your fingernail.

    · Green underneath - it is alive
    • · Brown and dry - likely dead
    Move down the branch toward the base. Often only the top portion is dead.
    Also check flexibility. Live branches bend slightly. Dead ones snap.

      • ✂️ Important - do not give up too soon



      This is where many gardeners make a mistake.
      After a few weeks - sometimes even months - plants can push new growth through what looks like a dead branch. Buds may appear higher than expected, not just from the roots.

      • ✂️ You may see growth:


    • · Along the stem
    • · From lower nodes
    • · From the trunk
    • · From the base

    Some plants look gone - then suddenly leaf out again.

    ✂️ Final thought



    After a hard freeze, the best tools are patience and a careful eye.
    Wait for warmth. Trim slowly. Check for green. And give your plants time to surprise you.
    Tropical gardens are tougher than they look.

    🛒 Need to replace a damaged plant? Explore the best options

    #Discover #How_to

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