Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 23 Jul 2024

Where does Vanilla come from? How to grow your own Vanilla Beans

Vanilla planifolia - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Orchid beans, seeds

Vanilla planifolia - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Orchid beans, seeds

Vanilla planifolia - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Orchid flower

Vanilla planifolia - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Orchid flower

Vanilla planifolia - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Orchid

Vanilla planifolia - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Orchid

Vanilla dilloniana - Leafless Vanilla Orchid, flower

Vanilla dilloniana - Leafless Vanilla Orchid, flower

Where does Vanilla come from? How to grow your own Vanilla Beans.

  • ❣️ Vanilla spice comes from Vanilla Orchid!
  • ❣️ Vanilla planifolia is a leafy climbing orchid from hot, wet tropical America. It is grown for its pods which, when dried, become the commercial vanilla.
  • ❣️ The flowers are .
  • ❣️ The Aztec Indians in Mexico used Vanilla Pods to flavor their chocolate drink 'Xoco-latl'. Vanilla was believed to be a tonic for the brain.
  • ❣️ Vanilla Pods are picked green when they have no scent. The lengthy curing process, which develops fragrant aroma, is one reason for its high cost.
  • ❣️ Vanilla orchid needs a flat, solid, porous support for climbing and in order to flower and produce seed pods. It can be grown over a log or a board (make sure the support wood is not chemically treated), or climb over a tree.
  • ❣️ If really happy, Vanilla orchid can exceed 100 feet in length in just a few years. The plants flower only when mature, which takes a few years. It only flowers when it gets strongly attached to a support with its aerial roots.
  • ❣️Vanilla orchid can be grown indoors as a house plant. Culture is similar to traditional orchids, however, it will need a support or trellis. Just keep in mind that for Vanilla Bean production, Vanilla Orchid must attach to a porous surface (like a wood log).

Learn more:

📚 Vanilla - The Most Versatile Orchid

🎥 How to produce my own vanilla: secrets of Vanilla pollination


🛒 Shop vanilla orchids

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Container_Garden

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Date: 1 Aug 2024

Why walking outdoors improves mental health

Why walking outdoors improves mental health

🌳 Why walking outdoors improves mental health


  • 🚶‍♀️Spending time in nature - even as little as 10 minutes - can yield short-term benefits for individuals with mental illness, according to a new study involving 1,492 participants with a diagnosed mental illness and 14,168 studies.

  • 🚶‍♀️Just 10 minutes of walking, running, or exercising in nature has a positive effect.

  • 🚶‍♀️The type of setting doesn’t matter - parks, mountains, forests, and farms all work.

  • 🚶‍♀️Nature benefits people with mood disorders and stress the most.

So, lets go outside and touch some plants!

🐈 Are you looking forward to results of study where cats are involved?

#Fun_Facts #Remedies


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Date: 2 Aug 2024

What is a good exotic looking flowering plant for a shade garden?

Chrysothemis pulchella - Copper Leaf, Black Flamingo

🔥 What is a good exotic looking flowering plant for a shade garden?

  • 🏀 One of the most unusual looking plants in or shade garden collection is Chrysothemis pulchella - Copper Leaf, Black Flamingo.
  • 🏀 It is a spectacular tropical perennial that can be grown as a houseplant or in a greenhouse.
  • 🏀 From summer to late fall it is covered with showy orange-red flowers, may bloom sporadically several times a year.
  • 🏀 Forms a dense mountain of flowers and foliage.
  • 🏀 The plant forms tubers at the base of the stem. By the end of fall the leaves may die back, the plant goes dormant till spring. Then it re-sprouts in Spring again.
  • 🏀 Reduce water to minimum during dormancy period.


🛒 Order online

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden


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Date: 28 Jun 2024

Fruit of Money and Love

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate Tree, Cacao Tree

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate Tree, Cacao Tree

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate Tree, Cacao Tree

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate Tree, Cacao Tree

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate Tree, Cacao Tree

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate Tree, Cacao Tree

❤️💰 Fruit of Money and Love



Theobroma cacao, commonly known as the Chocolate Tree or Cacao Tree, is very exciting plant and a superfood as we mentioned earlier.
  • 💥 Theobroma means "food of the gods" in Greek. "Theo" means god, and "broma" means food.
  • 💥 The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs were among the first to cultivate cacao, using it to make a bitter beverage called xocoatl. It was often spiced with chili peppers and used in various rituals and ceremonies.
  • 💥 Currency: in ancient Mesoamerican cultures, cacao beans were so valuable that they were used as a form of currency. For example, 100 beans could buy a slave or a turkey.
  • 💥 The Aztecs believed that cacao had stimulating properties and used it as an aphrodisiac. Emperor Montezuma was said to consume a large amount of cacao before visiting his harem. We can't deny that chocolate's mood-enhancing properties, combined with cultural and psychological factors, contribute to its romantic allure! ❤️
  • 💥 A cacao pod contains 20 to 50 beans, each surrounded by a sweet, mucilaginous pulp. The pods grow directly on the trunk and larger branches of the tree, a feature known as cauliflory.
  • 💥 After harvesting, cacao beans are fermented for several days, a critical step that develops the flavor precursors needed for chocolate production.
  • 💥 The Cacao tree thrives in the humid, tropical regions around the equator. It can be grown as an exciting house plant.
  • 💥 Health benefits: cacao beans are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, and other minerals. They also contain flavonoids, associated with heart health benefits.
  • 💥 There are three main varieties of cacao beans: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Criollo is considered the highest quality but is less common due to its susceptibility to disease. Forastero is the most widely grown, known for its hardiness. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two.
  • 💥 It takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate. The beans undergo roasting, grinding, and mixing with sugar and other ingredients to produce the final chocolate product.


📚Learn more: Plants of Love - Aphrodisiacs of the plant world

🛒 Grow your own Chocolate Tree

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Aug 2024

Colorful Mexican Clay Pottery:
Now available at our Garden Center!

Colorful Mexican Clay Pottery

Pick up only, no shipping

We've listened to your requests for beautiful planters and pots, and now we're excited to introduce these new items for our local customers!

Discover the charm of Mexican pottery with this handcrafted Talavera clay planter! Each pot is hand-painted with colorful flowers and geometric patterns, making every piece a unique work of art. Plus, it comes with a handy drainage hole to keep your plants happy and healthy!

Handcrafted in Mexico. Each pot has a unique, author's design. Exact details of pattern and color saturation vary.

Check out designs and sizes

Colorful Mexican Clay Pottery

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