🌳 Moringa vs spinach: which one wins for nutrition?
✔️Moringa is sometimes called the Tree of Life, and for good reason. Almost every part is edible - leaves, pods, seeds, even the flowers. It isn't just a tree, it's like a whole pantry and medicine cabinet rolled into one.
✔️ The leaves pack vitamins, minerals, and protein.
✔️ The pods look like drumsticks and end up in curries.
✔️ Even the seeds are handy - pressed for oil or used to clean water.
✔️ And here's the bonus: it grows fast, covers itself in fragrant white flowers, and looks beautiful right in your garden.
✔️ A tree that feeds you, heals you, and makes the yard smell good.
Most tropical flowers bring in pollinators, and bees are usually first in line. But what if you’d rather avoid them? Maybe you’re allergic, or just don’t want bees buzzing around. Good news: some flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, or even flies - but not bees.
👉 Quick rules:
✔️ Night-blooming + strong fragrance = moths or bats, not bees.
✔️ Red tubular flowers with little scent = hummingbirds or butterflies, not bees.
✔️ Rotten or fermented smell = flies, not bees.
✔️ Carnivorous plants = trap insects, no bee nectar.
1.
Night-blooming, fragrant - moth and bat flowers
Bees forage by day, so many night-fragrant flowers skip them.
Brugmansia - Angel’s Trumpet - big, hanging blooms, moth and bat pollinated.
How long does it take for a mango tree to bear fruit?
🥭 How long does it take for a mango tree to bear fruit?
🥭 A Mango tree (Mangifera indica) grown from seed can take anywhere from 7 to 10 years to start fruiting, depending on conditions. Doesn’t sound too exciting, ah? Besides such a long wait, you never know how good the fruit will be – most likely it'll taste fibrous and not very sweet. Unless your cross-pollination was perfectly set between some top-notch parent cultivars, it's a gamble. Seedling results are always hit or miss.
🥭 That's why you need a grafted tree – it fruits soon (in the ground or in a large container) and guarantees the quality of the fruit. There are hundreds of cultivated varieties to choose from: juicy, sweet, and flavorful. Some taste like pina colada, pineapple, or lemon meringue pie, others like peach sherbet or even guava! The mango flavor spectrum is broader than that of apples!
🥭 So, you’ve got yourself a nice mango tree in a container and can’t wait for your first harvest. How soon?
Mango trees start flowering from early winter (early cultivars like Nam Doc Mai) to early spring (late cultivars like Keitt). One little tree can produce hundreds, even thousands of tiny flowers, but not all will set fruit. The younger the tree, the fewer fruits it can hold. Expect just a few the first year. Even if your mango sets a lot, don’t keep them all - let the young tree focus on establishing roots and strong growth. Leave 1-2 fruits and remove the rest. Your tree will thank you and grow fast and sturdy.
🥭 By the second year, you can let your tree keep a bit more fruit. Young trees usually know their limits and will naturally drop any extra fruit they can’t support. Within 2–3 years, you’ll be harvesting good crops – enough to enjoy yourself and share with friends!
🥭 Remember, a strong, healthy tree produces sooner and more. Feed it with Sunshine Mango Tango liquid booster or Green Magic controlled-release fertilizer, and protect it from frost, especially while young. Once established, your mango will reward you with reliable, abundant harvests year after year.
📸 In the photos: the trees in 7 gal pots are 2 years from grafting, and the trees in the ground are 1 year from the time of planting and 3 years from grafting.
Q: I need a tree for a space that is close to a pool and I don't
want a tree that is shedding leaves all year long. I don't want it too big
either. The canary tree caught my attention but I need to know if it is a
tree that is dropping leaves all year. If it does then can you recommend another
tree? I live in Fort Lauderdale.
A:Canary tree is a good choice. It is free-flowering pretty little tree.
It is evergreen and doesn't shed leaves too much especially in your area with
mild winter. However, keep in mind that every plant sheds leaves. Even
evergreen trees replace old leaves with new ones. Some trees more than others.
Flowers also have a seasonal drop.
You may check the full list of compact flowering trees suitable for small spaces.
Another great choice is a Dwarf Tree Jasmine, Radermachera - also a free-flowering tree with rose-fragrant flowers
and large, architectural leaves that hardly ever drop. It has very dense yet
compact columnar shape, and is one of the greatest trees for smaller
landscapes.
Q: Can you please tell me which zones are the best for growing
Angel Trumpets? When do they bloom and is there a specific fertilizer to use on
them?
Do you sell any variegated varieties?
A: If you are lucky enough to live in an area that doesn't
freeze or only has light frosts, you can grow Brugmansia (common name Angel Trumpet) outside all year long. They are
only entirely hardy in USDA zones 9-12, but they remain very popular
throughout the United States. They do really well in coastal settings in the
Southwest. They are simply glorious in the coastal areas of South California. In the
southwestern states, as well as in the tropics, they bloom spectacularly
throughout the spring, summer, and autumn.
Angel Trumpets are very heavy feeders and they need huge amounts of
nitrogen. You can use a standard balanced slow-release fertilizer on Brugmansia,
but then you must apply it very generously. We've created a specialized
fertilizer just for them. Angel Trumpet Delight is a perfect Brugmansia food for frequent monthly
feed. It's a 30-day Smart-Release formula that works wonders for Angel
Trumpets. A a well-balanced combination of macro- and micro- nutrients with a slow
release action, it provides continuous feed, maintains vigor and disease
resistance. It also contains coated nitrogen, early release nutrients and extra
iron (water soluble and chelated) for quick green-up.
Angel Trumpets come in a dazzling array of colors: orange, yellow,
green, white, pink, red, emerald and even purple (closely related Datura). One of our favorites is the beautiful Variegated Orange Angel Trumpet, a new hybrid with variegated leaves
and a large single bloom that starts white and turns orange. Another amazing
variety is "Sun Explosion" - with a variegated orange flower.
Most folks are usually in awe of the enormous trumpet flowers when they
see it for the
very first time. They most definitely need to be planted where they can be
admired… near a deck, terrace, lanai or, entryway. The blossoms are
short-lived, but numerous, continuous, and truly show-stopping! And they smell so
good! This is a must have in any tropical garden. They can be grown either as a
bush or a small tree. They are easy peasy to grow and root extremely easily,
making them great as pass-along gifts for friends. They are sun-loving and
super fast-growing plants. Plenty of water and fertilizers keep them happy and
at their best. Did I mention they smell good too? ;)
