Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 10 Jun 2025

Big color in a small tree: Maroon jacaranda and why Jacaranda trees are so popular

Maroon jacaranda - Jacaranda jasminoides

👏 Big color in a small tree: Maroon jacaranda and why Jacaranda trees are so popular

  • 💜 Jacaranda jasminoides (Maroon Jacaranda) is a charming, compact tree that brings a touch of drama to small gardens and patios. It grows 10-12 feet tall, with a bushy habit that makes it perfect for tight spaces or even containers.
  • 💜 What really steals the show are its deep maroon to dark purple trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in clusters from late spring through summer. In warm climates, it may surprise you with blooms at other times too!
  • 💜 The fine, fern-like leaves add a delicate, lacy texture to the overall look.
  • 💜 This jacaranda loves full sun but will tolerate a bit of shade, and it is happiest in fertile, well-drained soil. Water it regularly when it is young or during dry spells, but once established, it is fairly easygoing. It s best suited for USDA zones 9 to 11, and while mature plants can handle brief cold snaps down to 20F, younger ones appreciate a little extra protection when the temps dip.
  • 💜 Whether in the ground or in a pot, the Maroon Jacaranda is a low-maintenance beauty. A little pruning here and there keeps it tidy, and its elegant blooms make it a standout wherever it s planted. In warm places it may keep its foliage year-round, giving you a long-lasting touch of tropical color. A great pick for anyone who wants big color in a small footprint!


📚 Learn more:



🛒 Shop Jacaranda trees

#Trees #Container_Garden

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Date: 22 Jul 2025

Why gardeners love the Pink Butterfly Tree: blooms, shade, and zero fuss

Bauhinia variegata, Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree

Bauhinia variegata, Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree

Bauhinia variegata, Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree, flowers close up

Bauhinia variegata, Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree, flowers close up

🌸 Why gardeners love the Pink Butterfly Tree: blooms, shade, and zero fuss

  • 🌸 Bauhinia variegata, Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree - is a gorgeous, fast-growing tree with orchid-like blooms in shades of magenta to lavender. Flowers appear from late winter through spring - and sometimes again in summer - filling the air with a soft, sweet fragrance. Its butterfly-shaped leaves and wide canopy make it perfect as a focal point, shade tree, or street-side beauty. Great for sustainable landscapes, shelterbelts, and windbreaks too.
  • 🌸 Easygoing and low-maintenance, it thrives in just about any soil - loam, sand, clay, even rocky ground - as long as it drains well. Loves full sun, needs little water once established, and grows fast (up to 2–3 feet per year) with plenty of cooling shade.
  • 🌸 The bright blooms bring in butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
  • 🌸 Extra bonus: its buds and blossoms are edible and used in traditional cooking, and the bark has been used in folk remedies for things like thyroid and ulcers.
  • 🌸 Tough, fast, and blooming with elegance, the Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree is a gorgeous shade tree that thrives on neglect - poor soil, low water, no problem! Fragrant, orchid-like flowers light up your garden from winter to spring: easy to grow and even easier to love!


🛒 Limited stock - plant one this season!
Discover more Bauhinias - Orchid trees.

📚 Learn more about Orchid trees:


#Trees

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Date: 30 Jul 2025

Why tipping mango trees makes them fruiting machines (DIY Garden Tip)

🥭 Why tipping mango trees makes them fruiting machines (DIY Garden Tip)



📱

🌳 Want more mangoes from your backyard tree?
In this step-by-step guide, Ed from Top Tropicals in Fort Myers, Florida, shows how to tip mango trees to boost branching, improve structure, and increase fruit production. Whether you're growing Valencia Pride, Orange Sherbet, or Glen mangoes - this method works!

✔️ You'll learn:


  • When and how to tip branches
  • What tools to use (and how to clean them)
  • Real before-and-after results from trees in our Florida garden
  • Tips for shaping young trees for long-term success


🛒 Get your own mango trees

🌱 More garden tips and tropical fruit care

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Date: 14 Oct 2025

Yes, you can grow a tropical fruit tree in a pot!

Yes, you can grow a tropical fruit tree in a pot! Yes, you can grow a tropical fruit tree in a pot!

🥭 Yes, you can grow a tropical fruit tree in a pot!


  • 🍒 If you dream of picking fresh tropical fruit - Mango, Avocado, exotiс Annona and more - but only have a patio, balcony, or small yard, you’re not out of luck. Many tropical fruit trees grow perfectly well in large containers. The key is choosing the right variety, pot, and care routine.

  • 🍒 Pick a compact tree type

Start with a dwarf or semi-dwarf variety. Regular tropical trees can grow huge, but container-sized cultivars stay under 8–10 feet and are much easier to manage. For example, Condo varieties of Mango like Pickering or Ice Cream stay small and still produce full-sized fruit. The same goes for Dwarf Avocados like Wurtz (also called Little Cado) and Sugar apples. Blackberry Jam fruit tree (Randia formosa) and Peanut Butter Fruit tree (Bunchosia argentea) are also excellent choices.

  • 🍒 Choose the right pot

Begin with a 5-gallon container and move up as the tree grows. A mature plant will be happy in a 20–25-gallon pot. Drainage is critical - roots will rot if the pot stays soggy. Use a sturdy plastic, ceramic, or wooden container with multiple holes in the bottom.

  • 🍒 Soil and watering

These trees all like loose, well-draining soil. Mix potting soil with perlite or pine bark for better aeration. Water deeply but not too often - let the top few inches dry before watering again. Overwatering is the quickest way to kill a potted tropical.

  • 🍒 Light and feeding

Full sun is a must - aim for at least 6 hours daily. Fertilize during the growing season with a balanced fruit tree or slow-release fertilizer like Green Magic or liquid Sunshine Boosters. Many tropicals appreciate an extra boost of micronutrients like iron and magnesium to keep their leaves green.

🍒 Cold protection and pruning


If you live where winters get chilly, move the pot indoors or into a greenhouse before frost. Prune lightly in spring to keep shape and airflow. Container trees can fruit heavily if given light, warmth, and consistent care.

At the end of the day, container culture lets you grow the tropics anywhere - from a city balcony to a backyard deck.

Next: The best tropical fruit trees for containers...

📸 Growing and fruiting Soursop in apartment (PDF download)

🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees

#Food_Forest #How_to #Discover

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Date: 7 Jul 2016

Growing fruit trees in containers

Will it fruit in a pot? YES! Many tropical fruit trees can be grown in a pot. We get many calls from customers in cooler climates asking if our tropical trees can grow and fruit in a pot. The answer is yes!

Several plants fruit well in pots. Blackberries and raspberries, barbados cherries, blueberries and many more start fruiting even in their 1 gallon containers. We are especially excited about our new Pixie grapes, which are heavily laden with grapes even at only a foot long!

While some plants are small and will fruit easily in a container, others are large trees. For the tree type fruits, we recommend growing only non-seedling plants for pot culture. We have cuttings, air layers and grafted plants that are great options. These have the ability to fruit right away, as they are the same age as the parent tree. Some horticulturists recommend removing the first year fruit to allow the plant to focus on growth and establishing. If the plant is being kept in a pot, this is not necessary.

We also have several dwarf varieties of fruit trees that will thrive in a pot. For avocados, we carry the Wurtz variety which is a dwarf tree... read more...