Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 29 Mar 2025

What are the best varieties of Pineapples?

White Jade Pineapple (Eleuthera)

White Jade Pineapple (Eleuthera)

Florida Special Pineapple

Florida Special Pineapple

Sugarloaf Pineapple

Sugarloaf Pineapple

SUNSHINE Ananas - Pineapple and Bromeliad Booster

SUNSHINE Ananas - Pineapple and Bromeliad Booster

🍍 What are the best varieties of Pineapples?



🍍 All the Pineapples (Ananas comosus) are easy to grow, virtually carefree plants. You you plant a few - you will always have the benefit of fresh delicious fruit on the table.

🍍 Our top 3 pineapple plants - beauty, flavor and backyard bragging rights!



1. White Jade Pineapple (Eleuthera) - Hawaiian luxury in your yard! Ultra-sweet white flesh, edible core, and spineless leaves for easy handling. Doesn’t ship well - because it's meant to be grown and enjoyed fresh by you!

2. Florida Special Pineapple - A golden-fleshed classic! Bred for Florida by the Libby fruit company, this variety once covered 240 acres in Immokalee. Sweet, flavorful, and tough - ripens even after chilly nights in the 30s!

3. Sugarloaf Pineapple - Sweet, Juicy, and Totally Unique! Also known as Kona Sugarloaf , it is a low-acid, super sweet variety originally from West Africa. It's famous for its creamy white flesh, mild flavor, and edible core - yep, even the core is tender and tasty! Grows tall, slim, and heavy, with dark green skin that stays green even when ripe. It can reach an impressive 10 pounds! The plant itself is just as striking, with a large pointed crown and smooth leaves edged with fine serrations.

🍍 Make sure to feed your pineapples what they crave - sunshine and nutrients! Boost their growth with - SUNSHINE Ananas - Pineapple and Bromeliad Booster. This special formula gives your plants the energy they need to thrive and produce tons of sweet, juicy fruit just for you!

📚 Pineapples from previous posts:


How we ate all pineapples from that ugly corner
The most luscious Hospitality Fruit: Pineapple
Three must-have fruit for every tropical garden

🛍 Enjoy the benefits of Pineapples - make your yard useful!

#Food_Forest

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 17 May 2025

Why Hummingbird Tree?

Sesbania grandiflora (Hummingbird Tree)

Why Hummingbird Tree?



🍥 Why is Sesbania grandiflora (Hummingbird Tree) so popular? Because it's as useful as it is beautiful. This small, fast-growing tree stands out with its striking, bird-shaped flowers and incredible versatility:

🍥 Ornamental beauty: The large flowers (ivory-white or red) resemble little birds and bloom in abundance, creating a floral canopy from fall through summer.

🍥 Edible flowers and leaves: Used in curries, salads, and even fried in batter. Tender leaves and green fruits are also eaten in Southeast Asian cuisine.

🍥 Fast-growing, flood-tolerant: Great for reforestation, shade, or as a quick ornamental tree for wet or challenging areas.

🍥 Medicinal: Every part of the plant is used: bark for fiber and medicine, flowers for food, wood for light construction, gum for fishing lines, and even as natural pest control.

🍥 It's a food plant, a medicine cabinet, a garden centerpiece, and a support system for other plants - all in one tree. That's why gardeners, farmers, and chefs all love the Hummingbird Tree.

🛒 Get an edible Hummingbird Tree

📚 Learn more about Sesbanias:


Black flowered Sesbania
Hummingbird trss: you can eat the whole tree!

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Butterfly_Plants #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 20 May 2025

What banana fits anywhere? Meet the worlds smallest banana tree - big flavor in a tiny package

Banana Truly Tiny

🔥 What banana fits anywhere? Meet the world's smallest banana tree - big flavor in a tiny package



Banana Truly Tiny is one of the most in-demand banana plants for collectors, small-space gardeners, and anyone who wants to grow bananas indoors. Here's why:

World's Smallest Banana Plant: As the name suggests, it’s the most compact edible banana variety. It grows just 2-3 feet tall, making it perfect for apartments, balconies, or desktops.

Edible Mini Bananas: Yes, it produces real, sweet, snack-sized bananas - not just an ornamental plant! The fruit is delicious and just the right size for kids or snacking.

Perfect for Containers: Its dwarf size makes it ideal for pots. You don’t need a yard or greenhouse - just a sunny window or patio.

Cute, Decorative, and Functional: It’s both a conversation piece and a fruit producer. Great for gifts, collectors, and home décor.

Indoor-Friendly: One of the few banana plants that thrives indoors with good light and care. It also stays manageable and won’t outgrow your space.

Fast-Growing and Fun: Like other bananas, it grows quickly and is exciting to watch - perfect for kids, first-time growers, and anyone who wants a rewarding plant.

Why Everyone Wants Truly Tiny? Because it’s the cutest banana plant in the world, and it actually produces fruit! Whether you're a collector or just want something exotic and productive in a small space, Truly Tiny is in a league of its own.

🛒 Get Truly Tiny - the cutest banana you'll ever grow!

📚 Learn more about #Bananas

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Discover

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 28 Jun 2025

Bright, bold, and edible: Variegated Chaya

Leaves of Variegated Maya Spinach Tree

Leaves of Variegated Maya Spinach Tree

Variegated Maya Spinach Tree growing in pot

Variegated Maya Spinach Tree growing in pot

🌱 Bright, bold, and edible: Variegated Chaya



🌿 Cnidoscolus aconitifolius variegatus, known as Chaya "Jatropha" or Variegated Maya Spinach Tree, is a rare gem for gardeners who crave both beauty and function. On top of health benefits of regular Chaya we mentioned earlier, this one is also a rare spectacular ornamental!

🌿 With its striking, creamy-splashed fan-shaped leaves and sculptural form, this plant brings dramatic texture to sunny landscapes or large containers. And as a bonus, it sends up charming clusters of white flowers!

🌿 More than just a looker, it's a productive perennial too - its leaves, once cooked, are a nutritious green similar to spinach. Just don't eat them raw.

🌿 This drought-tolerant shrub thrives in sun, asks for little more than space to grow, and rewards you with year-round color and character. Whether you grow it for food, flair, or both, the Variegated Chaya is an unforgettable addition to your garden.

🛒 Add rare beauty and purpose to your garden

📚 Learn more:


Chaya's health benefits: a must-have tropical leafy vegetable for sustainable gardening

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 27 Jul 2025

Cocoplum: secret fruit in your hedge

Bahamas Cocoplum - Chrysobalanus icaco

🍒 Cocoplum: secret fruit in your hedge



🍒 Most people think Cocoplum is just a boring hedge plant: Bahamas Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco). Thick, green, easy to trim - great for privacy. But hidden in all that greenery? Super-sweet plum-like fruit that are edible and very tasty! They look like small plums and come in pink, purple, or white when ripe.

🍒 Cocoplum is native to Florida and has been quietly feeding people for generations, long before it became a landscaping go-to. The fruit is mild, a little sweet, and great for snacking or making into jam.

🍒 Cocoplum isn't just a tasty surprise - it comes with some health perks too:
Rich in antioxidants - especially anthocyanins, which give the purple fruit its color and help fight free radicals in the body.
Good source of fiber - helps with digestion and keeping you full.
Contains vitamin C - supports your immune system and skin health.
Low in calories - great for snacking without guilt.
So when you bite into a Cocoplum, you're not just tasting Florida - you're getting a little wellness boost too.

🍯 Quick Cocoplum Jam:



🔸2 cups ripe Cocoplums
🔸1 cup sugar
🔸1 cup water*
🔸1 tbsp lemon juice
🔸Mash it all up, cook on low 20-30 minutes until thick. Cool and enjoy!

*To make a delicious summer drink, add 10 cups of water and just get to boil. Let sit 2 hrs, mash up, drain fruit and cool to enjoy.

So next time you walk by a Cocoplum hedge, check for fruit. There might be a free snack waiting for you!

🛒 Get your edible hedge Cocoplum: privacy with perks

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals