Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 18 Feb 2025

What cactus vine produces gooseberries

Perescia  aculeata,  Barbados  Gooseberry  fruit

Q: I've heard about a tropical gooseberry suitable for making jams but don't know its exact name. Do you have it? Gooseberry jam is my husband's favorite, but I can't find gooseberries here in Florida - too hot, maybe?

A: Yes, we do have the plant you're looking for! We've just made some delicious jam from this tropical gooseberry, and it tastes just like the northern varieties but even more flavorful! Florida's winter is the perfect season for this wonderful fruit. Right now, our plant is growing quickly and vigorously over our fence, and it's covered with fruit. Just a couple of months earlier it was full of fragrant, beautiful white flowers!

The plant in question is Perescia aculeata, commonly known as Barbados Gooseberry. It's a unique cactus with both edible leaves and fruit, making it a tropical treasure that offers beauty as well as culinary delights.

The fruit is yellow with a juicy, subacid pulp that tastes remarkably similar to traditional gooseberries. You can enjoy the fruits fresh, stewed, or transformed into jams and jellies.

The young leaves are also edible, adding a nutritious boost to your meals.

This fast-growing vining cactus prefers well-drained soil that remains moist during the summer and drier in winter, and it can be effectively grown in containers on a trellis.

Watch a short video of Barbados Gooseberry fruiting.

Perescia  aculeata,  Barbados  Gooseberry  jam

Perescia  aculeata,  Barbados  Gooseberry  flowers

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

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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

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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

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