Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 10 Nov 2025

❄️ How to Prepare Your Tropical Garden for Winter

Two cats in a tropical garden at sunset. Smokey, a black-and-white tuxedo cat wearing a wool cap, holds a thermometer while Sunshine, a fluffy orange tabby, sits beside mulch and folded frost cloths surrounded by banana and hibiscus plants.

Smokey and Sunshine Wrap Up the Garden with Frost Cloth Before the Chill.

Smokey: "Thermometer says 45. Time to wrap the bananas!"
Sunshine: "You wrap the bananas. I’ll guard the mulch… from this sunny spot."
Smokey: "Teamwork, Sunshine. Teamwork."

🌡️ Cold nights are coming - but your tropicals do not need to shiver!

Even in sunny Florida and other warm zones, one cold snap can undo months of growth. Preparation is everything. Tropical plants can handle a lot, but they dislike surprises. Let’s make sure your garden stays safe, strong, and happy all winter long.

Tips from Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant Expert

👉 Group and Check Your Plants

You already know which plants are in pots and which are in the ground. What matters now is prioritizing by cold sensitivity. Identify the tender tropicals – papaya, banana, plumeria, adenium, heliconia – and decide which ones get covered first when temperatures drop. Keep frost cloths or old sheets near those areas, ready to grab fast. If your garden is large, label protection zones or mark plants that always need extra care. The goal is to have a plan, not a panic, when the cold alert hits.

Once you know your priorities, you can plan the rest of your protection strategy.

👉 Feed and Mulch

Stop using high-nitrogen fertilizers by late fall. They push soft new growth that freezes easily. Add compost around the base of your plants and top with 3 to 4 inches of mulch. Mulch acts like a blanket: it keeps warmth in, protects the roots, and keeps soil moisture steady. Just make sure the soil drains well; cold and soggy soil leads to root rot. In raised beds, check that water flows away easily.

After you feed and mulch, it is time to look at how your local zone changes the game.

👉 Zone-by-Zone Tips

Woman sitting between two large potted tropical plants on a wooden deck in front of a house, preparing to move them indoors for the winter.

Moving Tropical Plants Indoors for Winter Protection

  • Zone 10: You are lucky! This is mostly a maintenance season. Watch for root rot after heavy rain, trim lightly if needed, and protect tender young trees during surprise chills. Keep some frost cloth ready just in case.
  • Zone 9: This is the main action zone. Nights can dip into the 30s. Deep-water your trees once before cold nights to insulate the roots. Apply heavy mulch, and have frost protection ready to go. If you grow tropical fruit like mango or guava, consider wrapping young trunks in burlap or foam pipe insulation.
  • Zone 8: This is where tropical gardening becomes creative. Stick to cold-hardy tropicals such as loquat, guava, or cold-hardy avocado varieties. Use portable greenhouses, wrap trunks, and move smaller plants indoors or to a heated porch when frost threatens.

Now that the garden beds are set, let’s look at your pots and containers – your most mobile plants.

👉 Container and Patio Plants

Potted plants are the easiest to protect but also the quickest to freeze. Start reducing watering now so roots do not stay too wet in cooler weather. Before moving them, check for insects hiding under leaves or in the soil. Group your pots close to a wall for reflected heat and wind protection. If you plan to bring them indoors, do it gradually. Move them closer to the house for a few days before bringing them all the way inside to help them adjust to lower light and humidity.

When the chill starts, many gardeners rush to move everything inside at once – but a smooth transition works much better.

👉 Indoor Plants

When bringing plants inside, give them a good rinse to remove dust and bugs, and flush the soil to wash out salts from summer fertilizing. Keep them separate from your houseplants for a week to make sure no pests come along. Expect some leaf drop – it is normal as they adjust to lower light. Give them bright light near a window, and cut watering by about half until spring. Avoid misting too much; good airflow matters more than humidity during winter.

Many tropicals, like hibiscus, brugmansia, and crotons, may look tired for a while, but they will bounce back quickly once days get longer.

👉 Timing Is Everything

The key is to prepare before the first cold warning. Check your weather app regularly once nights start dropping into the 50s. Keep covers, mulch, and supplies ready so you are not running outside at midnight with a flashlight and a frozen hose. Have your frost cloths labeled by plant group and stored in an easy spot. A little organization now saves a lot of stress later.

Many tropicals, like hibiscus, brugmansia, and crotons, may look tired for a while, but they will bounce back quickly once days get longer.

Remember: the goal is to help your plants rest safely. Many gardeners prune or fertilize too late in the season – we will talk about why that can be risky next week."— says Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant Expert

Coming next mail-list: The best gadgets for cold protection (lights, heaters, frost covers) and what NOT to do in winter.

📚 Learn more from Top Tropicals Blog:

Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection

What plants are good to order in Winter?

How to take care of house plants in Winter

How to protect tropical plants in Winter

How to take care of a mango tree in winter

How to protect Avocado from cold

Overwintering Adeniums outside of tropics

Rows of tropical plants in black pots covered with frost cloth and plastic sheeting for winter protection at Top Tropicals nursery.

Protecting Tropical Plants with Frost Covers at Top Tropicals Nursery

Date: 28 Dec 2020

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to grow a happy Red Jade Vine?

Q: My Red Jade Vine has the leaf tips turning brown. I water this plant four times a week and I am using a half a teaspoon of miracle grow bloom booster 15-30-15 per 2 gallons, every two weeks. In the beginning I had to water this plant off city water in South Fort Myers. Over the last two months I picked up a dechlorinator buggy plus threw that on my hose and I've been watering it with that but it didn't seem to make a difference. I put this plant in the ground last September. It has three shoots that run into the top of the tree, so it is growing but leaves seem to drop off down low at the base of the vine and the brown tipping running into the top of the plant. But not the newest shoot its leaves are solid green all the way at the top. Thanks for any advice.

A: Mucuna benettii - Red Jade vine - is not the easiest plant to grow, and we are glad your vine is growing well. For those who love this plant but not ready to face all challenges, we recommend its cousin - Camptosema grandiflora - Dwarf Red Jade Vine, which is much hardier and easier plant.
We looked at the photos and these are our thoughts.

1) The top of the plant with green fresh leaves definitely indicates that the plant is generally healthy and vigorous.
2) Dry tips of the old leaves may indicate excess salts in soil, in combination with the summer heat that it went through. Based on your feeding program description, that fertilizer may create a problem. Water soluble traditional fertilizers are EDTA-chelated which often causes nutrients lock up in soil and leaf drop. Try to stay away from that fertilizer for a month and let the rains and/or irrigation water flush the soil for a couple of weeks.
3) Red Jade vine is a very sensitive species. Normally, during hot season it is safe to use traditional fertilizers, especially slow-release granulated. However, with this plant we recommend you to switch to more delicate formula and use only liquid fertilizer.
SUNSHINE Megaflor - Bloom Nutrition Booster will be the best. It is safe to use it as frequent as with every watering! It is amino-acid based, and will be totally consumed by the plant without nutrient lockup.
4) Another cause of dry leaf tips may be micro-element deficiency.
Megaflor booster already has all necessary micro-nutrients in it, plus you may apply some extra: SUNSHINE Superfood.
5) You may continue using regular water for watering (including city water) as long as you use amino-acid based plant food and supplements: they improve soil acidity (what tropical plants like is acidic soil, and Florida soils are alkaline). Additionally, to improve soil acidity which can be critical for this Mucuna species, you may add 1"layer of pure peat moss on top of the soil around the plant. Please keep us in loop how the plant is doing. It is pretty rare species in cultivation and we will be happy to help you to keep it thriving.

Date: 25 Jan 2021

Coastal Plants. List of plants that do well in coastal areas

In the photo: Delonix regia - Royal poinciana, Flamboyant

Q: How can I get a list of plants that do well in coastal areas (i.e. next to sea)?

A: Many tropical plants live by the sea in natural habitat and don't mind ocean breeze. We have a large selection to pick from. The following groups of spectacular flowering trees will enjoy coastal environment:
Cordia trees
Plumerias
Orchid trees (Bauhinias)
Caesalpinias
Callistemons (Bottle brush trees)
Cassias
Many palm trees

See full list of salt-tolerant plants available at this time.

In the photo: Cordia sebestena - Scarlet Geiger tree

Date: 27 Feb 2020

7 secrets of a Happy Avocado Tree

Q: I purchased an avocado tree from local garden centers three times but every time it dies on me. My neighbor has a nice tree in his yard and it grows beautifuly. I just purchased one online from you and I need to know what I was doing wrong? Are there any secrets how to make an Avocado tree happy? I have a big garden and several mango trees, but no luck with Avocado...

A: Avocado tree is famous for being such a pain to establish. But once it starts growing, it's growing! We will share a few simple tricks how to make it right.

1. Plant high and provide good drainage. Wet feet is number one reason for failing an avocado tree. It doesn't like wet soil and won't tolerate soggy conditions. Plant it in the highest spot of your yard and slightly on a "hill" (3-4"higher than the surrounding ground).
DO NOT plant Avocado tree in low spots or wet spots of your yard. Save those spots for Cannas or Black Sapote or even a Mango if you want a fruit tree there.
2. Use quality soil. Use only well-drained soil with high content of organic matter. You may add compost to existing sandy soil, or add some professional potting mix that contains pine bark and perlite. Remove rocks from the hole if you see any while digging. Dig a big hole and fill it with a good soil; compact the soil in the hole very well before setting the root ball. Reminder: plant the tree high!
3. Water regularly. After planting an Avocado tree in a nice high spot with a good drainage, start watering it... daily! Avocado likes water, although it doesn't like wet feet! Once you figure out this combination, you've got the recipe of success. Water by hand daily for the first week after planting, then twice a week for couple weeks, then once you notice new growth - you may rely on sprinklers, but keep watching the tree and don't let the soil over-dry. It must be slightly moist, but not soggy.
4. Fertilize. For such finicky tree, we suggest mild formulas of fertilizers. Dry fertilizers may burn roots, especially of a young tree. Even smart-release granulated fertilizers should be used very carefully. The best way to feed your young avocado tree - get a complete set of Sunshine Boosters Pro system. It has all necessary elements for all stages of plant development and never burns the roots. Sunshine Boosters Pro can be used with every watering - no need to guess how much and when. Besides, it is a natural fertilizer based on amino acids - exactly what you want to use on your fruit trees and other edibles!
5. Boost immune system of the tree. Apply Sunshine Epi plant hormone every 2 weeks as a foliar spray to boost immune system and metabolism of the tree and protect it from diseases. Epi makes plants (especially young plants) grow twice faster! It also enhances effect of fertilizers by increasing plant metabolism.
6. Do not prune until you see significant growth. The tree is small and can use as many leaves and branches as possible for photosynthesis and healthy metabolism. We suggest to avoid pruning for at least the first year. On the second year your tree most likely will be covered with flowers (assuming you followed fertilizer program). Let it go through the blooming stage and setting fruit; prune in Fall after fruiting is over.
7. Keep number of fruit to minimum for the first crop. Don't let the small tree exhaust itself. Keep just 2-3 fruit to develop. The next year, no need to control fruit quantity, the tree will develop as many as it can support.
P.S. If you got the tree from a mail-order, remember to establish it in a pot before planting in the ground; move gradually from shade to sun. Follow planting instructions.

Learn more about Sunshine Nutrition System - a Natural solution for your garden.

Date: 25 Nov 2019

Flavor of Feijoa Superfood

by Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: What exactly is Feijoa - Pineapple Guava? Does the fruit really taste like pineapple? I am curious to know if it is easy to grow.

A: Feijoa is certainly one of the easiest fruit trees to grow as it does not require much care. It is an attractive, evergreen tree or large shrub with dark green, oval, leathery leaves. It has an abundance of uses in the garden and produces lovely edible flowers and fruit! The fruit is eaten fresh, added to smoothies or fruit salad and is also commonly used to make delicious jams and wicked chutneys. Feijoa fruit go a long way in flavor.
This plant is drought tolerant and will grow in almost any soil type. It loves full sun or partial shade and is wind resistant. A lot of gardeners like to grow it as a wind barrier for this reason. It can easily be shaped into a dense, informal hedge or screen that needs very little pruning. Because of this density, it provides excellent shelter for all kinds of wildlife. Butterflies, birds, and butterflies will all love you for growing Feijoa!
Space the plant five feet apart to create a wind barrier hedge. Heat does no not bother it at all and it will also withstand temperatures to 10 degrees F.
The plant gets its names from the delicious perfume it emits. Some folks seem the fruit taste like pineapple, with a slight minty undertone. Others feel the flavor reminds them of juicy fruit gum! The texture is described as smooth and slightly gritty - almost like a pear, but firmer.
If you prefer to grow this plant as a tree rather than a large shrub, simply remove the lower branches up to one-third of the tree's height over a period of time. The Pineapple Guava can grow up to 15 feet wide and tall. They also do really well as a container plant on patios where you can truly enjoy the lovely fragrance of the fruit. It prefers rich, organic, well-drained soil and will need light fertilization every other month in most soils.

We recommend:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - Sugar booster
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster

Pretty, pink, edible flowers will wow you from May to June, followed in late summer or fall by the delicious and fragrant fruit. An interesting thing about this fruit is that you don't pick it. It falls to the ground when it is ripe. Or simply place something under your tree, like a tarp, and shake the tree. The ripe fruit will fall off. You can store the fruit in your refrigerator for up to a week. And remember! The fruit of the Feijoa is not only a very rich source of soluble dietary fiber, but also an excellent source of Vitamin C, and very rich in antioxidants. They are also low in calories. Each fruit only holds 55 calories.

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