Date: 29 Nov 2023
What plants are good to order in Winter?
Photo above: Christmas time in Ukraine (left) and Florida (right)
Q: Are there any tropical plants that will do well if I order them in Winter? We just bought a house in New Jersey with a large sunroom, and I can't wait to fill it with tropical beauties! Should I wait until Spring, or do you have something for a Winter start?
A: This is indeed a very good question, as many tropical plant collectors grow their treasures outside the tropics. The short answer is - yes! You can start filling your tropical sunroom any time of the year, but some plants are easier to deal with in Winter than others. Below are some guidelines.
Winter bloomers today, left to right: Jatropha, Champaka, Brunfelsia, Calliandra, Leonotis.
1. Plants that prefer Winter shipping to avoid overheating stress:
- All plants with lush foliage such as Philodendrons, Medinilla
- Trees with fine feathery leaves such as Moringa, Jacaranda, Poinciana
- Some fruit trees sensitive to overheating during shipping: Papaya, Stawberry Tree, Starfruit (Carambola), Bilimbi.
2. Subtropical plants that are relatively cold hardy
- Fruit trees:
Loquats, Olives, Avocados, Tropical Cherries: Eugenia, Malpighia, Noni (more cold
hardy than you may think),
Canistel.
- Flowering trees: Champaka, Tabebuia.
- All Bananas
- see all relatively cold hardy
plants
3. Winter-dormant and/or deciduous plants: Adeniums, Plumerias, Gingers, Sugar Apple
, Peaches and
Plums, June Plum and Hog Plum.
See all deciduous/winter dormant plants.
4. Orchids, including Ground Orchids.
5. Winter flowers. Keep in mind that many tropical plants are
winter bloomers, and their flowering is most profuse in Winter months, so you
can enjoy the blooms right away:
Dombeya,
Thunbergia,
Gloxinia, Brunfelsia, Calliandra, Tibouchina, Barleria, Leonotis, Clerodendrums, Chinese Hat (Holmskioldia).
See all Winter bloomers.
Winter bloomers today, left to right: Clerodendrum minahasse, Variegated Malvaviscus Summer Snow, Kopsia fruticosa
6. Winter plant care. During Winter the daylight is shorter and temperatures are
cooler.
- Reduce watering
- Use only liquid amino-acid based fertilizer Sunshine Boosters (safe to use year around)
- Monitor insects.
7. Shipping in Winter. We ship year around. However, if it gets below freezing in your area, you may use FedEx Hold location, they are temperature controlled so you don't have to worry about a box being dropped off at your cold porch outside.
8. A note for mild climate residents. Most tropical plants can be planted in the ground year around. Some ultra-tropical tender species such Chocolate tree, Ylang Ylang, or small size Mango trees can be grown in pots until Spring and planted out once chances of cold spell are gone. Until then, they can be moved indoors for cold nights.
Think outside the box and bring tropical paradise indoors during the time when we need warmth the most! Tropical plants will brighten your short winter days and help you to have truly HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Date: 17 Nov 2023
Privacy Hedges with Benefits
What's the numero uno question we get bombarded with at Top Tropicals Nursery? Well, it's a real head-scratcher:
Q: "...Can you recommend me a flowering privacy hedge to spice up my yard's life? My current hedge is just a green wall and I'm tired of the monthly trim routine. I need something lively, fast-growing, and unusual if possible. No plain old ixora, please!.."
A: After over two decades of being the go-to advice-givers, we thought, "Why not spill the floral beans and share our tropical wisdom?" But where to begin? The jungle of flowering ornamentals is vast, and picking the perfect shrub is like finding the missing piece of a gardening puzzle. So, in our new column "Hedges with Benefits" we're dishing on those not-so-average shrubs that'll not only prettify your patch but also bring some serious practicality. Today's lineup is -
Top Ten Winners:
Fast growing flowering shrubs
Below is the top selection of spectacular flowering shrubs that can create a nice hedge or a natural screen within just a couple of seasons.
Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree.
Grows super fast to a very tall dense hedge, and starts flowering right away. Full sun, very easy, not
fussy about soil or water. Winter bloomer.
Calliandra surinamensis - Powderpuff.
Pretty pink powderpuffs almost year around! Easy to prune.
Dombeya x wallichii - Tropical Hydrangea.
You can see this beautiful bush right at Top Tropicals gate. Winter bloomer, large lush leaves and huge, pink hydrangea-like blooms. Very large and fast growing, likes water, tolerates shade.
Acalypha hispida - Cat tail, Chenille plant.
All time favorite, everblooming with red cat tails! Full sun. Easy to control.
Hibiscus variegated Snow Queen.
Popular landscape bush with unusual look, red flowers over snow white variegation, very showy! Responds well to
pruning. Full sun.
Leonotis leonurus - Lions Ears.
Winter bloomer, great for low hedges. Covered with bright orange curious flowers,
medium sized, easy to control at 3-4 ft. Full sun.
Plumbago auriculata Imperial Blue
One of the most popular Southern hedge plants, everblooming with bright blue flowers, tolerant to drought, heat, and poor soils. Can be maintained short or tall (2-6 ft).
Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower.
Great for shady spots, winter bloomer with dark green leaves and unusual sky-blue flowers. Can be trimmed if needed. Nice and dense.
Clerodendrum paniculatum - Pagoda Flower. Happy in the sun or shade, easy plant. Loves water.
Tibouchina lepidota - Ecuador Princess, Jules Dwarf.
Sun or shade, blooms on and off throughout the year. Beautiful Purple
Princess!
Date: 1 Jan 2022
Easy Sunday Morning Deals: Five Tropical Garden favorites for 2022
Saving on your favorite plants is Easy. Easy like Sunday Morning...
"...The ticking of the hands of your watch are telling you how time is passing away, never to return. Listen to it..."
Ryan Holiday, Daily Stoic
Tropical Colors for the New Year
This New Year, resolve to add color into your garden and into your life.
Today we feature five Tropical Garden favorites for 2022.
1. Bolivian Sunset
Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset. Low growing perennial that will always surprise you with a sudden burst of scarlet blooms in Fall-Winter.
2. Dwarf Tibouchina
Tibouchina lepidota - Jules Dwarf. So much purple for such a small compact plant! Relatively cold tolerant.
3. Tropical Hydrangea
Dombeya seminole - Tropical Rose Hydrangea. All time favorite that blooms for several months from Fall through Winter.
4. Cranberry Hibiscus
Hibiscus acetosella - African Cranberry Hibiscus. Super fast growing colorful shrub with beautiful flowers and edible leaves.
5. Burgundy Thread
Alternanthera dentata - Red Thread Burgundy. Ultimate fast growing groundcover for sun or shade, any soil and any water, any size of garden, cold- and heat-tolerant.
The Easy New Year Deal expires at midnight Sunday,
January 2nd, 2022.
Enjoy your Hot Deal!
Date: 19 Dec 2025
13 festive shrubs with bright flowers that bring color to your Winter Garden when everything else is dormant
13 festive shrubs for Winter Garden
💐 13 festive shrubs with bright flowers that bring color to your Winter Garden when everything else is dormant
Southern Living points to colorful berries as winter garden standbys. Tropical plants take it a step further, filling the cool season with real flowers, not just fruit. From vivid reds to electric blues, these plants prove winter does not have to be dull.
🌈 1. Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset
This plant waits for cool weather, then suddenly lights up the shade with fire-red blooms. Flowers appear almost overnight and continue through fall and winter. It rests in summer, returns in fall, spreads gently, and makes an easy, festive ground cover that is perfect for sharing.
👉 Learn more
🌈 2. Pereskia aculeata - Barbados gooseberry
An unusual vine that surprises in cool weather with delicate, star-shaped blooms followed by tasty fruit. It flowers steadily from fall through winter, adding light, airy color to fences and trellises when most vines are quiet.
👉 Learn more
🌈 3. Mansoa alliacea - garlic vine
Best known for its garlicky scent, this vine really shines in winter. Cooler temperatures bring clusters of lavender-purple flowers that brighten fences and trellises with very little effort.
👉 Learn more
🌈 4. Dombeya wallichii - tropical hydrangea
Large pink pompom blooms hang from bare branches in winter, creating a true holiday look. Lightly fragrant and impossible to miss, it brings hydrangea-style drama to the cool season.
👉 Learn more
🌈 5. Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - dwarf yesterday-today-tomorrow
Compact and cheerful, this shrub opens purple flowers that fade to lavender and white. The color shift makes it look like several plants blooming at once, perfect for pots or small garden spaces.
👉 Learn more
🌈 6. Clerodendrums
Long, cascading sprays of white flowers of Clerodendrum minahassae - fountain clerodendrum - spill from the plant during the cooler months. It brightens shaded areas and adds movement when the garden slows down. Most clerodendrums bloom through Winter!
👉 Learn more
🌈 7. Tibouchina multiflora - glory bush
Soft, fuzzy purple blooms cover this shrub in winter, backed by velvety leaves that look good year-round. It adds strong color and texture during the cool season.
👉 Learn more
🌈 8. Holmskioldia sanguinea - Chinese hat
Bright red, orange or yellow, hat-shaped bracts surround small flowers and hold their color through the cool months. The shape alone makes this shrub a standout in winter.
👉 Learn more
🌈 9. Barleria cristata - Philippine violet
This tough shrub blooms heavily in winter with rich purple flowers. It delivers dependable color when many plants take a break. There is a golden variety too!
👉 Learn more
🌈 10. Eranthemum pulchellum - blue sage, lead flower
Few plants offer true blue in winter. Electric-blue flower spikes appear in cool weather, adding rare color with minimal care.
👉 Learn more
🌈 11. Petrea volubilis - queen's wreath
In winter, this woody vine erupts into cascading sprays of lavender star-shaped flowers. It creates a wisteria-like effect right when the garden needs it most.
👉 Learn more
🌈 12. Tabebuia varieties - dwarf golden and dwarf pink
These trees save their show for winter, blooming on bare branches. Golden forms glow yellow, while pink varieties cover themselves in soft trumpet-shaped flowers.
👉 Learn more
🌈 13. Bauhinia trees - pink butterfly and Hong Kong orchid trees
Butterfly-shaped blooms open on leafless branches, giving bauhinias their signature winter elegance. The Hong Kong orchid tree stands out with especially large, vivid flowers.
🛒 Explore Winter bloomers
📚 Learn more:
- 8 best flowering trees that will bloom for you in Winter
- Ten shrubs you need to have for winter colors
- Cassia vs Bauhinia: which is better as an everblooming container tree?
#Hedges_with_benefits #Discover
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 24 Feb 2026
5 Heart-Shaped Plants Every Gardener Needs This Spring
Aristolochia " The "alien" flower that hosts rare butterflies.
Dombeyaflowers on the bush
Hoya kerrii Sweetheart Hoya
Philodendron leaves
Piper - edible leaves
❣️ Why heart-shaped?
Heart-shaped leaves instantly soften a garden. They feel welcoming, romantic, and just a little bit playful. But if you choose wisely, you will get much more than a cute leaf shape.
Before adding a plant to your collection, look beyond the foliage. Does it flower? Does it attract pollinators? Does it offer edible or fragrant benefits? The right heart-shaped plant can bring beauty, fragrance, butterflies - even flavor - to your landscape all year long.
Here are five plants that truly give your home a little love.
💚 1. Aristolochias - bold leaves and wild flowers
If you want a conversation starter, Aristolochia is the answer. These vines don't just offer bold, oversized heart foliage and produce "alien-looking" blooms that defy garden norms.
· Garden Hack: Use it to create "living shade" on hot west-facing walls to naturally cool your home.
- · Extra benefits: Many species are host plants for Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies, making them essential for pollinator gardens. They grow fast, create dense shade, and can cool down hot garden walls during summer. 👉Explore Aristolochias
💚 2. Dombeyas - winter flowers when little else blooms
Dombeyas bring heart-shaped foliage together with spectacular winter blooms. Their large clusters of pink flowers resemble hydrangeas and appear when many other plants are resting.
Extra benefits: They bloom in the cooler months, feeding bees when nectar sources are limited. These fast-growing shrubs create privacy quickly and fill the air with a light, sweet fragrance during flowering season. 👉Explore Dombeya
💚 3. Hoya kerrii - the living Valentine
Often sold as a single heart-shaped leaf in a pot, Hoya kerrii is known as the Sweetheart plant. But when mature, it becomes a climbing or trailing vine with thick, succulent foliage.
Extra benefits: It is extremely low maintenance, tolerates dry indoor air, and can live for many years. When happy, it produces clusters of star-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers. It is compact enough for desks and shelves, yet long-lived enough to become a true keepsake plant. 👉Explore Heart Hoya
💚 4. Philodendron - classic hearts, endless varieties
If you picture a heart-shaped leaf, you are probably imagining a Philodendron. From deep green to bright chartreuse like Golden Goddess, there is a variety for every style.
Extra benefits: Philodendrons adapt easily to indoor or outdoor growing in warm climates. They help improve indoor air quality, tolerate lower light, and require minimal care. In the garden, they thrive in shade and add a lush tropical feel without demanding constant attention. 👉Explore Philodendrons
💚 5. Piper - beautiful and edible
Many Piper species have attractive heart-shaped leaves, but they offer more than good looks. Some are edible and culturally significant.
Extra benefits: Piper betle and Piper sarmentosum leaves are used fresh in Southeast Asian cuisine, while Piper nigrum gives you real black pepper from your own vine. These plants grow well in warm, humid climates, thrive in partial shade, and combine ornamental appeal with practical harvest. 👉Explore Pipers
💚 Ready to add some 'love' to your landscape?
Heart-shaped foliage is charming, but the real value comes from what these plants give back - flowers in winter, butterflies in spring, edible leaves in summer, or easy indoor greenery all year.
Choose plants that not only look lovely but also work hard in your garden. That way, your landscape is not just pretty - it is alive, useful, and full of personality.
🛒 Discover tropical plants with benefits
📚 Learn more:
- · How to bring butterflies in your garden with Ditchmans Pipe
- · Five steps to everblooming Rose Hydrangea
- · The best Valentine’s Day gift that actually lasts - Sweetheart Hoya
- · The Marble Queen philodendron that thrives on neglect
- · How to grow your own Pepper plants. Five most valuable 'Pipers'.
#Container_Garden #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals