Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 19 Jun 2025

♥️ Best Mementos of Fathers Day Event

Father's  Day  Event  at  Top  Tropicals,  Cat  at  checkout

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Father's Day Plant Market! Your TopTropicals Team works hard in the field and is always happy to help with your garden needs, plant selection, delivery, and installation. Our friendly PeopleCats are always hard at work, guiding guests through the garden as they picked out the perfect plants to brighten their spaces.

See also on Facebook: Reels of the event and Video of Hand Pan Lady Performance at Top Tropicals 6-14-2025.

Father's  Day  Event  at  Top  Tropicals,  Happy  Customer

Hand  Pan  Lady  playing  music  at  Top  Tropicals  Fathers  Day  Plant  Market

Hand Pan Lady Performance at our Garden Center - see a short video of her wonderful music.

Date: 5 Feb 2019

Happy 2019 - Year of Earth Pig!

TopTropicals.com

2019 is the Year of the Earth Pig, according to the Chinese Calendar, and it just started February 5!
In 2019, the corresponding element is once again Earth, as it was in 2018. So what happens when you mix the Pig with the Earth Element?

An Earth Pig year combines a realistic but happy-go-lucky sociable pig combined with the steady and sensible characteristics of Earth, it combines the relaxed attitude of the animal with a very "down-to-earth" realistic climate, don't try to push too hard, this is a time to take things in stride. For the Pig, it was definitely all about the journey and not the destination! Because of the Pig's willingness to always help others out, it tends to bring good things to everyone around him. The Pig in Chinese culture represents wealth and prosperity.

2019 is a good year for giving your garden a fresh start, and especially for establishing new fruit trees that will bring you the enjoyment of deliciousness and... always healthy good food on the table!

2019 Super Fruit

TopTropicals.com

This year, to keep the Pig happy and helpful, every tropical gardener should get a Hog Plum - a fast-growing and easy to care rare fruit tree with delicious aromatic fruit. It will fruit for you this year!

For lucky Zodiac plants, see Plant Horoscope Page.

Date: 16 Jan 2019

Climate change is wiping out the Baobab, Africa's tree of life...

TopTropicals.com

According to The Guardian News and Media, Africa's "tree of life" may not have much longer left... These highly important species are threatened with extinction, due to climate change and human development. Some species may not survive the next century. While plants have generally adapted to extended droughts, climate change is different, and with the Anthropocene, we are already witnessing the loss of these impressive trees. Africa's largest, oldest inhabitants, that have played silent witness to numerous generations, are already paying a heavy price for the environmental crimes of foreign lands.
Baobab forms an integral part in people's livelihoods. In West Africa, it is also called the "palaver tree" because of its social functions: when there is a problem in the community, meeting under the Baobab tree with the chief or the tribesmen would be synonymous with trying to find a solution to that problem; it reinforces trust and respect among members of the community. Its extinction would not simply be an environmental tragedy...

Every tropical gardener should have a Baobab to help to save this amazing species for the planet!

Date: 17 Oct 2018

Dobi Duck @ Top Tropicals

TopTropicals.com

Introducing a new member of Top Tropicals Team: Duck Dobi. Full name is Adobe (Acrobat or Photoshop - he is both active and colorful perrrson).

A customer brought us this little guy who was lost on the street, probably left behind when his Mama took her babies across the road. (Why did the Duck have to cross the road after all?)
So Kristi adopted Dobi. He has been doing great for the last couple of days, decided that Kristi is his Mom so he is following her everywhere. TopTropicals cats are excited but staying away knowing better: don't mess with Mama Kristi!
Those of you who know little secrets how to raise little ducklings please drop us a line! Dobi is our first experience in raising something different than plants or cats!

Date: 12 Oct 2018

Portlandia - rich hot chocolate with vanilla

TopTropicals.com

From Mark, the Garden Whiz. Since working in the horticultural field for nearly 50 years, at either nurseries or botanical gardens both in Florida and southern California, I have come into contact with a LOT of very cool plants. So many of them in-fact, that it's becoming increasingly difficult to run across new ones that really make me take special notice. Since being at Top Tropicals for a while now, there are a few species I had not met before which really stand out. Among them are a couple of kinds of Portlandia. Continue reading...

See our selection of Portlandias...