FEATURED BUTTERFLY PLANT:

Duranta variegata - Variegated Sky Flower

Variegated Sky Flower is grown for its summer flowers and ornamental fruit. This evergreen fast-growing shrub spreads and arches to 10 feet tall and wide and is great for live hedges and covering fences and corners. In the summer, cascading clusters of blue tubular flowers appear followed by wonderfully contrasting orange-yellow berries. This variegated form has creamy-yellow margins around the one inch long serrated leaves. In mild climates, this plant can be in flower nearly year round with flowers and fruit appearing at the same time. It does best in full sun with frequent deep watering and is hardy to about 20-25F. A good choice for espaliers, as a small tree or large bush; all forms benefit from frequent selective pruning. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies. Great for providing a color contrast in the landscape, and is especially well-suited as a bright-colored background or screening. Prune back in late winter to encourage a more compact shape and strong flush of fresh spring foliage. Requires moderate watering in a well-drained soil.

Check out this plant...

How to grow the biggest fruit on Earth...

Q: When I visited Thailand I bought this huge fruit at the market and the taste was amazing and unique! Now I see you have this Jackfruit tree for sale. I am excited to grow it but not sure if it will survive our winters. I live in Huston, TX. Also are there any special conditions required for successful fruiting?

A: Jackfruit indeed is one of the most fascinating tropical fruit. In spite of reputation being ultra tropical, the tree is not as cold sensitive as everyone believes. Mature trees can withstand light frost for a few hours without significant damage. The only thing, after cold snaps it may be not as profuse producer as in frost-free climates. Keeping Jackfruit in a pot is also an option in colder areas. The tree is quite unique not only about fruit but also about growth habit. The fruit is so large and heavy that the tree has a smart feature to produce only at the base of the trunk. This makes it possible to keep Jackfruit tree at very short height - 6-7 ft tall. We have many varieties of Jackfruit, and all of them can be grown in containers considering regular topping/pruning.

5 secrets of Jackfruit successful production:
1) Frost free temperatures (occasional cold spells are not critical if SUNSHINE-T cold protection booster is used)
2) Soil rich of organic matter (compost, manure, peat moss)
3) Moist soil and regular watering
4) Constant pruning and keeping under 7-10 ft
5) Regular application of fertilizer, microelements and SUNSHINE-Honey for better quality fruit.

Read more about Jackfruit tree
See video of the fruit
See

Taste of Mango

Mango harvest season is over, and now it's the time to plant young Mango trees for the next year season of flowering and fruiting. When choosing a mango tree, researching your location for proper growing conditions is relatively easy. But refining your decision-making process based on the taste of mango is both easy and fun (and filling)! However, since it is often difficult to find a convenient source for sampling a wide variety of mango fruits; we at Top Tropicals sat down and tasted a handful of varieties for you... Just another opinion on taste!

Pickering - Sweet, juicy, fiberless, with a hint of an apricot fragrance. (A universal favorite amongst the group.)

Nam Doc Mai - A slightly fibrous marmalade-like texture, with a sweet and floral flavor.

Cogshall - Very little fiber with a slightly tart and piney flavor.

Florigon - A mild, even flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart, and fiberless.

Mallika - A fiberless cantaloupe-like consistency. Slightly tart, with some semblance to non-acidic orange juice.

Valencia Pride - Slightly fibrous, with a tangy near citrus flavor.

Glenn - Very mild flavor, less sweet compared to other varieties, but very refreshing.

Read more about Mango varieties...

Featured Plant. Flacourtia indica - Governors plum

Flacourtia indica - Governors plum

Governors plum, Madagascar Plum, Batoko palm - is a tropical or subtropical small shrubby tree. It is cultivated in tropical regions as a hedge plant and for its deep red acid fruits resembling small plums. The fruits are about one inch wide and can be eaten fresh or made into preserves. They are sweet and sour, with a texture and flavor similar to a plum. Fruits mature after one to two months from flowering.
The tree is easy to grow, self-fertile and doesn't require much care, not fussy about soil and very forgiving if you forget to water it.
Seeds germinate readily, but it takes a while until the seedling is ready to be transplanted into a big pot or in the ground. If you plant them now, by spring you have a chance to get the little tree ready to go!

We have fresh seeds!

Multi-flowering Hoyas:
from Mark, the Garden Whiz

Q: A few months ago, i was given a Hoya vine. At the time, I was told to not cut-off the flowers but was never told why. However now that it IS flowering, they are so wonderful I would like to. Is there really a reason to not clip them off?

A: Actually, that was very good advise. Unlike most plants we encounter, hoyas develop perennial flower spikes. This means that each spike flowers more than just once! In other words, after the flowers on such a spike have gotten old and fall off, the knobby ended spike remains. Then, after a period of time, that same spike will develop another ring of flower buds. Depending on what kind of hoya it is, these perennial flower spikes may continue to periodically make more flowers for several years! And while the plant will continue to make more of these perennial spikes its whole life, the flowering display becomes better all the time as more and more spikes grow. (By the way, these are technically called "flowering spurs"). So every time a spur might be cut for ornamental purposes, it'll be one less place the vine can flower from in future years.

See our selection of Hoyas...