Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 31 Dec 2023

What to do with a Dragon fruit?

Cat  with  dragon  fruit

Q: What can you do with Dragon Fruit? I bought some from the grocery store, but they don't have much flavor.

A: Dragon fruit, or Pitaya, comes in many varieties that differ in flavor, sweetness, and texture. In the store they usually carry simple varieties that are easy to ship and store but have very little flavor. This is why we prefer grow our own Dragon Fruit, same way like we grow many varieties of Mango - to enjoy their excellent flavors that you can't find in a store. Our favorite is the Yellow Dragon Fruit that is not only the sweetest of all but also have the best flavor, with pineapple-mango hint. It is best enjoyed fresh out of hand.

Pitaya  Yellow  Dragon  Fruit,  Selenicereus  megalanthus  Equador  Golden

Yellow Dragon Fruit - Selenicereus megalanthus Equador Golden

Dragon Fruit Smoothie: simple and tasty recipe

Dragon fruit, regardless of variety, makes excellent smoothies. A perfect Dragon Fruit Smoothie can be made with a creamy blend of dragon fruit, mango, and banana. The tropical flavor is played up with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Dragon  fruit  pink  smoothie  with  lime,  mint,  mango  and  banana

Ingredients

Mix in a blender:
2 dragon fruit, peeled
1/2 cup of mango pulp

  1. banana
    1 cup of milk of your preference
  2. tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp Lime juce
Some Ice
-
Mint for decoration

Dragon  fruit  smoothie  ingredients:  lime,  mint,  mango  and  banana

Dragon fruit contains lots of of nutrients, most notably high vitamin C and iron. Its low calorie content helps give it superfood status because of high nutrient density. Try it today, even from the grocery store! Although these fruit can be quite costly. So, plant your own Dragon Fruit variety collection and enjoy an endless palette of deliciousness!

Shop Dragon Fruit varieties

Date: 24 Jan 2025

Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes

Mango Keitt (Mangifera indica)

Mango Keitt (Mangifera indica)

🏆 Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes.
# 1: Mango Tree.
  • 🥭 Mango trees (Mangifera indica) are a Florida garden essential, and if you own one, you're truly embracing the Sunshine State's spirit!
  • 🥭 Delicious, Nutritious Fruit: Known as the "King of Fruits," packed with vitamins and fiber.
  • 🥭 Fast-Growing & Low-Maintenance: Thrives with minimal water once established, and is heat-tolerant.
  • 🥭 Quick Fruit Production: Grafted trees produce right away and you can expect large crops in just 2-3 years.
  • 🥭 Cold Protection: Young trees need protection from frost, but mature trees handle cold better.
  • 🥭 Compact Varieties Available: Dwarf "condo" mangoes are perfect for containers and smaller spaces.
  • 🥭 Grafted Varieties for the Best Taste: When selecting a mango tree, be sure to choose a grafted variety for an immediate payoff of high-quality, fiberless fruit. Grafted trees will produce sweet and flavorful mangos right away, unlike seedling trees, which can take up to 7-8 years to bear fruit. Grafted mangoes are known for their rich taste, which you can find only in home gardens. Commercially grown mangos, while more durable for shipping, tend to be fibrous and less flavorful. Opting for a grafted variety ensures that you enjoy the full, vibrant sweetness of mangoes.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:
  • 🟡about #Mango trees
  • 🟡10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes


🛒 Shop Mango varieties

#Food_Forest #Mango

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 19 Jan 2025

Finally - the first image on Internet: rare ginger Borneo Pink (New Guinea)

Riedelia coralina - Coral Ginger Borneo Pink (New Guinea)

😱 Finally - the first image on Internet: rare ginger Borneo Pink (New Guinea)

  • ❤️ Riedelia coralina - Coral Ginger Borneo Pink (New Guinea)
  • ❤️ This super rare ginger finally bloomed for us! We grew this rare specimen from seeds form the collection of Mark Hooten, S. Florida horticulturist. The species close related to Burbidgea. Riedelia coralina is so rare that published information about this exact species is extremely hard to find. Most references to it appear in specialized collector circles rather than in widely available horticultural or botanical literature.
  • ❤️ We have only a few plants, ginger collectors, hurry up!
It is so rare you can't even find images on Internet. This will be the first one!

📚 Learn more about gingers from previous posts:

🛒 Get collectible Coral Ginger Borneo Pink

#Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 16 Jan 2026

The most asked-about tree in the Sunshine State: Bauhinia

Purple Orchid tree - Bauhinia purpurea

🌸 The most asked-about tree in the Sunshine State: Bauhinia

  • 🌸 If you visit Florida in winter, chances are you will notice a tree covered in orchid-like flowers and wonder what it is. That tree is often an orchid tree, most commonly Bauhinia purpurea. It is fast growing, wide spreading, and blooms from late winter through spring, sometimes with a second round in summer. The flowers range from magenta to lavender, are lightly fragrant, and stand out even from a distance. The leaves are just as distinctive - split into two halves like butterfly wings, which is why these trees are also called butterfly trees.
  • 🌸 Orchid trees are easygoing and practical. They thrive in full sun, tolerate many soil types as long as drainage is good, and need little water once established. Growth is quick, often 2–3 feet per year, making them excellent shade trees for hot climates. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and in some cultures the buds and blossoms are used in cooking, while the bark has a long history in folk remedies. Beautiful, useful, and low maintenance, orchid trees are a perfect fit for Southern landscapes.


🛒 Discover Bauhinias - Orchid trees

📚 Learn more:


#Trees

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 6 Jul 2024

How to eat ice cream every day without feeling guilty

Mango Orange Essence

How to eat ice cream every day without feeling guilty How to eat ice cream every day without feeling guilty

🍧 How to eat ice cream every day without feeling guilty



Mango season is here! If you own a big tree, this means - you probably need to eat a lot of fruit within a short period of time

Here is a tip: make an ice cream!
You can eat this healthy Gelato ice cream every day without feeling guilty.

🍦 All you need for mango Gelato:



🥭 Mango fruit
Ice
🌀 Blender
A shot of your favorite Rum

🍨 You're welcome. Enjoy!

🛒 Plant a Mango tree today to enjoy your Gelato tomorrow

#Recipes #Food_Forest

🏵 TopTropicals