Date: 31 Dec 2023
What to do with a 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.
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.
Ingredients
Mix in a blender:
2 dragon fruit, peeled
1/2 cup of mango pulp
- banana
1 cup of milk of your preference - tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Lime juce
Some Ice
-
Mint for decoration
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!
Date: 24 Jan 2025
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!
📚 Learn more about gingers from previous posts:
- 💋The most spectacular variegated ginger
- 💋Ginger makes a natural shampoo
- 💋Our most favorite Ginger plant - African Princess
- 💋How Raspberry ginger became spiral
- 💋The most interesting edible gingers
- 💋5 most spectacular Gingers
- 💋French Kiss the Red Button Ginger
- 💋Kaempferia angustifolia - Laos Silver Stripe Peacock Ginger
- 💋The most fragrant ginger ever
- 💋Spice Up Your Garden with Variegated Ginger
🛒 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:
- Bauhinias - Orchid trees in Plant Encyclopedia
- Compact Bauhinias - everblooming container trees
- Cassia vs Bauhinia: which is better as an everblooming container tree?
- You won’t believe this red orchid tree exists!
- Rare Orchid Tree you may never find again and everyone wants
- Why gardeners love the Pink Butterfly Tree: blooms, shade, and zero fuss
- Napoleons Plume - Orchid Tree that blooms in a pot
- How to grow Orchid Trees in pots
- Bauhinias: trees with Orchid Flowers and Butterfly Wings
- Why Bauhinias are called Orchid Trees: orchid flowers with butterfly wings...
- Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree
- Bauhinia galpinii (punctata) - Pride of De Kaap or Nasturtium Bauhinia
#Trees
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 6 Jul 2024
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






