Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 30 Mar 2025

BIG TREE SALE EXTENDED!

Spring is the perfect time to plant a tree - and last week's Big Tree Special was a huge hit! We had so many happy customers take advantage of the FREE DELIVERY offer that we're extending the sale for one more week. This gives everyone who wanted a large tree another chance to order, while we catch up on all the deliveries already in motion!

We've got BIG trees - ready-to-bloom, ready-to-fruit, ready-to-wow. No waiting years for results! Choose from Mango, Avocado, Champaka, and other top sellers in 7-gal, 15-gal, and 25-gal sizes. These are mature, developed trees that are ready to thrive in your yard now.

FREE DELIVERY on qualifying purchases! (See offer details below). Come visit us in Ft. Myers Garden Center or swing by the B-Farm in Sebring, Florida to check out our large tree selection. Our friendly team is here to help you pick the perfect trees and arrange easy delivery. Turn your yard into tropical paradise overnight!

Don't wait - we can only deliver so many trees per day!

FREE DELIVERY+
7 gal - $25 off regular price
15 gal - $75 off regular price
25 gal - $125 off regular price

For walk ins only. Min order $200 for free delivery to Lee, Collier, Highlands counties and more (check with our office). Exp. 4-6-25

Shop 15 -25 gal inventory

By planting a large size Mango or Avocado tree, you can enjoy the fruit the same year.

Shop 7 gal inventory

In the photo above: Champaka tree in home landscape has beautiful golden-green foliage and heavenly scented flowers.

Date: 5 Jan 2026

A tuxedo cat planting a small shrub in a tropical garden while a ginger
cat relaxes nearby with coffee and donuts, illustrating winter planting in
a warm
climate.

Sunshine: January might feel warm, but its still winter. Wool socks, scarf, hot coffee.
Smokey: You get warm when you work. Plant now so roots are established before spring growth starts.
Sunshine: Alright. Lets see who stays warmer - you digging or me with coffee.

🌴 Why winter planting works in a warm climate

By our plant expert Tatiana Anderson

We are lucky to live in a warm climate. This is how I think about the seasons here. Winter is for roots. Spring is for growth. Summer is for managing heat and water.

So if we want plants that handle summer better, we plant them in the season that gives them the best start. Winter here is comfortable. The soil stays workable. The days are mild. And plants are not being stressed by heat. That is exactly why winter is the best time to plant in Florida and other warm areas.

If we use this season well, plants go into spring already settled instead of trying to catch up. This is what I like to plant now, and why.

🟢 Trees first. Anything that will be in the ground for years. Fruit trees, shade trees, flowering trees. When we plant them in winter, they can focus on roots before the spring growth surge starts. By the time spring arrives, the tree is anchored and ready to grow on top.
Examples: mango, avocado, Eugenia cherries, jackfruit, sapodilla, longan, lychee, canistel.

🟢 Shrubs next. Shrubs establish faster than trees, but winter still gives them an advantage. They settle in quietly before the spring flush and bloom cycles begin. That usually means steadier growth and fewer problems once heat returns.
Examples: gardenia, jasmine, brunfelsia, hibiscus, clerodendrums.

🟢 Vines are often overlooked. Vines want to grow fast when spring starts. If the root system is not ready, you get weak growth and frustration. Planting vines in winter gives them time to build a foundation first, so spring growth has support.
Examples: Rangoon creeper, stephanotis, Petrea, Mexican Flame Vine.

🛒 Explore cold tolerant plants

Date: 11 Jan 2026

How to lose weight naturally with tropical fruit and plants

Fat orange cat on treadmill with tropical fruit that help lose weight naturally

🍑 How to lose weight naturally with tropical fruit and plants

🏃‍♀️ Losing weight isn’t about starving yourself - it’s about supporting your body with the right nutrients and keeping things balanced. Plants can help by boosting your metabolism, keeping you full longer, improving digestion, and regulating blood sugar. When you build a food forest with the right plants, you’re investing in long-term health that tastes good and feels good.

🏆 15 TOP TROPICAL plants and fruits that naturally help with weight management:

💚 Papaya – Contains enzymes like papain that aid digestion, and it’s high in water and fiber—great for feeling full.
💚 Mango – Supports fat metabolism and reduces inflammation. Its fiber helps regulate appetite and digestion.
💚 Avocado – Full of healthy fats and fiber, avocado helps you feel satisfied longer and supports steady energy levels.
💚 Banana – Rich in resistant starch (especially when underripe), bananas help support gut health and fat metabolism.
💚 Jackfruit – High in fiber and low in fat, this fruit keeps blood sugar steady and supports slow, sustained energy.
💚 Yerba Mate – A natural tea with gentle stimulant properties that may help reduce appetite and increase fat burn.
💚 Moringa – Known as a superfood, moringa helps regulate blood sugar and boosts metabolism with powerful nutrients.
💚 Galangal (Thai Ginger) – Supports digestion and contains compounds that may help increase fat burning, like regular ginger.
💚 Cinnamon – Can improve insulin sensitivity and help with sugar cravings, making it easier to stay on track.
💚 Insulin Ginger (Costus igneus) – Traditionally used to manage blood sugar, it also supports digestion and energy. Chewing the spiraled leaves or brewing them as tea is a natural way to get more from your garden.
💚 Dragon Fruit – Extremely high in fiber, dragon fruit supports healthy digestion and helps regulate metabolism, which can aid weight loss.
💚 Pomegranate – Used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to improve metabolism. Its antioxidant-rich juice supports fat burning and digestion.
💚 Tea Leaf Tree (Camellia sinensis) – The source of green, black, and white tea. These teas are linked to metabolism boost, heart health, and appetite regulation.
💚 Noni – A powerhouse fruit traditionally used for inflammation, immune health, blood sugar balance, and metabolism support. It may also help reduce fat accumulation and boost overall vitality.
💚 Canistel (Eggfruit, Pouteria campechiana) is a naturally sweet, nutrient-dense fruit that helps curb sugar cravings while keeping you full longer. Its rich fiber content and slow-digesting carbs make it a great choice for supporting weight management without reaching for processed snacks.

❗️When you grow these plants in your home garden or food forest, you're not just planting food - you’re planting tools for better health.
And bonus: gardening itself keeps you active and stress-free, which is another win for your waistline.

🛒 Explore tropical fruit and edibles

📚 Learn more about natural weight loss with plants:

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 20 Feb 2026

Florida freeze damage - what to replant after a record cold winter

Magnolia champaka new shoots

Scratch test on a bark

❄️ Florida freeze damage - what to replant after a record cold winter

🌱 A record freeze changed Florida gardens

🌱 First - do not rush to rip everything out

Scratch the bark lightly - green underneath means the branch is alive.

Wait for consistent warm weather - some plants re-sprout weeks or even months later.
Look for growth higher on the stem, not just at the base.

After freezes, many tropicals look worse than they are. Patience often saves money.

🌱 Why some plants survived and others did not

Duration of cold - 2 hours vs 8 hours makes a major difference

Microclimate - south-facing walls, wind protection, canopy cover
Plant maturity - established roots handle stress better
Pre-freeze health - overfertilized, soft growth freezes faster

This explains why two identical plants in the same yard can perform very differently.

🌱 What to replant for a frost-resilient garden

Cold-hardy fruit trees

Proven freeze survivors from this winter
Shrubs that tolerate brief dips below freezing
Layered planting for wind protection

Plant tender species closer to structures.
Use hardy trees as windbreaks.
Avoid low frost pockets.
Improve drainage - wet roots freeze faster.

You do not have to remove tropical character. You just have to plant smarter.

✍️ Check the list of freeze survivors:

What tropical plants survived Florida's historic freeze without protection

🌱 Rebuild with strategy, not emotion

Identify what truly died.

Learn which species survived locally.
Choose varieties proven in your climate zone.
Design with cold in mind.

One freeze can become a turning point. Many Florida gardens become stronger after a hard winter because the plant list gets refined.

🌱 Spring Equinox - a natural reset

The Spring equinox marks equal day and night and the astronomical start of spring. From this point forward, daylight increases and active growth accelerates.
For Florida gardeners, it is a natural reset.
New growth begins. Roots wake up. Replacement planting becomes safer.
This is the right time to rebuild.

🛒 Explore cold tolerant tropical plants and cold hardy Avocados