Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 5 May 2025

💝 Mother's Day Sale!

Happy  Mothers  Day  cat  with  kittens

Happy Mother's Day to all the plant lovers and their amazing, caring and hard-working moms! Mother is the only one who truly loves you unconditionally - show her your love back this Mothers Day Week - with our special sale. Bring a little more beauty and a smile into her (and your) garden. Celebrate the love and care that mothers bring, just like the nurturing nature of plants.

Don't miss out - use the code below for your 15% OFF Mother's Day discount!

MOTHERS25

Min order $150. Excluding S/H. Exp. 5-12-25

Reminder: use our FREE and DISCOUNTED SHIPPING for qualified orders


🎁 Mother's Day Gift Shopping
Gift Card with a 15% Bonus!

Valentines  gift  card

Searching for the ultimate Mother's Day gift? Look no further - a live plant never fails to brighten a day, and with a Top Tropicals Gift Card, she gets to choose her very own slice of paradise! Allow your mom to select the perfect plants for her garden or home - let her explore our wide selection of tropical plants and create her own green oasis this Mother's Day.

To get 15% bonus value: make sure to mention words Mother's Day in your gift card message.

What Makes It Special?

Bonus Value: For every gift card purchased, we add an extra 15% value at no additional cost. For instance, a $100 gift card transforms into $115 worth of plant magic!

Flexibility: No expiration date means your special someone can pick their dream greenery at their leisure.

Instant Delivery: The gift certificate is emailed directly to you - no hassle, no delays.

Gift Card has no expiration date.
Offer to purchase the card with the BONUS VALUE expires 5-12-25

Buy Mothers Day Gift Card with BONUS!

Date: 31 Oct 2018

Featured Plant. Flacourtia indica - Governors plum

TopTropicals.com

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!

Date: 20 Oct 2018

Butterfly Garden from Anna Banana

TopTropicals.com

Butterfly facts

1. There are approximately 20,000 different species of butterflies, the largest of which is the Queen Alexandra Birdwing with a wingspan of 11 inches.
2. Female butterflies can lay over 1000 eggs during their short lifetime.
3. Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants which usually hatch within a few days, then turning into caterpillars. The caterpillar will then eat until it sheds it's skin several times, called instars, finally emerging from the chrysalis as a beautiful butterfly.
4. Butterflies are born to breed, their goal being to mate and begin the cycle again. Most live only a few days except the Monarch which can live up to six months.
5. Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico every fall and remain there until spring when they make the return migration.
6. Due to the continuing destruction of the rain forests, where the largest population of butterflies are found, their numbers are dwindling. We encourage you to plant a butterfly garden!!

Remember:

- A sunny, less windy location is best, however, Zebras love to float in the shade of bushes and trees.
- The more host and nectar plants you have, the more butterflies will be attracted to your garden.
- Butterflies"puddle". They like a wet sandy area where they congregate and sip minerals and nutrients from the wet sand and water.
- Rocks to rest and enjoy their beautiful garden, and don't forget a bench or hammock for yourself.

FREE butterfly garden guide from Anna Banana

For our local Florida customers, it is a perfect time now to start a garden with plants for butterflies that will appear first thing in Spring. Establish these plants now for the Spring blooms that will attract the Beauty into your garden!
Stop by our Garden Center to check out our Butterfly Plants display, or simply call Anna Banana for a free consultation on Butterfly Garden at 239-771-8081.

Hurry up while butterfly plants are on 4-day sale!

TopTropicals.com

Date: 20 Aug 2018

6 things NOT to do in Summer planting

TopTropicals

Date: 20 Jul 2018

How to get shade quickly... and stay away from oaks

TopTropicals

Q: I just moved from Tennessee into a new house in Florida and there are no trees on the property, the yard is brutal hot. What can I plant so I have some shade real quick? I like Florida shady oaks, how long will they take to grow?

A: First of all, do not rush into oak solution. Oaks are beautiful shade trees, however they have at least 2 problems:
a) Oaks are slow growers and unless you are willing to wait some 20 years... you won't get that desirable shade that quickly.
b) We have hurricanes in Florida... sometimes. A hurricane can damage any tree, however with oaks it may be the worse case scenario - the branches of those giant trees are huge, hard and heavy and in unfortunate situation when you need to remove or trim a broken tree, it may cost you... a few thousand dollars.

These are solutions that are more economical and practical:

1) Selection. If you have room, get one of these most popular Florida shade trees: Royal Poinciana, Golden Shower, Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Red Kapok, Bottlebrush, and many others. See full list of fast growing shade trees. Or simply get a Mango Tree and have delicious fruit too! Many varieties of Mangos are very large and fast growing.

2) Do it right. Even if you are planting a smaller tree, 1-3 gal size, it may become a nice shade tree within 2-3 years and start providing your driveway with desirable shade. The keys for fast growth are -
a) Good soil. Dig as big hole as possible and fill it with good rich soil containing compost. See planting instructions PDF.
b) Water. Do not rely on sprinklers and rains. Water your tree daily for the first week, then at least twice a week for another month. After that, irrigation system will be enough.
c) Fertilizer. Put a few handfuls of fertilizer in a planting hole. Then fertilize once a month during warm season. Apply micro elements for even better results and faster growth.

3) Ask experts. Contact our office for advice. We will suggest the most suitable shade tree for your yard based on features of your property: location, soil, exposure, etc.

Check out fast growing shade trees