Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 6 Aug 2025

A banana with no bananas? Scarlet red flowers of Musa coccinea

Musa coccinea, Scarlet Banana

🔥 A banana with no bananas? Scarlet red flowers of Musa coccinea.

  • 💃 Musa coccinea, Scarlet Banana, is a small tropical plant from China and Vietnam that grows like a banana but doesn’t bother with fruit you can eat. Instead, it puts out tall, upright spikes of red bracts with yellow flowers tucked inside - like a torch made of petals.
  • 💃 Each stem flowers once and then fades, but new shoots keep popping up from the base, so the plant just keeps going. The leaves are classic banana style: big, dark green, and glossy.
  • 💃 You’ll see the flowers in summer, and they last a long time - bright, strange, and impossible to ignore. The plant stays compact, does well in pots, and even the fruit (small and orange) adds a weird touch. It's one of those plants that doesn't try to fit in.


🛒 For fans of strange plants

📚 Learn more:
#Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden #Bananas

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 24 Jul 2023

Easy, stress-free plants
for Summer planting

Cat  with  Bananas

Q: With the rising temperatures, I'm concerned about shipping my plants safely. Can they withstand the heat during transit? Also, is it okay to plant them in the ground now, or should I wait for cooler Fall weather?

A: Your concern about shipping plants in hot weather is valid. For sensitive plants, we'll delay shipping until conditions are more favorable in your area. However, there are plenty of heat-tolerant tropical plants that handle shipping well with minimal stress. These plants adapt easily when planted during the hot summer months. Simply follow the included planting instructions, gradually acclimate them to full sun, and they should thrive.

Certain flowering tropical plants, such as Allamandas, Calliandras, Caesalpinias, Adeniums, and Clerodendrums, are excellent options for shipping and establishing during the summer. Flowering vines like Jasmines also adapt well. Consider using Sunshine Booster fertilizers to promote robust growth, they are safe to use right after planting.

Additionally, many fruit trees flourish in heat. Mangoes, Avocados, Pomegranates, Pineapples, Loquats, Eugenias - Tropical cherries, Bananas, Jackfruits, Dragon Fruit, and Olive trees are great choices for summer planting. Noni trees are hardy survivors and usually ship and grow well during the summer, in spite of their lush tropical leaves.

Feel free to check with us about the specific plant you plan to order for its suitability in summer shipping. We're here to take care of your green babies and address your year-round planting needs!

Pitaya  Yellow  Dragon  Fruit,  Selenicereus  megalanthus

Pitaya, Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus

Cat  with  Bananas

Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans thrives and blooms in hot sun

Cat  with  Bananas

Kalanchoe synsepala Magnificent - Walking Cup Kalanchoe, spectacular plant, loves dry and hot conditions

Date: 2 Oct 2025

Blue Ice Cream banana youll never find in stores!

Blue Java Banana, Ice Cream Banana

🍌 Blue Ice Cream banana you’ll never find in stores!

  • 🔵 The Blue Java Banana, also known as the Ice Cream Banana, is the banana everyone wants - and for good reason.
  • 🔵 First of all… it's blue. Yes, really. When the fruit is unripe, it has a frosty blue-green tint - especially striking in the sun. These short, chunky bananas are only about 4 inches long and grow in beautiful bunches under mauve-colored flowers. The whole plant is a tropical showstopper.
  • 🔵But the real magic happens when the fruit ripens. The blue fades to yellow… and inside? Oh my God - it’s heaven! The texture is soft, smooth, and creamy. And the flavor? Like vanilla ice cream.
  • 🔵That’s how it got the name Ice Cream Banana. And this isn’t just a gimmick - it’s a cold-tolerant, vigorous variety that grows fast, reaches 10-15 feet tall, and produces heavy bunches (up to 60 pounds!) of sweet fruit that you can eat raw or cook with.
  • 🔵 Your store-bought bananas can’t compete with this. Add it to your edible landscape, food forest, or patio garden - this one is a must-have! Grab it while it’s in stock. Or if it’s sold out - hit that wishlist button.


🛒 Explore Banana Varieties

📚 Learn more:


#Food_Forest #Bananas

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Date: 12 Dec 2024

What to do when you have too many bananas: make Grilled Banana Boats recipe

What to do when you have too many bananas: make Grilled Banana Boats recipe

🍌 What to do when you have too many bananas: make Grilled Banana Boats recipe 🚣‍♂️



😘 Ingredients:


  • · 2 ripe bananas
  • · 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
  • · 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
  • · 2 tablespoons chopped nuts (e.g., pecans or almonds)
  • · Aluminum foil


🏄‍♂️ Instructions:


  • · Slice each banana lengthwise down the middle, but don’t cut all the way through - leave the peel intact to form a "boat."
  • · Gently open the banana and stuff with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and nuts.
  • · Wrap each banana in aluminum foil.
  • · Grill over medium heat (or bake in the oven at 375°F) for 10–12 minutes, until the banana is soft and the chocolate is melted.
  • · Carefully unwrap and serve warm, optionally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


👌 This fun dessert is easy to make and highlights banana's natural sweetness!

🛒 Shop Banana Trees

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 5 Apr 2025

Secret Banana Daiquiri Recipe:
Healthy Never Tasted So Good!

Banana  Daiquiri  Recipe

Q: What can I do with a lot of Bananas? All three trees I got from you last year produced lots of bananas and I can eat only so much. Any exotic recipes?

A: When we get lots of bananas (which happens every year!), we make banana bread or banana pudding for the whole team. But those are pretty common recipes. Try Banana Daiquiri!

Banana Daiquiri Recipe Ingredients:

1 ripe banana
2 ounces light rum

  1. tablespoon sugar
    1 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce triple sec (optional for added depth)
Ice cubes
Slice of lime or banana for garnish>

Instructions:

Prepare the Banana: Peel the banana and cut it into chunks.
Blend the Ingredients: In a blender, combine the banana chunks, light rum, sugar, lime juice, and triple sec. Add a handful of ice cubes. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a small amount of water or more lime juice to adjust the consistency.

Garnish and Serve:

Pour the mixture into a chilled glass. Garnish with a slice of lime on the rim of the glass or a small wheel of banana. Serve immediately and enjoy the refreshing tropical flavors!

This Banana Daiquiri is not only refreshing but also offers a creamy texture and a perfect balance of sweetness and citrus. It's a fantastic choice for hot days or when you're in the mood for something a bit exotic. Cheers!