Date: 27 Jan 2026
🌸 Adenium, Coffee, and Donuts
Sunshine: So it is a team plant. Everyone blooms, nobody agrees.
Smokey: Yet it grows just fine.
Sunshine: That is the secret. Coffee and donuts.
🌸Featured Adeniums
Recommended by our Horticulturist, Tatiana Anderson
Deep magenta flowers with a velvety look and a darker, almost black edge. A bold, elegant adenium that stands out immediately.
Bright yellow and mauve swirls across layered petals create a warm, cheerful bloom that lives up to its name.
Clean white petals brushed with playful pink streaks. A reliable bloomer
with soft ruffled flowers.
Known for its three-color effect, shifting from yellow to pink to nearly white on the same plant.
Cheerful yellow petals dipped in cherry red with bold ruffled layers. Bright, playful, and impossible to miss.
Nearly black petals with a glowing red center. Dark, dramatic, and different.
Date: 20 Jan 2026
Smokey and Sunshine
Smokey: Yes.
Sunshine: Another article?
Smokey: No.
Sunshine: Advice?
Smokey: Also no.
Sunshine: Just plants?
Smokey: Just plants. New arrivals and top picks by our horticulturist
Sunshine: Perfect. I just enjoy the plants and coffee. Hope everyone reading does too.
Date: 15 Jan 2026
When the Black Bat Lily decides to bloom
Every so often a plant blooms and the whole greenhouse seems to slow down.
That is what happened this week with the Black Bat Lily, Tacca chantrieri. We have grown Taccas for years, but when the black ones open properly, it still feels special. The flowers are dark and quiet, almost unreal up close. They do not shout for attention. They make you lean in.
Right now, we have a lot of them blooming at the same time. If you have never seen one in person, photos only get you part of the way there. The wings are darker than you expect, and the whiskers seem to go on forever. People walk into the greenhouse, stop, stare, and usually ask the same question: "Is that real?" - Yes. It is.
A quick honest note, because this matters. The blooms themselves are delicate and may not travel well. That is just the nature of this plant. The plants, however, are strong, well established. With the right conditions, they bloom again. This is not a one-time trick.
Black Tacca is not a beginner houseplant, but it is also not impossible. It likes filtered light, steady warmth, and humidity. It does especially well in a greenhouse or a bright indoor spot where you already keep plants that enjoy moisture. It is the kind of plant you keep close, not one you forget in the corner.
We are offering them now simply because they are ready and looking their best. If you have been waiting for one, this is a good moment.
You can see the Black Bat Lily here: https://toptropicals.com/store/item/2345.htm
Just wanted to share something we are enjoying in the greenhouse right now. Some plants come and go. Some stay with you.
Tacca (Bat Lily) FAQ
What is Tacca?
Tacca, also known as Bat Lily or Devil Flower, is a tropical plant grown for its unusual bat-shaped flowers with long whisker-like filaments. The most popular species is Tacca chantrieri, the Black Bat Lily.
Is Tacca hard to grow?
Tacca is not a beginner plant, but it is not impossible. It does best with warmth, humidity, and filtered light. Gardeners who already grow orchids, calatheas, or other humidity-loving plants usually do well with Tacca.
Does Tacca need a greenhouse?
A greenhouse is ideal, but not required. Tacca can be grown indoors in a bright spot with indirect light and good humidity, such as near a humidifier or in a bright bathroom with a window or skylight.
Will my Tacca arrive in bloom?
Plants may be blooming in the greenhouse, but flowers are often removed before shipping because they are delicate and do not travel well. The plants are well established and capable of blooming again with proper care.
How often does Tacca bloom?
Tacca does not bloom constantly. It may take time to establish before flowering, but once settled, it can bloom seasonally and may produce multiple flowers in warm, humid conditions.
Does Tacca grow from a bulb?
Tacca grows from a rhizome, not a bulb. The rhizome stores energy and allows the plant to regrow and bloom again.
Why does Tacca have long whiskers?
The long filaments are thought to help attract pollinators such as flies by mimicking the look of decaying organic matter. While unusual, this is part of the plant's natural pollination strategy.
✍️ More about growing Tacca🛒 Get your own Tacca plant
🎥Watch our videos about Tacca
Date: 15 Jan 2026
Sunshine: I understand. I get emotionally attached very fast too. Mostly to coffee.
Date: 5 Jan 2026
☘️ What plants are easy to ship in Winter?
Ordering plants in winter is often easier than people expect - and for many plants, it is actually better. Lush foliage plants like philodendrons and medinilla, fine-leaved trees such as moringa, jacaranda, and poinciana, and even sensitive fruit trees like papaya, jackfruit or starfruit ship more safely in cool weather without overheating stress.
Winter is also ideal for subtropical and cold-tolerant plants, dormant or deciduous plants like plumeria and adenium, orchids - including ground orchids and vanilla orchids, and winter bloomers that flower their best right now. Winter care is simple: water less, use gentle liquid amino-acid fertilizers like Sunshine Boosters, and monitor insects.
In mild climates, many tropicals can be planted anytime, while extra-tender plants can stay potted until spring. Winter is a perfect time to bring tropical warmth indoors and enjoy greenery when you need it most.
🌿Learn more: easy plants for Winter shipping