Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 30 May 2024

Attention grabber: swollen trunk, giant leaves, and flowers just like corals! A must for bonsai collection

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant flowers

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant flowers

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant leaves

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant leaves

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant caudex

Jatropha podagrica - Gout Plant caudex

Attention grabber: swollen trunk, giant leaves, and flowers just like corals! A must for bonsai collection.
  • ♥️ Jatropha podagrica: commonly known as the Gout Plant, this plant is a true attention grabber and a must-have in any container garden, as well as in succulent or bonsai plant collection.
  • ♥️ Features a distinctive bottle-like caudex and surprisingly large tropical leaves up to 10-12 inches in diameter. Just like you saw in Adeniums.
  • ♥️ Thrives in the shade, where its leaves grow even larger.
  • ♥️ Perfect for natural bonsai and makes an excellent potted plant or conversation piece in a small garden.
  • ♥️ Grows only 2-3 feet high, with a knobby, swollen stem and eye-catching, coral-like red flowers in large terminal clusters.
  • ♥️ Prefers partial sun and well-drained soil, and is very drought-tolerant.
  • ♥️ Easy to care for, adding exotic flair and intrigue to any plant collection.


🛒 Shop Gout plant

#Container_Garden #Nature_Wonders #Shade_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 16 Oct 2024

Do you love Hibiscus? This one is exceptional!

Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary

🌺 Do you love Hibiscus? This one is exceptional!

  • ❗️Looking for a show-stopper in your garden? Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary delivers with its rare, dramatic pendant flowers.
  • ❗️Picture a double layer of ruffled, vinous-red petals hanging gracefully, adding vibrant color to sunny or semi-shady spots - even seaside gardens!
  • ❗️This evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub can reach 5 to 10 feet tall with lovely arching branches, making it a true standout.
  • ❗️Thriving in USDA Zones 9-11, it's tough enough to handle moderate water, flooding, and needs well-draining soil.
  • ❗️Its crimson blooms peak in summer, bringing year-round beauty to any garden!
  • ❗️This is a large Hibiscus plant; however, it can be grown in container with some pruning.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:



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Shop Hibiscus plants

#Hedges_with_benefits

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Date: 23 Nov 2024

What plant can bloom profusely in full shade in Winter

Philippine violet (Barleria cristata)

⭐️ What plant can bloom profusely in full shade in Winter

  • 🍬 Philippine violet (Barleria cristata) - is a blooming star for a shade garden! It is a cheerful, fuss-free shrub that can brighten up shady spots with its trumpet-shaped flowers.
  • 🍬 Standing about 3-4 feet tall, it fits perfectly as a hedge or can be trimmed into neat shapes for a tidy look.
  • 🍬 Its flowers, in lovely shades of lilac purple, mauve, white, or even striped, burst into clusters from November to mid-December, adding a pop of color when many plants take a rest.
  • 🍬 Each flower lasts a couple of days, only to be replaced by fresh blooms from its many buds. The fallen petals create a gorgeous purple blanket around the plant, making it a visual treat even on the ground.
  • 🍬 This plant thrives in both sun and full shade! It doesn't ask for much - just a little pruning now and then to keep it bushy and happy.
  • 🍬 Add this eye candy to your shade garden, and let these Winter flowers steal the show!
  • 🍬 Philippine violet is also a perfect exotic plant for container culture or even an indoor collection.


🛒Shop Barleria varieties

#Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden

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Date: 23 May 2024

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

🗂 Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel



Follow these tags to find your interests:

#Butterfly_Plants - Butterfly attracting plants.

#Container_Garden - Plants suitable for container garden and indoor culture.

#Fertilizers - All the truth about fertilizers, plant food supplements, and our recommendations for different types of plants.

🥭 #Food_Forest - Fruit trees, Spice plants, and Edibles.
Including: #Avocado, #Mango, #Papaya, #Guava, #Jackfruit, #Loquat

📖 #Fun_Facts - interesting plant facts and legends.

🌳 #Hedges_with_benefits - Practical approach to your landscape and how to properly select showy and useful plants for your yard.

♍️ #Horoscope - Plant Horoscopes and Cat Horoscopes. Did you know that cats also have their Zodiac signs?

🛠 #How_to - Q&A about growing plants, tropical garden lifehacks.

👀 #Nature_Wonders - Unusual, amusing, outrageous, bizarre plants...

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#PeopleCats - our Favorite PeopleCats (and some PeopleDogs, too).

🌸 #Perfume_Plants - Fragrant plants and perfume trees.

✍️ #Quotes - Interesting quotes.

#Recipes - Exotic recipes for tropical fruit and edibles.

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#Remedies - Medicinal plants.

☁️ #Shade_Garden - Plants suitable for low light conditions.

🌼 #Tree
s - Spectacular flowering tropical trees.

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TopTropicals

Date: 14 Apr 2025

How to Plant a Perfume Hedge
And What Does a Champaka Tree Look Like?
Practical Growing Guide

Champaka  tree  in  landscape

Photo above: Magnolia champaka (Joy Perfume tree) in landscape. This tree was planted 3 years ago from a 7-gal pot. The tree is now 5 years old from seed and has been covered with flowers for two seasons in a row. Check out short video.

Q: How big does the Champaka tree grow, tall and wide? And what is the growth habit? I'm thinking of planting a perfume hedge along my property with several of these beautiful trees (8-10 trees). How far apart should I plant them and what container size should I start with? And how soon will they start blooming?

A: Magnolia champaka, or Joy Perfume tree is the most desirable perfume tree for Southern landscapes - and a Signature Plant of Top Tropicals! You can see several of these stunning trees around our B-Farm in Sebring, including the one right by the office front door.

The flowers are used to make the world's most expensive perfume, Joy - and they smell like fruity bubble gum... you won't be able to stop sticking your nose in this flower! The Joy Perfume Tree blooms on and off year-round.

The lemon-lime, light green leaves are lush, soft, and tropical-looking, with a unique and beautiful color.

The Champaka tree has a striking columnar shape and becomes very bushy and full when established - whether in a pot with a proper fertilizer program or in the ground. In Florida, mature trees can reach 20-25 ft tall, although in true tropical environments they may grow much taller. Check out short video of a mature tree. It doesn't get very wide, and if you are planning to plant several trees as a perfume hedge, you can space them as close as 10 ft apart. This tree - light green, fragrant, evergreen, fast-growing, bushy, and dense - makes the perfect perfume hedge!

Champaka trees begin flowering within 2-3 years from seed. Singing birds love this tree and often build nests in its bushy crown during spring. The tree is relatively cold-hardy and can withstand light freeze for short periods once established. Just make sure to provide regular watering.

We have beautiful Champaka trees in all sizes:

3 gal pot: 3-4 ft tall - ready to bloom within a year, can be shipped
7 gal pot: 5-6 ft tall - ready to bloom, can be shipped
15 gal pot: 7-8 ft tall - have already bloomed, pick up or delivery*
25 gal pot: 10 ft tall - have already bloomed, pick up or delivery*
* Free delivery for qualified orders - contact us for estimate

Plant Your Perfume Hedge Today!

Imagine walking along a path lined with Champaka trees - Joy -fragrant blossoms drifting through the air, lush green leaves swaying gently, and birds singing above. With just a few trees, you can create your own heavenly hedge of joy and fragrance. Let your garden bloom with elegance, beauty, and the world's most luxurious scent!

Champaka  flower