Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date: 19 Dec 2016
Update on SUNSHINE in a Bottle
Photos of our experiments. These tomato seedlings potted 4 weeks ago, and batch on the right treated with standard recommended dose of SUNSHINEâ„¢ twice (within one week period). They are setting buds and flowers, while untreated plants (batch on the left) have much slower growth rate and are still far from flowering.
See TTLaboratories website and order SUNSHINE boosters.
Date: 24 Oct 2016
Overwintering Adeniums outside of tropics
Q: We bought several adenium plants from you. We are moving to the Denver area of Colorado. How can we make sure the plants survive? Should we use a green house?
A: Adeniums are perfect container plants, and house plants. They can be easily grown outside of tropical climate. During winter, Adeniums drop leaves and go into dormancy which makes it easy to keep these plants in a dormant stage in a warm location of your house, or possibly even in well-lit spot of garage (with a window), with temperatures above 50-60F.
Here in South Florida, during time of cold, when chances of freeze are high, we move our own Adenium collection into lanai, with plastic sheet protection around lanai.
In colder climates, Adeniums can be kept indoors as house plants during winter. There are some requirements/tips for you:
Date: 17 Sep 2025
Mulberry Care and Growing Tips
Mulberries are tough, low-maintenance fruit trees that adapt to many conditions.
One to two years, sometimes the very first season.
USDA zones 5–10, from -20F winters to hot summers.
Standard trees 20–30 ft; dwarfs 6–10 ft in pots.
No, they are self-pollinating.
Sweet and juicy, like a blend of blackberry and raspberry.
Everbearing types ripen gradually from summer into fall.
Yes, but trees are so productive there’s plenty to share.
Dark-fruited varieties can stain; white mulberries do not.
Yes, dwarf types (Dwarf Everbearing, Issai) fruit well in pots.
Many live for decades; Illinois Everbearing can endure for generations.
Mulberries are low-glycemic, support healthy blood sugar, improve heart health, and are rich in antioxidants.
Date: 18 Feb 2026
By Tatiana Anderson, Horticulture Expert at Top Tropicals
One of the reasons Jasmine Sambac is so fascinating is that it does not come in just one form. Each variety has its own personality.
If you want a compact patio plant, Arabian Nights or Little Duke are excellent choices. They stay tidy, bloom generously, and are easy to manage in containers.
If you prefer elegant, elongated petals and a refined look, Belle of India is a favorite. It can be grown as a small bush or trained lightly as a vine.
For those who love full, carnation-like double flowers, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Grand Duke Supreme are classic selections. They are vigorous and make impressive shrubs in warm climates.
If you need a stronger climber for fences or hedges, Maid of Orleans performs beautifully in full sun while Mysore Mulli prefers semi-shade.
Collectors often enjoy rare forms like Mali Chat or newer hybrids such as Gundu Malli, which combine traits from different lines.
How to Grow Jasmine Sambac SuccessfullySambac is not difficult, but it responds best to consistency.
Light: Full sun produces the most flowers. In very hot climates, light afternoon shade is acceptable. Indoors, place it in the brightest window available.
Soil: Use a well-draining potting mix such as Sunshine Abundance. Sambac does not like heavy, constantly wet soil.
Water: Water thoroughly, then allow the top layer to dry slightly before watering again. Reduce watering during cooler months.
Pruning: Light trimming after a bloom cycle encourages branching. More branches mean more flower buds.
Feeding: Sambac is a heavy bloomer, and fragrance takes energy. During active growth, feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer that supports flowering such as Green Magic (controlled release every 6 months) or liquid Sunshine Boosters Pikake (formulated especially for fragrant flowers) - with every watering. I prefer formulas slightly higher in potassium to encourage stronger bud formation and richer bloom cycles. Consistent feeding during warm months makes a visible difference in both flower count and intensity of scent.
With proper care, Jasmine Sambac will reward you not just with flowers, but with perfume that changes the atmosphere of your entire garden.
Celebrate 2026 with the fragrance of Jasmine plants. For a limited time, enjoy special savings when you grow one of the most wanted perfume plants in cultivation.
Date: 25 Feb 2024
Photo above: Avocado Joey - very buttery fruit, cold hardy variety.
Q: I bought an anise leaf-scented avocado from you, and it is finally quite large and doing great. I live in California, the coldest temperatures we seem to get in some winters is around 25 to 28F, and it never lasts long. The tree might get a bit of frost nipping on the new growth, but it has done very well. It has flowered profusely for the last two years but hasn't set any fruit. What variety you might recommend to help with pollinating?
A: We are glad your avocado is doing great. Anise is one of our favorite varieties, with the wonderful smell of leaves and tasty fruit.
It is true that cold damage may affect avocado production, especially in setting fruit. To improve the tree's cold hardiness, make sure to provide balanced plant food, especially during the season of active growth. For our avocado trees, we use Sunshine C-Cibus year-round.
If you prefer to use dry (granulated, slow-release) fertilizers, make sure they contain micronutrients, or apply Sunshine Superfood microelement complex once a month.
To improve flower quality (including the ability to set fruit), we recommend a special micronutrient supplement called Sunshine Honey. It contains Boron and Molybdenum - elements that are responsible for setting fruit and for developing fruit (meaning not dropping at the early stage of development).
In general, every avocado tree is self-fertile, meaning it can produce some fruit with its own pollen and doesn't necessarily require a second tree for pollination. So even if you don't do anything, sooner or later your tree will set fruit. However, it is also true that the amount of fruit and crop reliability depends on pollination factors. One type of avocado classification is by flowering and pollination behavior - type A or B.
When both types of trees are grown in proximity to each other, their overlapping flowering patterns significantly enhance the chances of cross-pollination. This can lead to improved fruit set and higher yield, making it especially important for commercial production and, to a lesser extent, for home growers.
Therefore, it's advisable to plant different varieties of avocado in your garden - the more, the merrier! The greater the diversity of avocado trees with overlapping flowering periods, the better your crop is likely to be. If you're growing an avocado tree without other avocados nearby, it becomes helpful to have more than one tree with different flowering patterns (A and B) to increase yield in your garden.
Anise Avocado is type B. So to increase your crop, you may consider planting type A variety from the list: Bernecker, Black Prince, Catalina, Choquette, Day, Donnie, Fantastic, Florida Hass, Lila, Loretta, Lula, Mexicola, Mexicola Grande, Red Russell, Reed, Russell, Simmonds, Ulala , Waldin .
To learn more about avocado types, fruit characteristics, cold hardiness and much more, refer to our Avocado Variety Guide - a page with very convenient interactive chart allowing you to quickly sort types of avocado by requirements of your choice (just click on column header to sort data). You may also buy a Book or download a PDF.
Photo above: 15 gal Avocado trees for local pick up. Delivery and installation available!