Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 14 May 2025

NEW SHORT VIDEO:
Bordelon Banana - Red Leaves, Red Fruit, Real Wow!

Looking for a banana plant that turns heads and handles the cold? Meet Banana Bordelon - a stunning ornamental with bold red-striped leaves and towering height up to 15 feet. It's not just beautiful - it's tough too. Originally from Louisiana, Bordelon thrives in warm, humid gardens and can survive mild winters with a little protection. Best of all, it can flower and even produce fruit! If you want tropical drama with Southern grit, Bordelon is the banana you've been waiting for!

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Date: 6 May 2025

Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

☀️ Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

  • 🌼 Beauty without the hassle! Cassia occidentalis, commonly known as Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, or Privet Cassia, offers striking beauty and practical benefits, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance landscapes and herbal medicinal garden.
  • 🌼 From spring to fall, this medium-sized shrub showcases clusters of orange-yellow flowers that look like little yellow hummingbirds from the distance and attract butterflies and bees.​ The large, red-veined leaves add ornamental value even when not in bloom.​
  • 🌼 Coffee Senna thrives in full sun to partial shade and is drought- and cold-tolerant once established. ​Requires minimal care, making it ideal for gardeners seeking beauty without the hassle.​ Its spreading habit can provide a natural hedge or privacy screen.​
  • 🌼 Coffee Senna gets its common name from the resemblance of its seeds to coffee beans. The seeds are dark and oval-shaped, much like coffee beans. Despite the name, the seeds are not related to the actual coffee plant (Coffea arabica). The "Senna" part of its name refers to its botanical Senna genus, which includes various species traditionally used for medicinal purposes.
  • 🌼 Health Benefits of Coffee Senna



    Beyond its ornamental appeal, Coffee Senna has a history in traditional medicine:​

  • ✔️Digestive Aid: The seeds have mild laxative properties, aiding in constipation relief.​
  • ✔️Respiratory Support: Infusions of the root and dried flowers are used to treat gastrointestinal issues, colds, and flu .​
  • ✔️Skin Health: Poultices made from the roots and flowers are applied to treat skin disorders such as eczema .​
  • ✔️Nutritional Value: The seeds are rich in iron and other minerals, contributing to overall health .


🛒 Plant your own Coffee Senna

#Food_Forest #Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Remedies #Discover

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Date: 4 May 2025

Top irresistible vines for a hummingbird haven

Thunbergia mysorensis - Clock Vine

Thunbergia mysorensis - Clock Vine

Bignonia capreolata - Crossvine

Bignonia capreolata - Crossvine

Tecomaria capensis - Cape Honeysuckle

Tecomaria capensis - Cape Honeysuckle

Passiflora coccinea - Passion Flower

Passiflora coccinea - Passion Flower

Ipomoea - Prince Kuhio Vine

Ipomoea - Prince Kuhio Vine

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle

Antigonon leptopus - Mexican Coral Vine

Antigonon leptopus - Mexican Coral Vine

Pyrostegia venusta - Flame Vine

Pyrostegia venusta - Flame Vine

🕊 Top irresistible vines for a hummingbird haven. Part 2.



Full list of Hummingbird favorite vines for the previous post
⤴️

Antigonon leptopus - Mexican Coral Vine 📸
Aristolochia - Dutchman's Pipe
Bignonia capreolata - Crossvine 📸
Camptosema - Dwarf Red Jade Vine
Chonemorpha fragrans - Frangipani Vine
Clerodendrums - Bleeding Heart and others
Clitoria ternatea - Butterfly Pea
Combretum aubletii - Monkey Brush Vine
Dipladenia (Mandevilla)
Faradaya splendida - Glory Vine
Gmelina philippensis - Parrot's Beak
Hiptage benghalensis - Helicopter Flower
Ipomoea - Prince Kuhio Vine 📸
Lonicera - Honeysuckle 📸
Mansoa alliacea - Garlic Vine
Pandorea jasminoides - Pandora Vine
Passiflora - Passion Flower 📸
Petrea volubilis - Queen's Wreath
Pyrostegia venusta - Flame Vine 📸
Quisqualis indica - Rangoon Creeper
Senecio confusus - Mexican Flame Vine
Solandra - Butter Cup
Stephanotis floribunda - Bridal Bouquet
Tecomanthe dendrophylla - New Guinea Creeper vine
Tecomaria capensis - Cape Honeysuckle 📸
Thunbergia - Sky Vine, Clock Vine 📸
Turn Your Garden Into a Hummingbird Paradise!

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to

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Date: 17 May 2025

Why Hummingbird Tree?

Sesbania grandiflora (Hummingbird Tree)

Why Hummingbird Tree?

  • 🍥 Why is Sesbania grandiflora (Hummingbird Tree) so popular? Because it's as useful as it is beautiful. This small, fast-growing tree stands out with its striking, bird-shaped flowers and incredible versatility:
  • 🍥 Ornamental beauty: The large flowers (ivory-white or red) resemble little birds and bloom in abundance, creating a floral canopy from fall through summer.
  • 🍥 Edible flowers and leaves: Used in curries, salads, and even fried in batter. Tender leaves and green fruits are also eaten in Southeast Asian cuisine.
  • 🍥 Fast-growing, flood-tolerant: Great for reforestation, shade, or as a quick ornamental tree for wet or challenging areas.
  • 🍥 Medicinal: Every part of the plant is used: bark for fiber and medicine, flowers for food, wood for light construction, gum for fishing lines, and even as natural pest control.
  • 🍥 It's a food plant, a medicine cabinet, a garden centerpiece, and a support system for other plants - all in one tree. That's why gardeners, farmers, and chefs all love the Hummingbird Tree.


🛒 Get an edible Hummingbird Tree

📚 Learn more about Sesbanias:


Black flowered Sesbania
Hummingbird trss: you can eat the whole tree!

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Butterfly_Plants #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 16 May 2025

A man of value: Chin-Chin

Chin-Chin the Cat, with flowers

Chin-Chin the Cat, with flowers

🐱 A man of value: Chin-Chin



"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."
- Albert Einstein

🐈 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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