🐲 The taste you will never forget

If you only know dragon fruit from the grocery store, you probably think it looks pretty but tastes bland. That is because most commercial fruit is picked early, shipped far, and loses its sweetness. The truth? Homegrown dragon fruit is juicy, sweet, and full of flavor. The best of all is the yellow variety, Palora (Selenicereus megalanthus), a cactus fruit from Ecuador that bursts with tropical taste.

🌵 Pitaya or Dragon fruit – what is the difference?

Both names describe the same climbing cactus. In Latin America it is called Pitaya, while Asia and English speakers say Dragon fruit. There are three main kinds:

• Red skin, white flesh (Hylocereus undatus)
• Red skin, red flesh (Hylocereus costaricensis)
• Red skin, purple or pink flesh (Hylocereus x costaricensis hybrids)
• Yellow skin, white flesh (Selenicereus megalanthus)

Some hybrids give purple or magenta flesh. All are beautiful, all are easy to grow at home.

⚡️ Do red, white, and yellow taste different?

Yes. White types are mild and refreshing. Reds are sweeter and juicier. Yellows are the sweetest of all.

⚡️ Flowers from a fairy tale

Dragon fruit flowers are among the most spectacular in the plant world. They open at night, glowing under moonlight, with pale petals and a sweet fragrance. Each flower can be a foot wide. Seeing one bloom feels like stepping into another world.

⚡️ Top Dragon Fruit Health Benefits

• High in fiber for digestion and gut health
• Low in calories but full of vitamins
• Great for weight management
• Adds color and freshness to smoothies and salads

🍹 Dragon Fruit Smoothie recipe

Blend together:

• 2 dragon fruits, peeled
• 1/2 cup mango pulp
• 1 banana
• 1 cup milk of your choice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp lime juice
• Ice cubes to taste

Top with mint for a refreshing tropical treat.

Watch Dragon Fruit short videos:

Cold hardy tropical fruit trees for Luisiana

Q: I've just moved to Louisiana and have been wondering whether it would make sense to plant some tropical fruit trees in our garden. Average lows in New Orleans are 41 deg F in January and February, although we did hit 25 once with the Arctic vortex. I'm interested in litchi, longan, rambutans, and persimmons. Do you have varieties that can tolerate Louisiana's temperature range? I'd love mangosteen but I don't suppose they will survive. Do you have any suggestions on tropical fruit trees that I could try?

A: Average temperatures are for statistics only; it is actual temperatures that may hurt your cold sensitive plant. This is what you should keep in mind when starting your tropical fruit collection:
1) Ultra-tropical plants like Rambutan can not survive winters below 45-50F. However, they can be successfully grown in containers in a greenhouse or moved indoors into a sun room during cold periods.
2) Tropical plants like Litchi and Longan may take some light frost once established. Still, for areas with freeze our advice is - keep them in pots and move inside in case of cold.
3) There is a number of subtropical fruit trees that are hardy enough to take some freeze. Persimmon, Feijoa, Fig, Cattley Guava, Jujube, Kiwi, some Eugenias and others. Please refer to our Tropical Fruit Sensitivity Chart.
4) Remember that plant's ability to survive winter depends on several factors, not only temperature itself. Important factors are: wind protection (chill wind kills rather than low temperature itself), exposure, how close the tree is planted to the house, plant maturity and its overall strength and health. If a plant had received good nutrients during summer, has well established root system, planted in enclosed area protected from winds and has plenty of bright sunlight - it has better chances to survive than a weak plant in warmer conditions.
5) Use SUNSHINE plant boosters for improving cold tolerance of your tropical plant. It only takes a few drops, and only costs $5!

Flowering plant for a front yard

Q: I need your expertise. I had a plant in the front of my house that when I moved in (two years ago) wasn't doing well. It was infested with grasshoppers and snails. I treated it with a pesticide and fertilizer and it flourished. Had beautiful flowerings and was almost the size of the mulch area. Then the property management company hired some terrible grass cutters that I believed destroyed it. I would come home and find the red mulch and leaves from the plant all over the front lawn. And since then it has gone down hill. I am attaching a picture. As of now the larger of the remaining two trunks (out of six that were there) is falling over and it doesn't seem to be doing well. So I was wondering if you can recommend a nice plant that I can replace this one with. Nothing extravagant but nice enough to fill in that area. Also since I only lease here don't want to get to pricey either. Thanks for any advice and plants you have.

A: The plant you have is called Spider Lily. It is one of the easiest landscape plants that doesn't require much care and is great for low maintenance yards. In your case, besides possible damage from the grass cutter, looks like the plant is very old judging by the thick woody stem. It is not a bad idea to replace it with something more pretty rather than trying to baby it. Other suggestions for this location would be something easy and low maintenance, especially if you don't have reliable sprinkler system in that area of your yard and don't want to spend time hand-watering with a house:
Sweet mimosa - grows into very large bush, Pony tail, Dwarf poinciana, Powderpuff, Clusia, Devils backbone (smaller bush 3 ft tall), Cordyline, Ti leaf - these are very colorful.
There are more low maintenance plants you can chose from.
And always remember that traditional "landscapers" that only mow grass, may not be experts on plants. You may always call TopTropicals Garden Doctor and get professional help with keeping your plants healthy. We are always here to help your garden!