Date: 1 May 2025
🌸 Plumeria Power: The Signature Scent of the Tropics
Q: What is the most fragrant variety of Plumeria? Are some colors more fragrant than others? How do you keep Plumeria blooming?
A: From Kristi, TopTropicals Flower Expert: At Top Tropicals, we used to think yellow Plumeria was the most fragrant. That was until we discovered multi-colored hybrids and stunning "rainbow" varieties! These rare beauties are prized not just for their sweet, strong fragrance but also for their dazzling mix of tropical colors.
We just received new arrivals of stunning new Plumeria varieties - but quantities are limited, so don't wait! Choose your favorite colors and bring home the irresistible scent of the tropics.
Plumerias are famous for their rich colors and unforgettable fragrance. With just a few simple steps, you can grow your own blooming tree and enjoy flowers just like in the pictures.
5 simple rules how to grow a fragrant Plumeria
1. Use well-drained soil. Choose a potting mix rich in perlite, bark, and coconut fiber. We recommend Sunshine Abundance professional soil mix for best results.
2. Choose the right container. Use a pot just slightly larger than the root ball to prevent water-logging. Plumeria prefers dry conditions - water only when the soil is slightly dry.
3. Give it full sun. Plumeria needs plenty of light to bloom. If grown indoors, place it in the brightest spot and bring it outside for sunbathing whenever possible.
4. Let it rest in winter. Plumeria drops its leaves and goes dormant during the cooler months. When this happens, reduce watering to a minimum and let the plant rest until new growth begins.
5. Feed it to bloom. Plumeria is a heavy feeder and needs fertilizer to flower well. Use a plant food high in phosphorus, like Sunsine Megaflor Bloom Booster liquid fertilizer. It's safe to use with every watering, all year round.
New Video of Exotic Plumeria Hybrids
Check out different varieties of Plumerias in full bloom. Just look at these colors in this short video !
Date: 24 Jun 2018
Date: 31 Jul 2025
Anthurium Collector Set
These aren't your typical tropicals - they're collector-grade Anthuriums grown for foliage and texture. Each one brings something different, but they all thrive in the same kind of setting: shade or filtered light, warmth, and humidity. Perfect for growing in containers indoors or out.
Anthurium Black Dragon
This is the most dramatic of the trio. Upright, leathery leaves shift from dark green to nearly black depending on light. Instead of bright flowers, it produces a dark brown spadix and glowing red berries. A hybrid not found in the wild, it's grown from seed - no two are exactly alike.
- Best for: Indoor focal plant, shaded patio, black ceramic pot
- Height: 2–4 ft in container
- Texture: Thick, architectural leaves
- Highlight: Color shifts with light intensity
Read more about Black Dragon Anthurium
Anthurium hookeri – Giant Bird's
Nest
This one's about scale. Broad, crinkled leaves with a cardboard-like texture form a bold rosette. It can get huge with time - up to 6 feet across. Perfect for gardeners who want the "instant jungle" look.
- Best for: Shaded garden, large pots on porches
- Height: Up to 5 ft; width even more
- Texture: Wrinkled and leathery
- Highlight: Bright red berries in maturity
Buy Giant Bird's Nest Anthurium
Read more about Giant Bird's Nest Anthurium
Anthurium vittariifolium – Long
Leaf Anthurium
Graceful and rare, this species sends out narrow strap-like leaves that can reach 5–6 ft long. Ideal for hanging baskets or mounting. Bonus: it produces small pink fruit against deep green foliage.
- Best for: Hanging displays, vertical planters, bright bathrooms
- Height: Leaf length, not upright height - up to 6 ft
- Texture: Smooth, ribbon-like
- Highlight: Cascading growth and color contrast
Read more about Long Leaf Anthurium
✅ How to Care for Anthuriums
- Light: Bright, indirect light is best. Avoid direct sun, especially mid-day. These plants evolved in rainforest understory - think "dappled light under trees."
- Water: Keep the soil lightly moist but not soggy. Let the top inch dry before watering. They hate wet feet.
- Humidity: These are tropicals - they'll do fine in 50-60% humidity, but thrive at 70%+. Use pebble trays or place near other plants. Bathrooms with windows work great.
- Soil: Use an airy mix: orchid bark + perlite + peat or coco coir. Drainage is key. Never use plain potting soil.
- Fertilizer: Feed with SUNSHINE Robusta every 2–4 weeks during warm seasons. It's formulated for aroids and won't burn roots.
- Potting: Use shallow, wide containers. Repot only every 2–3 years, or when roots crowd the pot. They don't like frequent disruption.
- Temperature: Ideal: 65–85 F. Short dips to the 30s F are tolerated by mature plants, but avoid cold drafts.
Date: 19 Jan 2026
You dont need to buy Gin any more!
Gin Berry, Glycosmis pentaphylla, Orangeberry, Limonia
🍸 Why the berries smell like gin?
The leaves and berries are packed with aromatic oils rich in citrus terpenes, similar to compounds found in juniper and citrus peel. That shared chemistry is what creates the gin-like fragrance. It smells clean, sharp, and refreshing - more aroma than sweetness.
🍸 A lesser-known citrus cousin
Gin Berry belongs to the Rutaceae family, the same plant family as oranges, lemons, limes, and Curry leaf. You can see it in the glossy leaves and smell it in the oils, but the growth habit is different. Instead of becoming a tree, Gin Berry stays a compact, evergreen shrub.
🍸 Edible, but fragrance-forward
The small berries are edible and lightly sweet-tart, though most people notice the aroma before the flavor. In parts of South and Southeast Asia, the fruit is eaten fresh, added to chutneys, or used to scent drinks and infusions. It is subtle and aromatic rather than juicy.
🍸 Traditional uses and health benefits
🔸Gin Berry has a long history in folk medicine, especially in in Hindu medicine.
- 🔸Leaves used in teas for digestion and fevers
- 🔸Roots traditionally used for inflammation and pain
- 🔸Modern studies note antimicrobial and antioxidant activity
🍸 Easy garden and container plant
- 🔸Evergreen shrub with shiny leaves
- 🔸Naturally compact and easy to prune
- 🔸Small white flowers with a light fragrance
- 🔸Clusters of decorative berries
- 🔸Excellent for pots, patios, and warm climates
- 🔸Attracts pollinators, and birds enjoy the berries.
🍸 Why Gin Berry stands out
Gin Berry sits right between ornamental and edible. It has the citrus-family fragrance people love, stays manageable in size, and offers a unique sensory experience that most gardeners have never seen - or smelled - before.
🛒 Add Gin Berry to your rare fruit collection
#Food_Forest #Fun_facts #Remedies
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 25 Jan 2026
How to grow Winter blooms without sun, indoors or out
Clerodendrum wallichiii - Bridal Veil
✨ How to grow Winter blooms without sun, indoors or out
- ⭐️ Clerodendrum wallichii - Bridal Veil, is one of those plants that quietly steals the show. It is a graceful shrub that drapes itself in long, hanging sprays of white, lightly fragrant flowers just when many gardens are slowing down. Around fall and into winter, it suddenly comes alive with cascading blooms that really do look like a veil.
- ⭐️ One of the things that makes Bridal Veil really special is that it blooms beautifully in bright shade, which is rare - not many flowering shrubs are happy without direct sun. Because it tolerates lower light so well and stays elegant in a container, it also makes a surprisingly great indoor plant in a bright room or sunroom.
- ⭐️ What you will love most is how elegant but easygoing it is. The plant grows upright with soft, arching branches, usually topping out around 6–7 feet, with narrow, pointed leaves that stay neat and refined. The green stems set it apart from some other clerodendrums, giving it a lighter, airier look even when it’s not in flower.
- ⭐️ Bridal Veil does best when you treat it gently. It likes bright light but not harsh afternoon sun, and it really appreciates protection from wind. Give it a spot with morning sun or bright shade, keep the soil evenly moist but well drained, and it rewards you without much fuss. It’s a great choice for containers, patios, or sheltered garden beds where you can enjoy the flowers up close.
- ⭐️ Another bonus - it blooms when you want it most. While many plants rest, Bridal Veil puts on its show from fall through spring, making it a favorite for winter-interest gardens in warm climates. Pollinators notice it too, especially when little else is blooming.
- ⭐️ If you like plants that feel a bit romantic, bloom off-season, and don’t need constant attention, this one earns its place fast. Bridal Veil is quiet, graceful, and unforgettable once you’ve grown it.
🛒 Start your Clerodendrum collection
📚 Learn more:
- 💋Clerodendrum wallichiii in Plant Encyclopedia
- 💋Collecting clerodendrums: big color, little effort
- 💋Clerodendrum schmitii and Clerodendrum wallichii
- 💋What is the difference between Clerodendrum schmitii and Clerodendrum wallichii?
#Shade_Garden #How_to #Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals