Date: 21 Feb 2020
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Itembi - the Brave African Cat
by Onika Amell
"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with
strange cats".
Colonial American Proverb
This is a story of a Cat traveling across the World...
...I found Itembi, a tiny Calico kitten, in 2015 while I was hiking in the
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve while visiting Cape Town in my mother
country South Africa. The little kitty appeared out of nowhere, sitting in the
middle of the dusty path I was walking. It took me by surprise to see a kitty
there, as I was in the middle of the boonies, with no sign of life for many
miles around. She was skin and bones. My heart broke for the kitty. She was
sad-eyed and so incredibly frail. I went down on my hands and knees and extended
my hand. To my surprise she came over to me immediately and nestled her head
into my palm, purring and purring. It was love at first sight. There was
nothing else to do but to scoop her up and carry her back to my jeep to take her
home with me...
Check out Video: and more Cat of the Day stories.
Date: 6 Dec 2019
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Kevin Coconuts, brother of James Coconuts
Many of you know well James Coconuts who has been in charge of our Customer Service. Only recently James discovered a twin brother! Kevin Coconuts lives with Sue and Mark (our horticulturist) and helps Mark to grow all his exclusive rare plants. Here is Kevin's story told by Sue...
"...One fall day about a year ago we had a visit from a gangly little stray who seemed drawn to our home. We originally thought he was the kitty from across the street, as his markings are almost identical. We repeatedly shooed him off but the next day, there he was again. His unassuming, humble personality drew us in. Upon closer observation we could see he was a male, while the one across the street is female, so we realized he did not belong over there. He seemed to have nowhere else to go...
With his silly playful attitude, Kevin wormed his way into our hearts
and we decided to accept him as one of ours. Upon entering our house for the
first time, he seemed to know his way around, and within a couple hours he was
fast asleep on the couch. Our two other cats (Amun & Midnight) did not seem
perturbed, which is very unusual for CATS, as anyone with cats knows! We have
enjoyed Kevin's warm and comical demeanor and could not imagine life without him. He is a bright light that lifts the hearts of all who meet him!"
Check out and more Cat of the Day stories.
Date: 8 Aug 2019
Tabernaemontana africana - a bush or a tree?
Q: I received a Tabernaemontana africana, but it is not the compact cultivar, from the photo, this is definitely the tree version, not the compact version?
A: The plant in your picture is Tabernaemontana africana and it is a shrub version, not a tree. The
plants we have in stock are smaller size but very vigorous so they can be
trained into standards.
We have this plant in our garden in the ground (3 years old) and by now
it bushed out and remains under 4 ft without any pruning. Just keep in mind
this plant requires regular applications of micro-elements, because the
species is very susceptible to iron deficiency.
The supplement we use, in case you notice any leaf yellowing, is Sunshine-Superfood
Date: 8 Jun 2019
Chosing a good avocado tree
Q: I'm in coastal Broward County. I'm putting together an order on your web site, and one thing that I would like is an avocado tree. I'd like to have something as close to true "Hass" as possible. Which cultivar does well here in SE Florida, and is most like Hass in texture, creaminess, and flavor? I'm not a big fan of the yellow watery Florida avocados.
A: Mexican type of Avocado have dark skin and buttery texture,
while Florida green fruit types (West Indian type, with smooth skin), have lots
of delicious melting pulp, so it is a matter of preference.
In coastal Broward county you can grow a wide range of varieties since
your climate is very mild, so you don't have select cold-hardy varieties like
Winter Mexican, Brazos Belle or Joey, etc. Yet there are many interesting varieties that rare and much
more exclusive than Hass, with the same, or even better, quality buttery
fruit.
One of the most popular varieties - Brogdon, with red-purple colored pear-shaped fruit, very thin skin, and yellow buttery flesh. It is also very cold hardy.
Very interesting exotic avocado is Kampong - Sushi Avocado - see photo above. The flavor of this fruit very nice, oily, creamy, nutty, reminds of almonds. At the same time, it has solid consistency and if you cut a square it remains a shape of the square. It is the best Sushi Avocado! It tastes great as an appetizer when cut in squares with some shrimp cocktail sauce.
Three collectible varieties:
Anise - leaves that smell like Anise, very rare, the fruit is of excellent
quality, creamy and buttery.
Bacon - a large Mexican variety with dark-skinned medium-sized fruits, and
a rich creamy flavor. It has exceptional fruit that ripen in late fall and
into spring, they are easy to peel and have a light, subtle flavor. Another
outstanding feature of the Bacon avocado tree is its angelic sweeping branches
which helps keep the tree shorter and easier to pick its fruit.
Nishikawa is a very hot seller! Oval fruit somewhat resembles Hass, but
larger, and has very high oil content.
See all Avocado trees from our store
Recommended fertilizers:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
Date: 4 Jun 2019
Pretty in Pink... and Purple Prince for her!
By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist
Q: I have a bare spot in my front garden, behind a low wall, in part-sun. I'm hoping to find an evergreen, flowering ground cover that will cover it quickly. Any ideas on finding something with the ability to eventually also cascade over that wall? I live on Marco Island, Florida.
A: Barleria Repens - Small Bush Violet, is a tough, fast-growing evergreen
that blooms from late spring to autumn. Of the many Barleria we see in the
tropics, Pretty in Pink is one of the most striking! The name tells the whole
story: pretty and pink. A lot of gardeners enjoy using them as a ground
cover. They will quickly cover a large area - their stems root readily as the
plant crawls along. They are easily propagated by lifting the rooted runners or
using cuttings. They also reseed easily. Flowers are followed by seed pots
that explode open when dry, dispersing 4 seeds at a time! But perhaps best liked
by many gardeners, is their habit to cascade. It will be well suited for
covering the bare area in your garden and spilling over that wall beautifully.
When used as a ground cover, remember to pinch out young shoots to
encourage bushiness and prune the plant back hard after flowering to keep it
neat.
Barleria repens will also adapt to different situations in a garden if
you need them to. Although they usually form a rounded to spreading bushy
shrub, 2 ft high by 3 ft wide, they will climb when you give them support. They
are often allowed to lean into nearby trees and shrubs.
Hardy to 28F, Barleria repens is pest-free and fairly frost-tolerant.
They love sun and part shade, as well as well-drained soil and plenty of
organic material. Avoid planting it in deep shade as it will get leggy and
reluctant to flower.
They will thrive when fed with a slow release fertilizer at intervals
of 6-8 weeks, throughout the growing season.
There is another cultivar of this exact variety that has blue-purple flowers, it is called Purple Prince! It couples perfectly with Pretty in Pink! :)
See all Barlerias from our store
Recommended fertilizers:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food Flower Booster
Tropical Allure Smart-Release Booster