Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 18 Feb 2025

Unlock Your Carefree Tropical Paradise:
Discover Our Useful Succulent Sale!

Red  plumeria  flower

Beautiful flowers and Edibles

It's no secret that everyone's dream plant is the one that requires little to no care yet still blesses us with the beauty of flowers or the bounty of fruits. Does such a plant exist? Some might say, "Sure, get a plastic one!" But the truth is, some tropical plants, which typically need a lot of water and nourishment, can thrive with minimal effort.

Dive into our Useful Succulent Sale, where you'll find plants like the enchanting Plumerias, the striking Adeniums (Desert Roses) and Starfish Flower, fragrant Epiphyllums (Queen of the night), delicious Dragon Fruits, and exotic Barbados Gooseberries that promise a low-maintenance slice of paradise. These hardy succulents need just sunshine, occasional watering, and a splash of our liquid Sunshine Boosters for flourishing flowers and fruits. Take advantage of our INSTANT 15% discount on all these splendid succulents - one week only!

Instant 15% discount to start your carefree tropical garden today!

No code required!

No min order. Exp. 2-25-25

Reminder: use our FREE and DISCOUNTED SHIPPING for qualified orders

Dragon  fruit  cat

Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya - a striking member of the cactus family known for its spectacular night-blooming flowers and vibrant fruit. This climbing cactus can stretch up to 30 feet, producing fruit with flesh in shades of white, red, or magenta. Rich in antioxidants, it offers health benefits such as reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. A staple in both traditional and modern cuisine, it's featured in products from major brands like Tropicana and Snapple. According to the legend the fruit was created thousands of years ago by fire breathing dragons.

Epiphyllum  oxypetalum  -  Queen  of  the  Night

Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night - exotic cactus from tropical rainforests with large, meaty leaves and spectacular, huge white flowers that bloom nocturnally, filling the night with their powerful fragrance. A truly mesmerizing addition to any Southern or indoor garden.

Stapelia  gigantea  -  Starfish  Flower

Starfish Flower (Stapelia gigantea), or Zulu Giant - Large, up to 12"wide flowers in shape of Star Fish. The plant looks like a cactus, but it's really not, belonging to Milkweed family. Makes a stunning container plant and a conversation piece!

Date: 5 Apr 2025

Go Bananas - up to 20% OFF Banana Trees!

Now through 4/15 - Limited Time Only!

Banana  varieties  collage

Banana Health Benefits

Bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition - rich in potassium for heart health, and packed with vitamins B6 and C to boost energy and immunity. They come from fast-growing, easy-care trees that thrive in warm climates or containers. Whether eaten fresh, blended, or baked, bananas are a naturally sweet and tasty treat you can grow yourself!

Ready to turn your garden into a tropical paradise and grow your own delicious bananas? Now's your chance - use our offer below!

A Banana for Every Space and Taste

At Top Tropicals, we've got over a dozen top banana varieties - from exotic ornamental beauties like Blood Leaf and Siam Ruby to edible showstoppers. Edible varieties range from popular, heavy-producing types like Double Mahoi to rare collector favorites like Ice Cream (Blue Java) - the kind you'll never find at the grocery store. We also carry dwarf varieties that grow just 4 feet tall but still produce full-sized fruit - perfect for containers, patios, and small spaces. Collect them all - edible, ornamental, dwarf, rare - and enjoy the fun, flavor, and beauty of growing your own banana grove.

From Collectors to Beginners - We've Got Your Banana

"Growing bananas is like growing sunshine. They bring energy, beauty, and fruit to your doorstep." - said Dr. Richard Campbell, tropical fruit expert and co-creator of the condo mango concept.

Growing bananas is easy, low-maintenance, and budget-friendly. With Sunshine Boosters plant food, these tropical favorites grow fast and can start producing as soon as next season! Whether you live in the South or up North, in a house or an apartment - you can grow your own bananas in the garden, on a balcony, patio, or lanai and enjoy the taste of the tropics at home.

Special Offer

Get instant 10% off all bananas for 1 week only, plus extra 10% OFF sitewide with code below for qualified orders.

Additional 10% off your entire purchase (including any other plants), saving total of 20% on your Banana trees:

GOBANANAS

Min order $150, excluding S/H. Exp. 4-15-25

Hurry, offer ends April 15th!

Banana  Truly  Tiny

Learn More About Banana Varieties:

- Top Ornamental Banana Varieties - Which One Belongs in Your Garden?
- Best Edible Bananas to Grow - Sweet, Unique, and Delicious!
- How Many Banana Varieties Can You Grow? (More Than You Think!)

Sunshine  Boosters  fertilizers  for  Banana  trees

In the photo above: Sunshine Boosters are the best fertilizers for ornamental (Sunshine Robusta) and edible bananas (Sunshine C-Cibus).

Date: 24 Jun 2018

TopTropicals

Plants that make you feel better

Researchers are claiming that gardening can be much more than just a hobby, and that honing those green-finger skills could actually have many benefits, including making us healthier! The presence of plants has been found to be helpful in many different settings, according to results of several experimental studies:

At school and work:
1. Improve your learning abilities
2. Improve reaction times, attentiveness, and attendance
3. Increase energy and your performance, purpose and motivation
4. Raise productivity and job satisfaction

At home
1. Relax and feel closer to nature while indoors
2. Make you feel needed
3. Have a clean air
4. Improve relationships and increase compassion.

In recovery:
1. Lower blood pressure (systolic)
2. Improve well-being
3. Lower levels of anxiety during recovery from surgery
4. Accelerate healing process

See full list of Rare Tropicals that are great house plants.

Get a plant, feel better, be needed and loved!

Date: 24 Jun 2018

TopTropicals

Winter mulching in Southern landscapes

"My rule of green thumb for mulch is to double my initial estimate of bags needed, and add three. Then I'll only be two bags short." (Author unknown)

Q: What is the best time for mulching in Florida? What type of mulch do you recommend and how much should I use?

A: Every gardener knows that spreading mulch in the garden helps to protect the soil in general, prevents weeds from growing, plus it has specific benefits during harsh winter conditions. A layer of mulch will keep the soil insulated, roots protected from possible freezing, so you'll also end up with better results in spring by laying down mulch in the cold months.
When? We lay mulch in our Florida garden right now. It is cool so we work twice more efficient. After rainy summer-fall season, most of mulch around plants had broken down and in many areas soil is exposed: easy target for weeds.
In general, in warm climates Fall and Winter mulching is the most effective. Mulch creates an insulating barrier between the soil and air, thereby protects plant roots from rapid fluctuations in soil temperature.
How much? There is never too much mulch. Just make sure to put it 2-3 inches away from the trunk to prevent rotting and mold.
What kind? Different types of mulch can be used, including wood chips, shredded leaves, straw and hay. Yes, leaves and hay too! Remember all green parts of a plant (= your leaves and grass) are full of Nitrogen so important for plant vigor, it eventually will go back into the soil as extra benefit. Unless you want to spend a fortune on a fancy red or cypress mulch, you may use these natural materials that are handy in every garden. After raking leaves, pile them up and in couple weeks of drying and breaking down leaves will become a perfect, soft mulch that is best to use around fragile and herbaceous plants. After mowing your lawn, save the cut grass and use the hay as mulch. It always works the best in our garden, keeps weeds away better than wood chips, and in spite of a common belief that cut grass is full of weed seeds, we never seen grass or weeds sprouting from that hay.
Happy mulching and stay warm!

Date: 24 Jun 2018

TopTropicals

Secrets of perfect mulch

Poor man's mulch... or natural solution? With warmer weather weeds started spreading around the garden... pulling, spraying, mulching them... that helps. Here are a few tips about natural mulch based on our own experience.

1) Do not rake dry leaves and pine needles, use them as natural mulch. A leaf is a part of a plant with the highest nitrogen content which is a major plant nutrient. After breaking down, leaves will work as a fertilizer. If you prefer to have a fancy mulch, put it on top of those leaves.

2) Do not dispose cut grass. Spread it around trees and shrubs. Hay is one of the best mulching materials. It has at least 2 exceptional benefits: a) after couple rains it becomes dense, creating perfect protection from sprouting weeds, and b) grass is actually also a leaf - so it had built up lots of nitrogen too, and works as a fertilizer.

3) Be careful with "bulk mulch" that sometimes offered by local tree service companies (usually for free). It often contains bugs, plant parts that are infested with bad insects, or simply fleas. Natural mulch from your own garden is always the best choice, proven organic and safe solution.

4) A few layers of newspaper (or even better - cardboard from your endless Amazon deliveries) placed underneath the mulch work as a great weed barrier and will make your mulching work results last 4-5 times longer. Water drains through them, and paper products are ecologically safe and biodegradable.