Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 4 Dec 2025

SOS!

Magnolia champaca, the Joy Perfume Tree

🆘 SOS! Why is my Champaka Tree dropping leaves?
  • ✔️ Magnolia champaca, the Joy Perfume Tree, can look a little rough in Winter through early Spring. The leaves may yellow, drop, and make the whole tree look tired. Many gardeners think something went wrong, but this is completely normal. Champaka is semi-deciduous, which means it sheds leaves for a short period during cooler months, even in warm climates.
  • ✔️ This is also the time when the tree sets its seeds for spring. As long as you keep your regular watering routine and don’t overreact with extra fertilizer or pruning, the tree rebounds in Spring. Within a few weeks it pushes fresh new foliage and starts blooming again, filling the air with that unmistakable sweet fragrance.
  • ✔️ Champaka isn’t declining - it’s just taking a winter nap!


🛒 We always have them for you: Joy Perfume Champaka trees

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Learn more:

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#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden #Trees

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Date: 16 Feb 2026

Yes, you can grow a mango tree on your patio - here is how to do it right

Mango fruiting in container

Mango fruiting in container

🥭 Yes, you can grow a container mango tree on your patio - here is how to do it right



Think you need a backyard orchard to grow mangoes? You don't. Mango trees grow very well in containers. Compact varieties, often called condo mangoes, stay naturally smaller and are well suited for pots, patios, and small yards. We grow and ship mango trees nationwide and have seen which varieties perform best in containers.

Growing mangoes in pots is also practical in cooler climates. The tree can be moved to protection during cold weather while still producing real fruit. Here is how to do it right.

🥭 Pick the right condo mango tree variety



Choose condo or semi-dwarf mango varieties that stay smaller and respond well to pruning. These mango trees usually stay 6 to 10 feet tall in containers with light pruning. Fruit size is full-size, just fewer than on large trees.

Good mango choices for pots include:
  • · Cogshall - compact and productive
  • · Pickering - naturally small and reliable
  • · Carrie - manageable size, great flavor
  • · Ice Cream - slow growing, narrow canopy
  • · Julie - classic Caribbean type
  • · more condo varieties...


🥭 Choose the right pot



Start small. Young mango trees do best in a 5- to 7-gallon pot. Oversized containers too early often cause overwatering and root issues.

Increase size gradually:
First pot: 5-7 gallons
Next size: 10-15 gallons
Mature container: 20-25 gallons

The pot must drain well. Mango roots dislike wet soil. Add holes if needed. Plastic, ceramic, and fabric pots all work.
  • 🥭 Use fast-draining soil



    Mango trees need air around their roots.
    Use a loose, fast-draining mix, such as Abundance Professional Soilless Mix. Improve drainage with perlite, pine bark, or coarse sand. Avoid heavy or water-holding soils. Drainage matters more than fancy ingredients.
  • 🥭 Water carefully



    Mango trees prefer a wet-dry cycle.
    Water deeply, then allow the top few inches of soil to dry before watering again. Always check with your finger first.
    In warm weather, water once or twice a week. In winter, much less. Overwatering is the most common container mistake.
  • 🥭 Give plenty of sun



    Mango trees love sun and heat.
    Place the pot in full sun with at least 8 hours daily. More sun improves growth and flowering.
    If overwintered indoors, use the brightest window possible. Grow lights help, but outdoor sun is best when weather allows.
  • 🥭 Fertilize lightly but consistently



    Potted mango trees benefit from regular feeding during active growth.
    Use a balanced mango or fruit tree fertilizer such as Sunshine Mango Tango (safe to use with every watering, year-around). Controlled-release fertilizer Green Magic (every 6 months) work well too. Avoid excess feeding, which promotes leaves over flowers.
    If leaves pale, check watering first, then nutrition.
  • 🥭 Prune to stay compact



    Pruning is essential for mangoes in pots.
    Light tipping and trimming control size, encourage branching, and increase flowering points. Keep the canopy open and balanced. Watch how simple tipping works in real life: .
    Avoid heavy pruning before flowering. Most pruning is best right after harvest.
  • 🥭 Protect from cold



    Mango trees are tropical and cold-sensitive.
    When temperatures drop below 40F, move the pot to protection or indoors. Young trees are especially vulnerable.
    During winter, reduce watering and stop fertilizing. Growth slows and the tree rests.
    When warm weather returns, reintroduce the tree to sun gradually to prevent leaf burn.
  • 🥭 Final thoughts



    Growing a mango tree in a pot is practical and rewarding. With the right variety, good drainage, full sun, and careful watering, a potted mango can thrive and fruit for years, even in small spaces. Ready to start? Choose a compact mango variety.


🛒 Discover Condo Mango

📚 Learn more:
#Food_Forest #How_to #Discover #Mango

Plant Facts

Mangifera indica
Mango
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large tree taller than 20 ftSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunModerate waterYellow, orange flowersPink flowersEdible plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant
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Date: 18 Nov 2021

7 reasons to get an Aroid Houseplant

1. It's almost Winter... You need something tropical in your home! Aroids have the most tropical look!
2. Aroids tolerate low light conditions of indoors.
3. Aroids require almost no care. Care is easy because if you watch for the signals, the plant will tell you exactly what it needs
4. Aroids adapt to wide range of conditions. Many of them thrive in neglect and survive even in sub-optimal conditions... Unlike most tropicals, Aroids don't experience much stress when moving from indoor to outdoor settings and adapt readily to conditions inside the home.
5. Aroids are compact and easy to manage.
6. Aroids are fast growing while still being compact.
7. They are on sale now!

Check out our Philodendrons, Monsteras, Fancy Syngoniums, Alocasias, Colocasias.

Date: 14 Jul 2019

A Cup of Tea Plant

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

A: I live in Ave Maria, Florida. I want to try my hand at growing my own tea. Which plant do I need?

A: Most people do not realize they are actually enjoying camellias when they sip their cup of tea. True tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen shrub or small tree.
In the fall and winter, the plant will produce small white flowers with a lovely fragrance. The foliage is shiny and dark green with a very nice informal and open look. Camellia sinensis (or tea plant, as it is commonly known) prefers a temperature between 65 and 86 degrees, which makes Florida an ideal area to grow them. However, if you live in colder zones, you can certainly succeed growing your own tea plants using a greenhouse. Alternatively, you can use containers which can be brought inside when temperatures start falling. Tea plants will usually survive a very slight freeze, though the leaves may be damaged or killed. It will not tolerate a hard freeze. They prefer full sun or light shade in the garden.
Tea plants will become small trees or large bushes if not pruned. Hardcore tea growers trim back the shoots repeatedly to a height of around 4 feet to encourage new growth and to contain the size.
Make sure to pick an area of your landscape where it does not flood or remain wet during our rainy season. Camellia sinensis does not like wet feet at all. They prefer well-drained, sandy and slightly acidic soil. If grown in a container, add some sphagnum moss to the potting mix. They will benefit from frequent applications of small amounts of fertilizer.
You will need some patience, too. Your plant should be around 3 years old before you start harvesting leaves.

Recommended fertilizers:

Tropical Greenhouse Plus - Plant Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Harvesting recipes

Now that you know how to grow the Tea, you need to check this out: the Harvesting recipes how to harvest and make different kinds of real tea: Green Tea, Japanese Style Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Black Tea, Orthodox Indian Tea... Continue reading...

Date: 4 Apr 2020

You are safe in your garden!

"In front of my house, banana Musa basjoo in ground since more than 12 years!"
Lucie Herard, Montreal Tropical.

Lucie's tropical garden in Montreal, Canada:
"The movement of plants fascinates me!"

Our customer Lucie Herard shared pictures of her tropical garden with us... Many of you have beautiful gardens that you are proud of... but this one is... in Canada! Believe it or not, before winter she digs everything up and brings it inside! Then in Spring, she starts again every year. Dedication? Determination? Heroism! Lucie won the Planet Bananiers photo contest for the third time.
Look at these pictures and visit Lucie's Facebook page for more photos and videos of her amazing garden. Ask yourself: and what can I do? Is my life really that hard with mowing a lawn once a week and blowing the leaves? You don't have to be a hero to make something worthwhile in your life. Just take a shovel and start... one plant a day. And you will end up living in Paradise.
Lucie reminds you: "Ornamental horticulture production activities are now considered an essential service! Add soil in a pot, water very slightly for the first two weeks and put closer to the window. That's all, the leaves will start growing again!"

Tropical Paradise Contest 2020

Share with us photos of your garden. The winner of this contest will get plants $200 worth, with FREE shipping!

Submit your photos before April 15, 2020
and win $200 in tropical plants!