Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 12 Dec 2018

Six ideas for the best Christmas gift plants

TopTropicals.com

It's this time of the year again when a million dollar question arises: "What do I get them for Christmas?" It's an easy task to buy a gift for a gardener - because we always have a long wish-list! But what to get for everybody else? The answer a simple - buy a live plant... that can bring: Surprise, Love, Joy, Meaning, Convenience, and an Action into their lives! Below are a few wise suggestions.

1. Surprise for Tradition. Everybody knows Ponsettia. Everybody buys it. Every house has it... Red, yellow, white, and even purple... unusual? No, simply dyed with a paint. Ahh. Go RARE! Ponsettia is Euphorbia, get a rare Euphorbia. It has indestructible nature, almosts zero maintenance, and FREE shipping!
Euphorbia leucocephala - Snows of Kilimanjaro
Euphorbia geroldii - Thornless Crown of Thorns
Euphorbia Exotic Thai Candyland, variegated leaves
Euphorbia Pink Cadillac

2. Love. Gardenia Aimee Yoshioka First Love. With a dramatic history behind this cultivar, it is a perfect expression of Love that one can bring to another for Christmas...

3. Joy of Miracle. Miracle fruit. It speaks for itself and is one of the greatest container plants.

4. Meaning. Symbol of Long Life! Adansonia digitata - Baobab, also called the Tree of Longivity, can live for 5000 years. Pass this remarkable plant in your family from generation to generation! Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, the Baobab tree is steeped in a wealth of mystique, legend and superstition wherever it occurs in Africa, being a tree that can provide food, water, shelter and relief from sickness. FREE shipping and easy to maintain bonsai.

5. Convenience. A gift card will give your loved ones a chance to browse amazing wonderland of Tropical Plant World, pick something they like and have it shipped to them weather permitting. The gift card (certificate) has no expiration date!

6. Action. Coffea arabica - Coffee. Want to give your kids a project to drag them away from their smartphones? Have them grow a Real Coffee tree. It is a rewarding plant that is happy indoors and gives you a feeling of Creator - for your care, it will bloom for you with fragrant flowers and fruit for you with real coffee beans!

Check out the full list of plants that are great gifts!

If you need further advice on great looking gift plants for Christmas, contact us!
Or call Anna Banana direct @ 239-771-8081.

Happy Shopping!

Date: 12 Oct 2025

Sweetleaf tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Sweetleaf tea with Mexican Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis)

Sweetleaf tea with Mexican Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis)

🍴 Sweetleaf tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

  • 🟢Delicious Sweetleaf tea can be made with Mexican Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis).
  • 🟢Steep Aztec sweet herb leaves in hot water with lime peel.
  • 🟢Naturally sweet, no sugar needed!

Sweetleaf tea: quick-n-fun

Ingredients

  • Fresh or dried Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis) leaves
  • Hot water
  • Lime peel or a slice of lime

Instructions

  1. Bring water to a boil and pour over Lippia dulcis leaves.
  2. Add lime peel or a slice of lime.
  3. Let steep for 5–10 minutes.
  4. Enjoy this naturally sweet tea—no sugar needed!


🛒 Add sugar-free Mexican Sweetleaf (Lippia dulcis) to your herb garden

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 18 Nov 2025

Hog plum chutney: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Hog Plum tree, Red Hog Plum, Spondias purpurea

Hog Plum tree, Red Hog Plum, Spondias purpurea

Hog plum chutney

Hog plum chutney

🍴 Hog plum chutney: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

  • 🔴Simmer Hog Plums with chilies, ginger, and sugar.
  • 🔴Sweet, sour, and fiery - perfect with curries.

Hog Plum Chutney

Ingredients

  • 2 cups hog plum pulp
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 small red chili, sliced
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Combine hog plum pulp, sugar, ginger, salt, and water in a saucepan.
  2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  3. Add sliced chili and cook 10 to 15 minutes until thickened.
  4. Cool and serve with curries, meats, or rice.

🛒
Plant a Hog Plum and always have juicy fruit: you can freeze it too!

📚 Learn more:


#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 18 Oct 2025

Avocado leaf tea: island secret for a calm heart and blood pressure

Avocado leaf tea: island secret for a calm heart and blood pressure Avocado leaf tea: island secret for a calm heart and blood pressure

Avocado leaf tea: island secret for a calm heart and blood pressure


  • 🍃 You see that Avocado tree in your yard? Don't just love it for the fruit - the leaves carry magic too! Old folks in the tropics will tell you - never throw away the avocado leaves. They’ve been used for generations to brew a tea that helps steady the heart and ease high blood pressure.

  • 🍃 When life gets busy and your heart starts beating too fast, this tea helps it find its rhythm again. The leaf holds flavonoids and quercetin - fancy words for what nature been doing all along: keeping the blood flowing smooth and the body at peace. Folks say it also helps with digestion and keeps the liver happy.

  • 🍃 Avocado leaf tea

    Ingredients

    • 3 to 4 fresh avocado leaves
    • 2 cups water
    • Optional: honey, lemon, or cinnamon stick

    Instructions

    1. Rinse the avocado leaves well.
    2. Place them in a small pot with 2 cups of water.
    3. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
    4. Strain the tea and add honey, lemon, or cinnamon if desired.
    5. Sip slowly and enjoy the calm, earthy flavor.

  • 🍃 They say it helps the belly, calms the mind, and keeps the liver strong. Maybe that’s science, maybe it’s just island truth - but it surely does the body good! Some call it bush medicine, others just call it good sense. Either way, it’s a simple garden remedy that’s been soothing hearts long before pills and prescriptions came around.


🛒 Plant an Avocado tree and help your body stay healthy

📚 Learn more:


Tropical fruit and plants that help keep blood pressure in balance, Part 1, and Part 2.

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover #How_to

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Date: 24 Nov 2025

Cinnamon leaf tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Cinnamon leaves and bark

Cinnamon leaves and bark

Cinnamon leaf tea

Cinnamon leaf tea

🍴 Cinnamon leaf tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

  • 🟢Steep fresh cinnamon leaves in hot water with a slice of ginger.
  • 🟢Fragrant, soothing, and naturally sweet!

Cinnamon Leaf Tea

Ingredients

  • 3-4 fresh cinnamon leaves (Cinnamomum verum)
  • 1 slice fresh ginger
  • 1 cup hot water

Instructions

  1. Bring water to a near boil.
  2. Add fresh cinnamon leaves and a slice of ginger.
  3. Steep for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and golden.
  4. Strain and serve warm.

🛒 Plant Cinnamon Tree - the spice that is always with you

📚 Learn more:


#Food_Forest #Recipes

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