📚 🍩 ❓❓❓ 😱 5000 plants. 60000 photos. 25 years of notes. Estimated pages: ??? OH NO.

After posting about our search for a mysterious fragrant Cerbera, this arrived in our inbox:

"Bless you all for finding this and sharing… Love those books your research cats are hunting through. Where do I get those, too?"

Smokey & Sunshine looked at each other. Then at the books. Then at the donuts.

Sunshine: I knew someone would ask about them.
Smokey: About the plants in the photo?
Sunshine: No. The books. People want to read them.
Smokey: Most of those books don't exist. We made them up for the photo.
Sunshine: "The Apocynaceae Family" sounded very convincing. Very distinguished. Like the Corleone family, but with more flowers and fewer offers you can't refuse.
Smokey: The Corleones were also toxic. So the comparison holds. Did you notice you spilled donut glaze on the cover and called it peer review.
Sunshine: That is simply how great botanical discoveries are made.
Smokey: That explains the investigation board. And the suspects list.
Sunshine: The point is — now people want to read the books. All of them.
Smokey: The books. Do. Not. Exist.
Sunshine: Exactly. Which is why we need to convince the Top Tropicals humans to write them. They have 5000 plants, 60000 photos, and 25 years of notes. The raw material is right there.
Smokey: That would be a very large book.
Sunshine: Excellent. We can call it The Encyclopedia of Plants That Smell Better Than Donuts.
Smokey: That narrows it down to exactly one chapter.
Sunshine: A very good chapter though. Jasmine alone would fill at least twenty pages.
Smokey: While we wait for the humans to write it, the actual Top Tropicals plant encyclopedia is at toptropicals.com. Over 5,000 plants. No donuts involved.
Sunshine: ...yet.

Monarch Butterflies Are In Trouble
You Can Help By Planting Milkweed

Do you want to save butterflies from extinction? This is all you need - embrace the allure of butterfly plants and become a hero for monarchs!

...Ecologists and other scientists have been warning about an 80 percent decline in monarch populations due to habitat loss, pesticides and climate change over the past two decades, but 2024 is a critical year. A recently released annual survey on monarch populations reported a 59.3 percent decrease in population from 2022.
Milkweed plants are one of the best butterfly attractors and they can grow pretty much anywhere. It is a favorite of monarchs, according to Monarch Watch.... (Source: blockclubchicago.org)

Join us in combating the decline of monarch populations by welcoming these graceful creatures into your garden! Discover the beauty of butterfly plants today and help preserve their habitat.

In the photo: Asclepias - favorite plant of all butterflies.

In the photo: a caterpillar of a future Monarch butterfly climbing up the Calotropis gigantea - Giant milkweed flower, one of the best host plants for Monarch butterfly.

Go Bananas!
10 good reasons to plant bananas in your garden

Adding banana plants to your subtropical garden or plant collection can enhance the aesthetics of your outdoor and indoor space, provide fresh and nutritious fruits, and offer a fun gardening experience with relatively low maintenance requirements. It's a delightful way to connect with nature and enjoy the benefits of homegrown produce.

1. Tropical Ambiance: Banana plants bring a touch of the tropics to your subtropical garden. Their large, lush leaves create a lush and exotic atmosphere that can transform your garden into a tropical paradise.

2. Homegrown Flavor: Growing your own banana trees allows you to enjoy the freshest, most flavorful bananas right from your garden. Homegrown bananas often have a superior taste compared to store-bought varieties.

3. Nutritional Benefits: Bananas are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. By cultivating your own banana trees, you gain access to a nutritious and healthy snack option right in your backyard.

4. Quick Results: Banana plants are known for their fast growth. In subtropical climates, they can produce fruit in as little as one to two years. This means you don't have to wait long to savor the fruits of your labor!

5. Low Maintenance: Banana trees are relatively low-maintenance once established. They require regular watering, but their hardy nature makes them a relatively easy addition to your garden. They are not messy in a landscape.

6. Versatility: Bananas offer versatility in your garden. You can choose from dessert bananas for snacking, cooking bananas like plantains for culinary experiments, or even ornamental banana varieties to enhance your garden's aesthetics. There are so many varieties to enjoy! You can't find this big selection in a grocery store.

7. Sustainable Living: Growing your own bananas reduces your reliance on store-bought produce, contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle. It also minimizes the carbon footprint associated with transporting fruits to market.

8. Educational Value: Cultivating banana plants can be an educational experience for both adults and children. It offers insights into tropical horticulture and can foster an appreciation for gardening and botany.

9. Landscaping Appeal: Beyond their fruit-bearing potential, banana plants add visual interest to your garden. Their unique form and striking leaves make them an excellent choice for landscaping and providing shade in your outdoor space.

10. Resilience: While bananas thrive in tropical conditions, many banana varieties are hardy enough to withstand cooler climates, making them a durable addition to your garden.

Don't miss this one:
PodCast Premiere!

Episode 1
How to Protect Tropical plants in Winter: Q & A

Featuring Horticulturist Mark Hooten

...We are introducing our new Series: Top Tropicals Podcast. Growing tropicals and pushing the limits. Watch the first episode:

How to Protect Tropical plants in Winter

...Who doesn't like tropical beauty? Everyone wants tropical plants. But not everyone lives in a warm climate. Is it possible to grow tropicals outside of Tropics?
Top Tropicals horticulturist Mark Hooten, who is well known to many gardeners as the Garden Doc with his Saturday Plant Clinic, is answering gardeners' questions about how to prepare and protect tropical plants during winter...

Premiere scheduled:
Thursday, January 27, 8:00 AM

More about cold hardiness and cold protection:

Cold hardy tropical fruit trees
Growing Stephanotis and cold protection
Cold protection of tropical container plants
Plumeria cold protection
Ghost Cold Protection
Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals
Improving cold hardiness before winter: fertilizer and micro-elements
3D garden ideas and winter cold protection
Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection
About Cold Protection