Date: 30 Mar 2025
BIG TREE SALE EXTENDED!
Spring is the perfect time to plant a tree - and last week's Big Tree Special was a huge hit! We had so many happy customers take advantage of the FREE DELIVERY offer that we're extending the sale for one more week. This gives everyone who wanted a large tree another chance to order, while we catch up on all the deliveries already in motion!
We've got BIG trees - ready-to-bloom, ready-to-fruit, ready-to-wow. No waiting years for results! Choose from Mango, Avocado, Champaka, and other top sellers in 7-gal, 15-gal, and 25-gal sizes. These are mature, developed trees that are ready to thrive in your yard now.
FREE DELIVERY on qualifying purchases! (See offer details below). Come visit us in Ft. Myers Garden Center or swing by the B-Farm in Sebring, Florida to check out our large tree selection. Our friendly team is here to help you pick the perfect trees and arrange easy delivery. Turn your yard into tropical paradise overnight!
Don't wait - we can only deliver so many trees per day!
FREE DELIVERY+
7 gal - $25 off regular price
15 gal - $75 off regular price
25 gal - $125 off regular price
For walk ins only. Min order $200 for free delivery to Lee, Collier, Highlands counties and more (check with our office). Exp. 4-6-25
By planting a large size Mango or Avocado tree, you can enjoy the fruit the same year.
In the photo above: Champaka
Date: 21 Oct 2025
Compact Bauhinias - everblooming container trees
Compact Bauhinias - everblooming container trees
📸 Pictures for the previous post, Bauhinias:
- Bauhinia madagascariensis - Red Dwarf Orchid Tree. Blooms from winter through fall, up to 10 months a year. The most cold-hardy of all.
- Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree. A large tree in the ground, but compact in pots if trimmed. Grafted trees flower right away. Winter bloomer, cold hardy to light frost.
- Bauhinia tomentosa - Yellow Orchid Tree. Flowers from Winter through Summer, cold hardy to light frost.
- Bauhinia monandra - Napoleon's Plume Orchid Tree. Almost everblooming with the longest flowering period (less cold hardy than the first three).
- Bauhinia acuminata - Dwarf White Orchid Tree. Blooms from summer through winter (also less cold hardy than the first three).
🛒 Explore Bauhinias (Orchid Trees)
#Container_Garden #Trees
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 10 Aug 2025
🌺 Back to School and Back to Planting – Cats in the Garden
Back to School, Back to Planting – Why August Works for Tropicals
Planting Season Isn't Over Yet
August is still a good month for planting tropicals in warm climates. The soil stays warm enough to push root growth, and late-summer weather gives plants time to settle in before winter. In drier areas, regular watering will keep them moving along just fine.
Tropicals in warm climates aren't usually harmed by cooler Winter weather, but as days get shorter, growth may slow down. This is why planting in late Summer-Fall lets roots grow during this last warm stretch, so the plant enters winter already established.
By spring, those roots are ready to drive new shoots, flowers, and fruit. There's no lost time to transplant shock - plants can get straight to blooming and fruiting earlier in the season.
August Planting FAQ
How can heat be prevented from harming new tropicals?
Water in the morning so plants start the day hydrated. Warm soil is good for root growth, but don't let it dry out.
How should new plants be protected from strong sun?
For the first couple of weeks, use a shade cloth or even a white bed sheet to soften midday sun and prevent leaf scorch.
What fertilizer works best for planting in summer heat?
Controlled-release types are best. We use professional grade Green Magic. You may pair it with Sunshine Boosters for steady, gentle feeding through the warm months.
Which tropicals grow best when planted in August?
Most tropical plants do well when planted in warm end-of-summer conditions, including Mango, Avocado, Guava, Jackfruit, Annona, Bananas, Orchid Trees, Jasmines, Allamanda and most of flowering trees, shrubs and vines.
Can tropical trees planted in August produce fruit next year?
Many can, especially fast growers, since they have established roots by the time spring growth begins.
How can tropicals be kept healthy when planting in August?
Mulch around the base to help prevent soil from drying out too quickly. Water deeply in the morning to help plants handle the heat.
Date: 13 Aug 2025
🌸 Orchid Tree - Bauhinia: Winter Blooms & Year-Round Beauty
Sometimes a plant stops you midwalk. Flowers so bright they almost glow, leaves shaped like butterflies — that’s a Bauhinia, the Orchid Tree. These fast growers bring color when many gardens are quiet, with some blooming in the heart of winter.
🌟 Why Grow Bauhinia?
- Exotic blooms in colors from white to deep magenta
- Distinctive leaves — nature’s own butterfly design
- Many varieties flower in the cooler season
- Fast growth, easy shaping, more blooms after pruning
- Varieties for large yards, small gardens, and sunny patios
- Tolerant of heat, drought, and poor soils
Bauhinia Care Tips
🌞 Outdoor
Full sun for best flowering, well-draining soil, deep watering once established. Light pruning after bloom keeps shape and encourages more flowers. Protect young plants from frost. During the growing season (Spring - Fall), apply a balanced fertilizer - like top-dress slow release fertilizer or controlled-release Green Magic. Liquid fertilizer Sunshine Boosters Megaflor can be used year around - to promote vigorous growth and abundant blooms.
🏡 Indoor / Patio
Bright sun (south window or outdoors in warm months), large pot with drainage, even moisture during growth, and a bloom-booster feed in season. Feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer controlled-release Green Magic. Liquid fertilizer Sunshine Boosters Megaflor can be used year around - to promote vigorous growth and abundant blooms. Bring indoors before frost.
🍂 Seasonal Note – Bauhinias are Deciduous
Bauhinias drop their leaves in winter — even in warm climates. This is normal and part of their rest cycle. Bare branches in the cool season will leaf out again in spring, often just as flowers begin.
📝 Quick choice guide
- Winter flowers: Bauhinia alba, Bauhinia blakeana, Bauhinia variegata
- Small space: Bauhinia acuminata, Bauhinia madagascariensis
- Vine option: Bauhinia galpinii for long warm-season color
Date: 28 Dec 2025
Mango tree tipping - Quick Field Guide: why it improves flowering and production
Mango tree tipping - Quick Field Guide
🥭 Mango tree tipping - Quick Field Guide: why it improves flowering and production
📊 Mango Tree Tipping - Quick Field Guide
It is mid-winter. While early mango varieties like Nam Doc Mai are already flowering, late varieties still have a month or two before they start. Trees such as Keitt, Honey Kiss, Kent, Venus, Beverly, Palmer, and Neelam bloom later in the season. In warm climates without expected cold snaps, this is still a good window for tipping before flowering begins. Tipping encourages more branching, more flower tips, and better fruit production. If cold weather is still possible, save this guide and tip after the risk of cold has passed - but always before the tree enters the flowering stage.
✔️ What tipping is
Tipping is the removal of the soft growing tip of a mango branch once it reaches about 20 inches long. This simple cut stops straight upward growth and forces the branch to split into multiple side shoots.
✔️ When to tip
- · Young, actively growing trees
- · After a flush hardens slightly (not brand-new soft growth)
- · Warm weather when the tree is growing strongly
- · Best during the training years, not heavy fruiting years
✔️ How to tip (step-by-step)
- · Let a branch grow to about 20 inches
- · Using clean pruners, remove 1-2 inches from the tip
- · Cut just above a node (leaf joint)
- · Do not cut into thick woody growth - this is a light heading cut
✔️ What happens next
- · 2-4 new branches usually form below the cut
- · The tree becomes shorter, wider, and stronger
- · More branch tips = more flowering points
- · Better light penetration inside the canopy
✔️ Why it improves flowering and production
- · Mango flowers form at branch tips
- · More branches = more tips
- · A well-shaped tree puts energy into fruiting, not height
- · Easier harvesting and long-term structure
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
- · Letting branches get too long before tipping
- · Tipping weak or stressed trees
- · Over-tipping all at once (stagger cuts)
- · Doing it right before cold weather
- · Doing it too close to flowering
✍️ Simple rule to remember
→ grow 20 inches → tip → repeat
This builds a compact, productive mango tree from the start.
🛒 Explore mango trees
📚 Learn more:
Tipping mango trees
📱 Why tipping mango trees makes them fruiting machines (DIY Garden Tip)
#Food_Forest #Mango #How_to
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals