Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 24 Nov 2024

Black Friday Week Has Begun!

Everybody loves these deals:

Black  Friday  Cat

This holiday week, treat yourself to the best deals of the year and fill your garden with the plants you've always dreamed of! Don't miss these instant discounts:

BOGO deals
discounted items
Secret Garden half price

and of course - FREE SHIPPING limited time promotions

On top of that, use our Thanksgiving code below and make it a steal!

Thanksgiving 10% discount

Shop now and make your garden the envy of the season! Get additional 10% off plants, seeds, and garden supplies with the code below:

THANKS24

Min order $150. Excluding S/H. Exp. 11/29/24

Pseudorhipsalis  amazonica  -  Blue  Flame

Photo above: Pseudorhipsalis amazonica - Blue Flame Cactus - Spectacular bloomer! A rare, spineless, epiphytic cactus from the rainforests of the Amazon jungle. Flowers emerge along the leaf edges from late spring through early summer, with a distinctive blue tip on the magenta flower.

Happy  Thanksgiving  Cat  and  Turkey

Date: 27 Nov 2025

🎃 Thanksgiving Weekend Deal

Schlumbergera  x  New  Deal  -  Thanksgiving,  Christmas  Orchid  Cactus,  plant
    covered  in  cascading  bright  pink  flowers  indoors.

Photo above: A long-blooming holiday classic, Schlumbergera New Deal, an heirloom Thanksgiving-to-Christmas cactus with cascades of oversized pink flowers. Blooms from Thanksgiving through Easter!

As our way of saying thank you for growing with us all year long, here is your exclusive holiday code. Use it for 15% off any order over $100 (excluding shipping and handling):

THANKS2025

Ends November 30th, 2025 (Sunday) at midnight.
Min order $100 (exculuding S/H).
One use per customer.
Cannot be combined with other discounts.
Cannot be applied to previous orders.

Check out our specials below - hand-picked by our horticulturist for size, beauty, and vigor! These are the biggest, fullest plants you'll see all year! Take advantage of this Holiday discount code and get them now at their best and fullest point!

🛒 Shop Tropical plants

Gloxinia  sylvatica  -  Bolivian  Sunset,  close-up  of  a  flowering  plant 
 with  many  bright  red  tubular  blooms  and  dark  green  leaves.

Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset. A perfect fall-winter standout: it bursts with glowing blooms and makes a great holiday gift as a flowering start.

Large  blooming  Gardenia  nitida  plant  with  many  white  star-shaped 
 flowers  and  glossy  green  leaves  growing  in  a  container

Gardenia nitida, Shooting Star: a rare African gardenia with sweet fragrance and star-shaped blooms that appear several times a year. Soft diamond-shaped leaves. This true collectors gem blooms in dramatic waves, filling the air with a strong, sweet scent.

Date: 13 Apr 2026

🌸 Secrets of Blooming Plumerias

Plumeria  Orange  KLS  stands  out  with  a  rare  mix  of  five  colors  -  peach, 
 yellow,  orange,  white,  and  crimson  -  all  blending  into  one  vivid  bloom. 
 Fragrant  and  eye-catching,  it’s  a  truly  unique  plumeria.

Plumeria Orange KLS stands out with a rare mix of five colors - peach, yellow, orange, white, and crimson - all blending into one vivid bloom. Fragrant and eye-catching, it’s a truly unique plumeria.

Practical Growing Tips (Keep It Simple)

  • Sun: Full sun is key. 6+ hours daily for best blooms.
  • Soil: Fast-draining mix. In pots, use cactus mix or add perlite and sand. The best soil for Plumerias is a 50:50 mix of Abundance potting soil with coarse sand.
  • Watering: Water well, then let soil dry out before watering again.
  • Containers: Excellent for pots. Easier control and mobility.
  • Feeding: Light feeding during active growth helps more blooms. Use liquid Sunshine Boosters Megaflor for profuse blooming and controlled release Green Magic fertilizer every 6 months.
  • Airflow: Good airflow keeps plants healthy and clean.
  • Spacing: Give each plant room - better shape and more flowers.

Blooming  plumeria  plants  in  multiple  pots  with  colorful  flowers, 
 arranged  outdoors  in  a  nursery  setting  after  rain.

Blooming plumeria plants in pots after rain.

Winter Care (Very Important)

  • Temperature: Protect from freeze. Below 40F they need protection.
  • Dormancy: Leaves drop in winter. This is normal.
  • Watering: Almost dry during dormancy.
  • Indoors: Move containers inside if frost is expected.
  • Light: Bright spot is enough. No need for full sun in dormancy.
  • No feeding: Do not fertilize during winter rest.
  • Restart: Resume watering when new growth appears in spring.

potted  plumeria  plant  pink  orange  flowers  with  water  droplets  on  leaves
    and  petals

Potted plumeria in bloom.

About Plumeria Rust (Florida Reality)

If you are growing plumerias in Florida, you will likely see plumeria rust at some point. It shows up as orange powdery spots on the underside of leaves and can cause leaves to yellow and drop early. It is driven by high humidity and is most common in the fall, right before the plant naturally starts dropping its leaves.

It looks alarming, but it is mostly a cosmetic issue and does not harm the plant long term. Good airflow, full sun, and avoiding overhead watering help reduce it. If needed, you can remove affected leaves or use a simple fungicide (in our experience, the most effective one for Plumeria rust is Southern Ag Garden Friendly Fungicide), but in most cases the plant grows right through it and comes back clean with fresh growth.

white  plumeria  tree  full  bloom  in  yard  with  green  leaves  and  fallen 
 flowers  on 
 grass

White and Yellow Plumerias are the most fragrant.

Plumeria Fragrance - Bring It Anywhere

That scent does not have to stay in the garden. Fresh plumeria flowers can be brought inside and placed in a small bowl of water they will float and gently perfume the room. You can make a simple lei, keep a few blooms on a table, or even place a flower in your car on a hot day - the warmth releases the fragrance.

Terracotta  bowl  filled  with  floating  plumeria  flowers  in  white,  yellow,
    pink,  and  red,  set  outdoors  on  wet  ground  in  a  garden 
 setting.

Bowl with Plumeria flowers creates a scented space anywhere

🎥 Watch Plumeria videos

📚 Learn about Plumerias from our Blog

red  plumeria  tree  full  bloom  pink  red  flowers  in  residential  yard 
 tropical  flowering  tree

Red Plumeria is not just fragrant, it is one of the most spectacular trees when in full bloom

Build Your Plumeria Paradise - Save 10%

Get 10% off with coupon code PLUMERIA2026 on plumeria trees.
Offer valid through 04/15/2026.
Discount applies to plumeria plants only. Not valid on previous purchases and cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts. Offer subject to change without notice.

Date: 9 Aug 2021

Care of Desert Roses

Q: I am looking forward to my three desert roses I just ordered from you and I am wondering how to take care of them, especially during winter time. Should I put the pots in full sun or shade? What kind of soil do they like? How often should I water them? When it gets cooler, should I bring them inside? We do have occasional frost here during winter.

A: Here are a few tips for your desert roses:

1. When received Adenium from mail-order, unpack carefully; branches are fragile. Plant in well-drained potting mix. Cactus mix will do, but we recommend special Adenium mix. If using regular acidic peat-based potting mix, you may add sea-shells on top of soil to neutralize acidity: adeniums prefer alkaline soils. Using clay pots is beneficial. Water once and do not water again until soil gets dry. Place in bright shade until new leaves sprout, then the plant can be moved to full sun.

2. Adenium is a succulent, but not a cactus. It needs watering, however let soil dry before waterings. Reduce watering during cool season and discontinue when plant gets dormant (drops all leaves in winter).

3. Bright light is the best for profuse flowering. However, adeniums look much healthier in slightly filtered light rather than in all-day full sun.

4. Fertilize and spray leaves with liquid fertilizer SUNSHINE Megaflor - Nutrition Bloom Booster. Phosphorous is responsible both for flowering and caudex development. Avoid caudex, spray over foliage only. Dry fertilizer can be used only during hot months.

5. Watch for spider mites during hot and dry season.

6. Give plants a break during winter dormant season. Keep in bright shade and reduce watering to 1-2 per month or stop watering if temperature is below 65F.

More info on growing Desert Roses:
What you need for successful growing Adeniums
Overwintering Adeniums outside of tropics
Growing Exotic Adeniums - Growing Exotic Adeniums

Date: 28 Sep 2024

What is Barbados Gooseberry?

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry, flowers

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry, flowers

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry, fruit

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry, fruit

What is Barbados Gooseberry?



Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry, is a very interesting, unusual addition for any self-sustaining landscape due to its fast-growing nature and unique combination of cactus and leafy vine, with beautiful flowers and showy edible fruit.

Low-maintenance plant, it is perfect for covering walls or fences, adds greenery and a productive food source, making it both practical and visually appealing.
  • A unique cactus with real leaves, unlike most cacti. Needs very little water.
  • Fast-growing vine that can cover fences or walls quickly.
  • When in bloom, the vine is covered with beautiful white flowers, followed by bright orange, edible, tangy fruits.
  • Great for adding greenery and a food source to your garden.


🛒 Plant Barbados Gooseberry

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits

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