Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 30 Oct 2019

Fragrant Gold Leaf Orchid Vine

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I am absolutely thrilled to see you have this vine. I've tried for years to get this plant! It is so, so rare. It just seemed impossible to find in this country. How do I make it thrive? I am ordering two.

A: We are happy to confirm that indeed we do have this rare vine!
Bauhinia aureifolia - Gold Leaf Orchid Vine - was discovered in Thailand in 1983. It is endemic to Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala in Southern Thailand. Danish botanist Kai Larsen named this plant and hailed it as one of the rarest plant species of the world when it was discovered in the eighties.
The Thai people call this vine Bai Mai Si Thong. It is a beautiful climber with large, bi-loped leaves (7 inches or more!) and good branching.
Young leaves are a stunning burnt orange to terracotta color for about a week and as they reach full size, they turn green over a couple of days. This is a very rare color for Bauhinia. It produces leaves all the time and this means this vine is always full of beautiful color. With its golden leaves, it sure is reminiscent of Autumn.
This vine blooms from May to November. It bears bunches of small flowers that are delicately fragrant in the evenings. The cultivated plants range flower color from pure white to purple and pink, while the wild ones have often white petals with pinkish patches.
Bauhinia aureifolia needs well-drained soil, full light and good humidity to thrive. It will tolerate a light freeze once established and it is very important to protect young plants.
Gold Leaf Orchid Vine also makes a wonderful container plant with staking or support. It is a must for every rare plant collection!

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Date: 19 Dec 2025

13 festive shrubs with bright flowers that bring color to your Winter Garden when everything else is dormant

13 festive shrubs for Winter Garden

13 festive shrubs for Winter Garden

💐 13 festive shrubs with bright flowers that bring color to your Winter Garden when everything else is dormant



Southern Living points to colorful berries as winter garden standbys. Tropical plants take it a step further, filling the cool season with real flowers, not just fruit. From vivid reds to electric blues, these plants prove winter does not have to be dull.

    • 🌈 1. Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset


    This plant waits for cool weather, then suddenly lights up the shade with fire-red blooms. Flowers appear almost overnight and continue through fall and winter. It rests in summer, returns in fall, spreads gently, and makes an easy, festive ground cover that is perfect for sharing.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 2. Pereskia aculeata - Barbados gooseberry


    An unusual vine that surprises in cool weather with delicate, star-shaped blooms followed by tasty fruit. It flowers steadily from fall through winter, adding light, airy color to fences and trellises when most vines are quiet.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 3. Mansoa alliacea - garlic vine


    Best known for its garlicky scent, this vine really shines in winter. Cooler temperatures bring clusters of lavender-purple flowers that brighten fences and trellises with very little effort.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 4. Dombeya wallichii - tropical hydrangea


    Large pink pompom blooms hang from bare branches in winter, creating a true holiday look. Lightly fragrant and impossible to miss, it brings hydrangea-style drama to the cool season.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 5. Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - dwarf yesterday-today-tomorrow


    Compact and cheerful, this shrub opens purple flowers that fade to lavender and white. The color shift makes it look like several plants blooming at once, perfect for pots or small garden spaces.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 6. Clerodendrums


    Long, cascading sprays of white flowers of Clerodendrum minahassae - fountain clerodendrum - spill from the plant during the cooler months. It brightens shaded areas and adds movement when the garden slows down. Most clerodendrums bloom through Winter!

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 7. Tibouchina multiflora - glory bush


    Soft, fuzzy purple blooms cover this shrub in winter, backed by velvety leaves that look good year-round. It adds strong color and texture during the cool season.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 8. Holmskioldia sanguinea - Chinese hat


    Bright red, orange or yellow, hat-shaped bracts surround small flowers and hold their color through the cool months. The shape alone makes this shrub a standout in winter.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 9. Barleria cristata - Philippine violet


    This tough shrub blooms heavily in winter with rich purple flowers. It delivers dependable color when many plants take a break. There is a golden variety too!

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 10. Eranthemum pulchellum - blue sage, lead flower


    Few plants offer true blue in winter. Electric-blue flower spikes appear in cool weather, adding rare color with minimal care.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 11. Petrea volubilis - queen's wreath


    In winter, this woody vine erupts into cascading sprays of lavender star-shaped flowers. It creates a wisteria-like effect right when the garden needs it most.

👉 Learn more

    • 🌈 12. Tabebuia varieties - dwarf golden and dwarf pink


    These trees save their show for winter, blooming on bare branches. Golden forms glow yellow, while pink varieties cover themselves in soft trumpet-shaped flowers.

👉 Learn more

🌈 13. Bauhinia trees - pink butterfly and Hong Kong orchid trees


Butterfly-shaped blooms open on leafless branches, giving bauhinias their signature winter elegance. The Hong Kong orchid tree stands out with especially large, vivid flowers.

🛒 Explore Winter bloomers

📚 Learn more:


#Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 20 Feb 2026

Top Ten Flowering Tree Winners of Florida 2026 Record Freeze

Bauhinia Orchid Tree

Bauhinia Orchid Tree

Beaucarnea recurvata - Pony Tail

Beaucarnea recurvata - Pony Tail

Caesalpinia mexicana, Mexican Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia mexicana, Mexican Bird of Paradise

Callistemon - Bottlebrush

Callistemon - Bottlebrush

Erythrina

Erythrina

Jacaranda tree

Jacaranda tree

Magnolia figo

Magnolia figo

Magnolia Little Gem

Magnolia Little Gem

Tabebuia chrysotricha

Tabebuia chrysotricha

Tabebuia impetiginosa

Tabebuia impetiginosa

🏆 Top Ten Flowering Tree Winners of Florida 2026 Record Freeze



These flowering trees had no damage after 3 nights of hard freeze (25F) with NO PROTECTION:
🛒 Explore cold tolerant tropical plants

📚 Learn more:


#Discover #How_to #Trees

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Date: 23 Sep 2025

Eight most spectacular winter blooming trees

Eight most spectacular winter blooming trees

💐 Eight most spectacular winter blooming trees



🍁 Fall is the right time to get winter bloomers in the ground. Plant them now, and by the time the cool season settles in, you’ll have flowers to enjoy. We get a lot of snowbirds asking us what to plant when they’re here for just the season, and the answer is simple: pick trees and shrubs that show off in winter!

🏆 8 best flowering trees that will bloom for you in Winter

    • 💐 1. Royal poinciana - Flamboyant tree, Delonix regia


    Known for fiery red-orange blooms, the flamboyant tree creates a spectacular canopy. Even in the cooler season, mature specimens may flower heavily in warm climates.

👉 Learn more

    • 💐 2. Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia


    One of the brightest winter bloomers, this small tree bursts into golden-yellow flowers on bare branches, turning the whole crown into a glowing dome.

👉 Learn more

    • 💐 3. Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia


    A smaller tabebuia with trumpet-shaped pink to lavender blooms. Its leafless winter display is striking and well-suited for compact gardens.

👉 Learn more

    • 💐 4. Jacaranda mimosifolia (acutifolia)


    Famous for its lavender-blue clouds of trumpet flowers, Jacaranda puts on a dramatic show even when most trees are bare. Perfect for lining streets or as a specimen tree.

👉 Learn more

    • 💐 5. Koelreuteria paniculata (bipinnata) - Golden Rain Tree


    This tree stands out in winter with clusters of golden flowers followed by papery lantern-like seed pods. It’s ornamental in every stage, even when not in full bloom.

👉 Learn more

    • 💐 6. Callistemon citrinus - Weeping Red Bottlebrush


    Its crimson brush-like flowers appear in flushes during the cooler months. This tree is tough, drought-tolerant, and attracts pollinators while keeping color in the winter garden.

👉 Learn more

    • 💐 7. Bauhinia variegata - Pink Butterfly Orchid Tree


    Soft pink to lavender blooms open on leafless branches in the cool season. The butterfly-shaped petals make this tree both graceful and eye-catching.

👉 Learn more

💐 8. Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree


A sterile hybrid that doesn’t produce seed, this tree is prized for its huge magenta flowers that cover bare branches in winter. Rare and highly ornamental, it’s a true collector’s tree.

🛒 Plant a tree now for winter flowers

#Trees #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 10 Jun 2024

Shade Tree Discount Program
How to reduce an electric bill and energy costs?

Cassia fistula

Photo above: Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree - one of the most popular trees. This all time favorite is fast growing and elegant.

Q: How to reduce an electric bill and energy costs?

A: This summer is expected to be hot. And the next summer... and next... Want to reduce your electric bill and energy costs? There is an excellent solution: plant a shade tree! Once fully grown, these trees will help keep your house cooler and lower your energy expenses.

Today we are offering a special discount you can use for purchasing trees that will keep your homes cooler in Summer and gardens warmer in Winter!
Check out Fast Growing Shade Trees, as well as other flowering trees and fruit trees and use discount below:

GETSHADE

Your savings with this code:
5% off orders $100+
15% off orders $150+
20% off orders $200+

Excluding S/H. Excluding 15 gal material. Exp. 6-12-24

Shop Flowering Trees

Tabebuia tree

Photo above: Tabebuia - spectacular winter bloomer.

Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree

Photo above: Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree. The most beautiful of all orchid trees.

Shop Fruit Trees

Mango trees with fruit

Photo above: Mango trees now. Many varieties are vigorous, large trees.

Cattley guava tree

Photo above: Cattley Guava Tree is an elegant solution for small spaces. Red Button French Kiss Ginger

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