Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 13 Feb 2026

To trim or not to trim? When and how to trim damaged plants after winter

Sprounting buds on a dormant branch and pruners

Sprounting buds on a dormant branch and pruners

✂️ To trim or not to trim? When and how to trim damaged plants after winter



Florida just went through a record freeze (Feb 2026). Now gardens look rough - brown leaves, blackened tips, mushy stems. The big question: do you cut now or wait?
Here is the simple rule.

    • ✂️ When is the right time to trim?



    Do not rush.
    Wait until the danger of more freezes has passed and you start seeing new growth. In most of Florida, that means late winter to early spring.
    Why wait?
    Dead foliage actually protects living tissue underneath. If you cut too early and another cold snap hits, you can cause more damage.
    If a plant is completely collapsed and clearly mushy, you can remove that material. But for woody shrubs and trees - patience pays.

    • ✂️ How far should you trim?



    Trim back to healthy, green wood. Start by removing:

· Black, mushy, or obviously rotted stems
  • · Broken branches
  • · Completely dried leaves
Then cut slowly and test as you go. Do not cut everything to the ground unless you are sure it is dead.
Many tropicals look terrible after freeze but recover beautifully in warm weather. Te rule of thumb is: once minimum temperatures stay above 65F for over a week, the active growth starts.

    • ✂️ How to tell if a branch is dead or alive



    Use the scratch test. Lightly scrape the bark with your fingernail.

· Green underneath - it is alive
  • · Brown and dry - likely dead
Move down the branch toward the base. Often only the top portion is dead.
Also check flexibility. Live branches bend slightly. Dead ones snap.

    • ✂️ Important - do not give up too soon



    This is where many gardeners make a mistake.
    After a few weeks - sometimes even months - plants can push new growth through what looks like a dead branch. Buds may appear higher than expected, not just from the roots.

    • ✂️ You may see growth:


  • · Along the stem
  • · From lower nodes
  • · From the trunk
  • · From the base

Some plants look gone - then suddenly leaf out again.

✂️ Final thought



After a hard freeze, the best tools are patience and a careful eye.
Wait for warmth. Trim slowly. Check for green. And give your plants time to surprise you.
Tropical gardens are tougher than they look.

🛒 Need to replace a damaged plant? Explore the best options

#Discover #How_to

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Date: 2 Feb 2026

Eight favorite plants of romance, affection, and emotional connection

Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii)

Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii)

Jasminum sambac

Jasminum sambac

Plumeria (Frangipani)

Plumeria (Frangipani)

Clerodendrum thomsoniae, Bleeding Heart Vine

Clerodendrum thomsoniae, Bleeding Heart Vine

💕 Eight favorite plants of romance, affection, and emotional connection



These plants communicate love visually and emotionally. They are associated with beauty, admiration, devotion, and long-lasting relationships.

    • 💖 1. Anthurium


    With its unmistakable heart-shaped spathes, anthurium is one of the strongest visual symbols of love. In Latin America, it represents hospitality, passion, and enduring affection, making it a natural Valentine plant.

👉 Anthurium gift

    • 💖 2. Orchids


    In many Asian cultures, orchids symbolize refined love, fertility, and deep emotional connection. They are associated with elegance, respect, and long-term devotion rather than fleeting romance or infatuation.

👉 Orchid gift

    • 💖 3. Valentine’s Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii)


    Hoya kerrii is known for its thick, heart-shaped leaves, making it one of the clearest visual symbols of love. This long-lived vine represents loyalty and lasting commitment, and is found in several varieties with different leaf variegation patterns: regular green leaf, variegated Moonlight (gold on green) and Sunshine (white-and green).

👉 Sweetheart Hoya gift

    • 💖 4. Plumeria (Frangipani)


    In Polynesia and Southeast Asia, plumeria represents love, beauty, and new beginnings. In Hawaii, its flowers are a classic part of leis and have become an enduring symbol of romance, affection, and island love.

👉 Plumeria gift

    • 💖 5. Jasminum sambac


    Jasmine Sambac is strongly associated with romance, devotion, and spiritual love. In Hawaii it is used in leis, while in the Philippines, this so-called Sampaguita jasmine symbolizes purity, fidelity, and deep affection and is woven into garlands for lovers, weddings, and sacred ceremonies.

👉 Jasmine Sambac gifts

    • 💖 6. Hibiscus


    Hibiscus symbolizes delicate beauty, attraction, and the fleeting intensity of passion. In many tropical cultures, it is associated with feminine energy and romantic expression.

👉 Hibiscus gift

    • 💖 7. Clerodendrum Bleeding Heart


    Clerodendrum thomsoniae, called the Bleeding Heart Vine, is known for its red, heart-like flowers held inside white lantern-shaped bracts. It has long been associated with love, emotional vulnerability, and deep personal bonds, making it a natural fit for Valentine symbolism.

👉 Bleeding Heart gift

💖 8. Stephanotis (Madagascar jasmine)


Traditionally associated with marital happiness and fidelity, Stephanotis has long been used in wedding garlands and bouquets in tropical regions.

🛒 Explore gift plants
🎁 Get a Gift Card

📚 Learn more:


#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

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Date: 17 Mar 2026

Green Magic - 15% Off This Week!

Smokey and Sunshine running a sale of fertilizers at Top Tropicals

Smokey and Sunshine running a sale of fertilizers at Top Tropicals

Green Magic - 15% Off This Week!💲

Give Your Plants a Strong Start This Spring:
  • 🟢Green Magic - 15% OFF 🟢

    • Build the foundation for the entire growing season with a steady, long-lasting nutrient base!

    No coupon needed. The discount is automatically applied at checkout.
    Offer valid through 03/21/2026.
    Discount applies to Green Magic products only.


🛒 Get your plants some food
  • 🐈 Sunshine: So Green Magic feeds the plant for months. Does that mean I can forget about Sunshine Boosters?
  • 🐈 Smokey: Not quite. Green Magic is the steady base diet. Sunshine Boosters are the weekly power drink during active growth.
  • 🐈 Sunshine: Ah. Like my regular meals and donuts on top.
  • 🐈 Smokey: Exactly. Plants eat slowly from Green Magic, and once a week they get a fresh boost.
  • 🐈 Sunshine: Sprinkle once, then boosters every week. The plant grows, I drink coffee, and nobody forgets anything important.
  • 🐈 Smokey: Except where you left the donuts.
  • 🐈 Sunshine: Smokey... nobody forgets donuts. Ever!
  • 🐈🐈 More about Smokey & Sunshine


📚 Learn more about plant food:
📱 What are Sunshine Boosters

#Fertilizers #PeopleCats
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Date: 20 Feb 2017

Flowering plant for a front yard

Q: I need your expertise. I had a plant in the front of my house that when I moved in (two years ago) wasn't doing well. It was infested with grasshoppers and snails. I treated it with a pesticide and fertilizer and it flourished. Had beautiful flowerings and was almost the size of the mulch area. Then the property management company hired some terrible grass cutters that I believed destroyed it. I would come home and find the red mulch and leaves from the plant all over the front lawn. And since then it has gone down hill. I am attaching a picture. As of now the larger of the remaining two trunks (out of six that were there) is falling over and it doesn't seem to be doing well. So I was wondering if you can recommend a nice plant that I can replace this one with. Nothing extravagant but nice enough to fill in that area. Also since I only lease here don't want to get to pricey either. Thanks for any advice and plants you have.

A: The plant you have is called Spider Lily. It is one of the easiest landscape plants that doesn't require much care and is great for low maintenance yards. In your case, besides possible damage from the grass cutter, looks like the plant is very old judging by the thick woody stem. It is not a bad idea to replace it with something more pretty rather than trying to baby it. Other suggestions for this location would be something easy and low maintenance, especially if you don't have reliable sprinkler system in that area of your yard and don't want to spend time hand-watering with a house:
Sweet mimosa - grows into very large bush, Pony tail, Dwarf poinciana, Powderpuff, Clusia, Devils backbone (smaller bush 3 ft tall), Cordyline, Ti leaf - these are very colorful.
There are more low maintenance plants you can chose from.
And always remember that traditional "landscapers" that only mow grass, may not be experts on plants. You may always call TopTropicals Garden Doctor and get professional help with keeping your plants healthy. We are always here to help your garden!

Date: 5 Sep 2016

Planting instructions for bare-rooted succulent plants

Q: I would like to order a few Adeniums from your selection. You website says "shipped barerooted". What do I need to know about potting these plants before I order?

A: Adeniums do not require much soil; large 4-5"wide caudex plant can be grown in 1 gal pot. After unpacking the plants, position it in a pot, size of root system. Use only well-drained soil with high content of perlite and/or sand. Cactus mix can be used too, although we recommend using our special TopTropicals professional soilless potting mix. Water once and keep in warm (75-80F) place in filtered light. Do not water again until soil dries on surface. Once the plant is established and starts growing new leaves (may take a few weeks), gradually move it into brighter light. Then you can start fertilizing it. You may place shells and lime rocks on top of adenium planting, as these plants benefit from slightly alkaline soils.

See Info sheet on Adenium care.
See full list of Adeniums.
See full list of Plumerias.
See full list of Euphorbias.

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