"The purpose of agriculture is not the production of
food,
but the perfection of human beings" - Masanoby Fukuoka -
Working with Top Tropicals for the past decade, I frequently hear
heartwarming comments from customers like, "Oh, wow,
this place is breathtaking," "You must adore working here," "Isn't it
marvelous to be in harmony with nature every day?"
The truth is, yes, all these sentiments hold true, and I genuinely
cherish every single one of these comments; however... If you were to inquire
about my most cherished aspect of working here, I would have to say that my
absolute favorite part is when a husband calls and says:
"My wife and I embarked on a honeymoon
five years ago, and we stumbled upon this exotic wonder called Helicona Lobster Claw. My wife was captivated by it. I would love to
surprise her with one for our upcoming anniversary. Do you happen to have
them?.."
...Or when a bereaved wife sends an email, expressing:
"My beloved husband recently departed, and
he held a deep affection for Gardenias. I wish to plant one in our front yard as a living tribute to
his memory. Could you kindly recommend one?..."
Or, it could be the heartwarming scene of a new father visiting with his
young son, exclaiming:
"I have a dream of creating a bountiful
food forest for my children with fruit and other
edibles. I want them to experience the enchantment of watching food grow
and to impart the wisdom of cultivating it. Can you guide me in this
endeavor?"
Or the passionate plant collector who has spent years on a quest to
acquire that one elusive
specimen, the final piece of their adored collection. We spare no effort in locating it, and when we succeed, it
fills me with an indescribable joy!
You see, here at Top Tropicals, we don't merely sell plants; we trade in
precious memories, lofty aspirations, and vivid visions for a brighter
future. We deal in dreams. These dreams are nurtured in pots with a touch
of fertile
soil and an abundance of love. This is the essence of what makes Top
Tropicals so special to me:
🍓The Strawberry Moon Rises: A Gardener's
Excuse to Go Outside
Sunshine: Look at my strawberry-glazed donut. Same as the
Strawberry Moon. I have been waiting for this all month. They say moon
gardening is useful. Let's go planting! Smokey: Science hasn't found much evidence for it. Sunshine: Then what's the point? Smokey: If the moon gets people into the garden, that's
good enough for me.
On the evening of Monday, June 29, 2026, the full Strawberry Moon will rise
low in the southeastern sky. Whether you follow a lunar calendar or not,
it's a good excuse to spend a little time outside on a summer evening.
🌛 What Is the Strawberry Moon, Exactly?
Many of the familiar full moon names come from Native American
traditions and reflect seasonal events in nature. June's full moon was named
for the
season when wild strawberries ripen across much of North America, not for
any
color in the sky. Despite the name, the moon won't glow pink or red. If it
looks warm or golden, that's simply because any full moon takes on an amber
tint when it hangs low near the horizon, the same atmospheric effect that
paints
sunsets orange. The "strawberry" is about the harvest, not the hue.
This year, the Strawberry Moon rises on the evening of June 29 and will
appear low in the southeastern sky, making it a particularly beautiful moon
to watch as dusk settles in.
🌓 Moon Gardening, an Old and Honest Tradition
For generations, gardeners across Europe and beyond timed their
planting, pruning, and harvesting to the phases of the moon. Plant root
crops during
a waning moon, some traditions say, and leafy crops during a waxing one.
Prune during certain phases to slow regrowth, harvest herbs at others for
better
potency. These calendars were passed down through generations of careful
observers who paid close attention to their land and their results, and many
still follow them today.
Modern science has found little evidence that lunar gravity or moonlight
significantly affects plant growth. Yet the tradition persists, and plenty
of growers still find real value in the rhythm it brings to the gardening
year.
💡What We Know For Sure
Here's the practical truth, and it's the same one Smokey arrived at
after thinking it over. Whether or not the moon influences your plants, the
act
of walking through your garden definitely does. A moon-phase calendar that
gets you outside to check on your plants, pull a few weeds, prune back
something
leggy, top off the mulch, or water a thirsty pot is helping your garden,
regardless of what's happening overhead.
The benefit isn't necessarily lunar. It's attention.
A garden rarely thrives because of a single grand effort. It thrives
because of dozens of small ones: a little pruning, a little watering, a few
weeds pulled before they become many.
Gardens reward the gardeners who show up, and if a full moon is your
reminder to show up, that's a perfectly good reason to keep watching the
sky.
📅 Beyond the Harvest
Not everything in a garden needs to produce a yield to be worthwhile.
Marking the seasons the way our ancestors did, a strawberry moon in June, a
harvest moon in fall, a snow moon in February, gives us small, recurring
reasons
to notice what's changing around us. It's a rhythm, not a requirement.
Think of the Strawberry Moon as a good excuse to take a walk through the
garden.
The Strawberry Moon doesn't have to improve anything to be worth
celebrating. It only needs to get you outside on a warm June evening, which,
honestly, isn't a high bar to clear.
A Strawberry Moon Collection, Just for
Fun
Sunshine immediately concluded that any moon named after strawberries
deserved a few strawberry-themed plants. We couldn't argue with that logic,
so
we pulled together a few Top Tropicals favorites that fit the theme.
🍓 Strawberry Tree
The Strawberry Tree (Muntingia calabura) often carries flowers and
fruit at the same time. Sweet red berries, delicate white blossoms, and lush
foliage make this fast-growing tropical tree both ornamental and productive
throughout much of the year.
A rare yellow-fruited
form of Muntingia calabura (Strawberry Tree), displaying
sweet golden berries, delicate white flowers, and immature green fruit all
at the same time. This unusual selection offers the same fast growth and
continuous fruiting as the red type, but with attractive yellow fruit that
is
seldom seen in cultivation.
Strawberry Tree (Muntingia calabura), also known as Jamaican
Cherry, grows quickly and produces dainty white flowers resembling
strawberry
flowers, followed by an abundance of small cotton-candy-sweet berries that
birds, wildlife, gardeners and their kids all appreciate.
Strawberry Guava (Psidium littorale) brings glossy foliage and
sweet, perfumed fruit that tastes something like its namesake crossed with a
guava.
Strawberry Guava (Psidium littorale, or cattleianum) often
carries fruit in multiple stages of ripening at once, creating a colorful
display
of green, golden, and ruby-red berries. The sweet, aromatic fruit is prized
for fresh eating and attracts birds and wildlife to the garden.
🍓 Strawberry Dragon Fruit
Dragon Fruit Vietnamese Jaina Strawberry White (Hylocereus
undatus
) produces bright pink fruit with refreshing white flesh and a flavor often
described as a blend of strawberry, melon, and kiwi. Its enormous
night-blooming flowers are every bit as impressive as the fruit, turning
this vigorous
climbing cactus into a spectacular summer showpiece.
Vietnamese Jaina Strawberry White Dragon Fruit is prized for its
refreshing
white flesh and mild sweet flavor with hints of strawberry, melon, and kiwi.
The vivid pink skin and striking black-speckled interior make it as
beautiful
on the table as it is delicious to eat.
🍓 Strawberry Ginger
Coral Ginger Borneo Strawberry Pink (Riedelia coralina) is one of
the rarest gingers in cultivation, producing unusual strawberry-pink flower
spikes that seem almost too exotic to be real. The edible blooms have a
pleasant spicy fragrance and flavor, making this New Guinea treasure as
interesting
to taste as it is to admire.
Whether you came for the moon or the plants, we hope you discovered
something interesting.
They just happen to share a name with the moon overhead this June, and that
felt like reason enough to give them a little spotlight.
Riedelia coralina, known as Coral
Ginger or Borneo Strawberry Pink, produces one of the most
unusual flower displays in the ginger family. Its striking strawberry-pink
blooms
rise above lush foliage, creating a tropical focal point rarely seen outside
specialized collections.
🍓🌱 How to Grow Them
If you live in a frost-free climate (USDA Zones 10+), simply plant these
strawberry gems in the ground and enjoy. Strawberry Guava can tolerate
occasional frosts down to about 28F once established.
Not so lucky? Many gardeners successfully grow Strawberry Guava, Strawberry
Dragon Fruit, and Strawberry Tree in containers, moving them indoors or to a
protected location during winter. You don't need a tropical climate to enjoy
tropical fruit.
🏡 See You Outside
Whether you believe in moon gardening or not, June 29 is a good night to
step outside, find an open view of the southeastern sky, and watch the
Strawberry Moon rise. Bring a cup of tea, walk the garden beds while there's
still
light, pull a few weeds, and let the evening settle in around you.
And that may be the real lesson of the Strawberry Moon.
Sunshine: The Strawberry Moon is out. Time for
gardening. Smokey: What does the moon calendar recommend? Sunshine: I have no idea. I left it on the kitchen table.
Both hands are full. Smokey: Of course they are. Coffee and donuts. Let's start
with the weeds.
TopTropicals.com - the World's leading authority on tropical plants - is now in Telegram. If you grow a tropical garden or indoor collection of rare plants, this is your channel!
Join to get exclusive updates on tropical gardening:
Fun Facts and Nature Wonders 🌺 How to make your plants flower and stay happy 🥭 How to get the biggest fruit crop 🏆 Sweepstakes and Contests Butterfly and Container Garden Food Forest ⚜️ Perfume Plants 🍲 Exotic Recipes and Remedies ...and of course, your favorite - 🐾 PeopleCats in the Garden!
Code red: Study reveals
human degradation of tropical forests
is greater than previously estimated
This summer has been scorching hot across the globe, with every summer
month breaking temperature records in recorded history.
Have you ever wondered what kind of natural world your children or
grandchildren will inherit? Will they grow up surrounded by lush forests and
greenery, or will they only know cities made of metal and concrete?
Tropical forests are super important for biodiversity and fighting
climate change, but humans are messing them up more than we thought. Using fancy
tech from the International Space Station, scientists found that human activities like logging and road-building
are degrading these forests a lot. Even edges of forests are suffering,
reducing canopy height and biomass significantly. This degradation is often
overlooked, even though it has a huge impact on carbon emissions and biodiversity
loss.
Planting trees in your yard, or even better, several trees, helps combat
this problem by restoring some of the lost biodiversity and absorbing carbon
dioxide. Plus, it's a fun way to make your space greener and contribute to a
healthier planet!
Together, we've planted over 15,000 trees this year!
This year at TopTropicals, we have planted quite a few trees. Let's
see...
- 44 mango trees planted at our BFarm...
- 49 tropical fruit trees
- 127 flowering trees and shrubs... (special thanks to Mick and Aurelio)
- 15,282 plants were ordered and, hopefully, planted by our customers this
year so far...
Join us. Plant a tree today to make the difference!
"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree
a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
A fast, savory avocado toast with a subtle umami kick. Creamy ripe avocado is mashed with a small touch of miso, spread on warm toast, and finished with cracked black pepper. Simple, unexpected, and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
1/4 teaspoon white or light miso paste
2 slices bread, toasted
Freshly crushed black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl.
Add miso and mash until mostly smooth.
Spread evenly on warm toast.
Finish with crushed black pepper and serve immediately.
A Strawberry Moon Collection, Just for
Fun
