Date: 30 Jun 2021
Black Magic of Colocasias
Spectacular unusual plants
Q: I need something unusual to plant next to a small pond at my front yard. It is full sun location. I need a plant that is not too messy and doesn't require much maintenance. Preferably without flowers, so they don't drop into the water, and not too tall. Any suggestions?
A: Your ideal solution is - colorful Colocasia hybrids with
spectacular large leaves. Our favorite is variety Black Magic - it creates a magic tropical atmosphere. The color of the
leaves in full sun is dark purple, almost black, and the brighter the light,
the deeper the color.
Light colored varieties - Royal Hawaiian Maui Sunrise, with bright sunny stripes, or Illustris, in case you want to create a bright, mixed-color border
around your pond. Colocasias are perfect plants for perimeter borders, and
naturally are marginal plants around lakes and along river banks.
Photo above: for enhanced effect of your Black Magic Colocasias, use Black Magic Ti Leaf for the background planting... Cordyline fruticosa Black Magic
Date: 20 Aug 2020
Coral Bean - Hummingbird Delight
Erythrina herbacea
by Onika Amell, tropical plant expert
Q: I am creating a natural, native garden on the southwest coast of Florida. In some of the far corners of my landscape, my soil unfortunately is poor and my irrigation does not reach these areas. I am hoping to find something unusual and native to grow in these challenging areas of my garden. Any luck of finding something tough that will also attract hummingbirds and/or butterflies?
A: Most of us have these areas in our gardens where the soil is sandy or where irrigation simply does not reach. It is always wise to choose tough, native plants that will grow in these areas with minimum care, fertilizer or the luxury of being watered regularly.
One plant to consider is the Coral bean or Erythrina herbacea. This legume, native to the southern portions of the United States, is Florida-friendly, unusual and a great choice for natural and informal planting. It will add interest to these challenging area(s) of your landscape from spring to fall...
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Date: 4 Jun 2020
Plant of the Month: Tecomaria capensis Apricot
Stevie's Pick: what's in bloom?
Today we are starting a new column about the most spectacular specials that are in bloom or in fruit today. Our exotic plant grower Steven Gowdy will spotlight the most interesting plants he discovers and recommends today while working in TopTropicals greenhouses.
Summer is in full bloom and everyone is wanting dirt under there nails
after being quarantined for two months! Enjoy warm tropical breezes with
Apricot flowers of this showy African Tecomaria in your garden.
Tecomas and Tecomarias make a wonderful splash of color in any garden,
and apricot is no exception. Tecomaria Apricot has pretty unusual color of
flowers, ranging from bright apricot color to light-salmon. Ever blooming in
warmer climates, it can grow 3-4 feet high and a whopping 4-5 feet wide. In
addition to its beautiful flowers, this plant has many medicinal benefits. An
easy fast growing addition to any landscape, it is a great hummingbird and
butterfly attractor. It is pretty cold hardy and can tolerate light frost which
is a great benefit for gardeners living in subtropical climates with cooler
winters.
Date: 23 May 2020
Perfumed Milky Way Tree
by Onika Amell, tropical plant expert
What is a garden without fragrance? Unknown to so many gardeners because
of its rarity, the Milky Way tree or Stemmadenia litoralis is one of those trees that are simply
unforgettable. This is without a doubt one of the most fragrant flowering trees you can
plant in the tropics or warm greenhouse conditions...
When this tree is in full bloom, masses of large, white, tornado-shaped
flowers cover the branches. The fragrance is something to behold… soft,
vanilla sweet and musky. Leaves are dark green and sparkly and a striking contrast
against the large, white flowers. Even the seed pods are pretty,
double-horned and orange-gold, born in pairs and hanging from the tree. This tree is so
ornamental!..
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Date: 8 Apr 2020
Gardening has hooked another fan!
Over the last few weeks, we've been discussing using this time to engage
in the activities that make you happy, to do more of what you love. Of
course, for all of us at Top Tropicals, we have been singing the praises of
gardening and tropical plants for years and sharing the love with any friends and
neighbors who have expressed an interest in our activity of choice.
Do we have an affect on some people? Do we encourage them to try their hand
at gardening and experience the wonder of plants? Yesterday, we just saw it
with our own eyes. Our neighbor, to whom we once gave an Ylang Ylang tree, has consistently and politely resisted a suggestion
to try gardening herself and put some new and interesting plants in an
otherwise traditionally landscaped builders' home. Even her husband emphatically
stated that he was never going to put plants in, let alone take existing plain
boring stuff out!
What a pleasant surprise when we saw them both and their 2 young children
digging in the garden together yesterday. They replaced a whole section of
generic stock plants provided by the builder and filled the area in with loads
of colorful flowers and even topped it off with a healthy dose of new mulch!
We couldn't believe our eyes and was so happy to see the gardening "bug" made
yet another friend!
We hope our Dream Cart Offer will help someone make their dreams come true, and this forced vacation time will be well spent on their home and garden!
