Date: 2 Mar 2026
😼😺 The Story Behind Smokey and Sunshine 🐾
Smokey: Not so fast, genius. Twenty five degrees is not the North Pole. And polar bears and penguins do not share zip codes.
Sunshine: You always pour cold water on my brilliance. Fine. Where do we start?
Smokey: Well, first you go talk to Tatiana. She graduated from the Geography Department. She can explain climate zones. Cherry of the Rio Grande can grow in North Florida, Texas, and similar climates. Let’s master that before we conquer Arctic.
Sunshine: So… Phase One: Geography?
Smokey: Exactly.
Some stories are easier to tell with a little humor. Smokey and Sunshine were never just mascots. They represent the two forces behind every decision we make here: bold ideas and careful reality. One dreams big. The other checks the climate zone map. Together, they remind us that growing plants is part science, part optimism, and always personal. If you have ever wondered why they keep appearing in our newsletters, you can read their full story on the Smokey and Sunshine page. They have been with us longer than most people realize.
🐾 Learn the Story of Smoky and Sunshine
Freeze Testing of Grumichama and Cherry of Rio Grande 🍒❄️
When temperatures dropped to 25F, with wind chill near 14F, winter made it clear which tropical trees were truly resilient. Some plants burned back. Tender growth collapsed. But our established Eugenia cherries stood steady. Leaves held. Branches stayed flexible. The canopy remained intact.
Cherry of the Rio Grande (Eugenia aggregata) and Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis) are among the most cold-hardy tropical cherries for Southern gardens. Both are native to Brazil and thrive in USDA Zones 9b–11, and even protected 9a sites.
Cherry of the Rio Grande produces dark ruby fruit that ripens almost black, with a rich, full cherry flavor. It flowers early in spring and can fruit well into summer. Mature trees can tolerate brief drops into the low 20s once established. Trees typically grow 8 to 15 feet tall, remain naturally compact, and often begin fruiting within 2 to 3 years.
Grumichama is an evergreen tree known for both beauty and productivity. In spring, it covers itself in white starburst flowers that attract pollinators. Within about four weeks, glossy purple-black fruit develops. Established trees tolerate temperatures into the upper 20s and grow well in the ground or in 5–10 gallon containers. Mature trees can produce hundreds of fruits per season.
Across the Eugenia group, strengths are consistent: early bearing, compact growth, heat tolerance, light freeze endurance, and low pest pressure. They are adaptable to different soils, need modest water once established, and perform in full sun or partial shade. Birds enjoy the fruit, but there is usually plenty to share.
Nutritionally, Eugenia cherries provide Vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and notable Vitamin A that supports eye health. They offer sweetness with real dietary value.
In the kitchen, they are simple and rewarding. Cherry of the Rio Grande makes an easy compote. Simmer the fruit with a small amount of water until soft, mash lightly, and spoon over pancakes or warm bread. Grumichama turns into a deep red jam with sugar and lime, or can be blended into a bright spoon drizzle over vanilla ice cream.
Even when not fruiting, both trees remain attractive year-round with glossy evergreen foliage and clean structure. They fit well into edible landscapes, small yards, and container gardens.
Winter will return. The difference lies in planting fruit trees that can handle heat, humidity, and the occasional cold snap. If you are building a food forest for lasting harvests, cold-hardy tropical cherries like Cherry of the Rio Grande and Grumichama deserve a place in your garden.
Date: 11 Mar 2026
📅 Do Not Miss: March 21 - Spring Equinox Plant Market
🍩 Saturday, March 21, 2026: 9 am - 4 pm
Smokey: You'd be perfect for a Gulf beach cafe. But gardeners don't come here for donuts.
Sunshine: Really? Then why do they come?
Smokey: Some gardeners lost plants to the freeze. Others want trees that will handle winter better. Cold-hardy avocados. Macadamia. Grumichama. And some just come for fun - to see the PeopleCats.
Sunshine: And my charm... and my donuts will make it more fun.
Read more about Smokey & Sunshine
Ft Myers Garden Center: 13890 Orange River, Ft Myers,
FL
Sebring B-Farm
: 9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL
More Spring Equinox Plant Market details
🌞 Welcome to our Spring Equinox Plant Market, proudly hosted by the PeopleCats of Top Tropicals.
This one feels different.
After Florida’s record freeze, many gardens are brown, trimmed back, or missing a few old friends. We felt it too. And now - we rebuild.
The equinox marks equal day and night. More light ahead. New growth beginning.
And the PeopleCats are ready🐾.
- 🐱King is back on gate duty - inspecting every vehicle for proper plant-hauling capacity.
- 😺Paisley is rearranging freeze survivors and new arrivals like a design consultant.
- 😼Snitch is supervising recovery efforts from a comfortable chair.
- 😸Persephone is checking under tables for "hidden spring energy."
- 😻Sushi and Loki are preparing for guided garden tours - recovery edition.
This is not just a plant market. This is the spring reset.
👍 Why You Should Come
It is finally warm in Florida. After several nights of hard freeze, some plants survived - and some didn’t. This event is your chance to see real freeze champions in person.
If you lost plants, you are not alone. If you are ready to plant smarter, this is your moment.
Walk the gardens. See proven winter survivors. Discover cold-hardy fruit trees and resilient ornamentals. Get practical advice about replanting after freeze. This is rebuilding - Florida style.
♥️ What Makes This Event Special
We are featuring:
- Verified freeze survivors
- Cold-hardy fruit trees
- Tough flowering trees and shrubs
- Replacement plants for damaged landscapes
- Smart layering ideas for frost-resilient gardens
- You will see which species handled 25F with wind and multiple nights of freeze - with no protection.
Real-world test. Real results.
Cold hardy fruit favorites include:
- Cold-hardy Avocado varieties, including varieties, which are cold hardy to 15-20°F: Joey, Fantastic, Mexicola, Poncho, Brogdon and more.
- Macadamia Nut Trees
- Eugenia Cherries, including Rio Grande and Grumichama
- Gin Berry and Jaboticaba
- Loquat and Cattley Guava
- Peaches and Pomegranates
🌸 Cold hardy subtropical flowering trees including:
- Bauhinias and Tabebuias
- Mexican Bird of Paradise - Caesalpinia mexicana
- Jacaranda and Magnolia
🎉Event Highlights
- 30% OFF online prices
- FREE plants with purchase
- $5-10 specials
- Exciting raffle prizes
🌳Don't just mow - grow!
Start your food forest, beat rising prices, and plant a future your family will thank you for.
Date: 7 Mar 2026
Sapodilla caramel toast: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
Sapodilla caramel toast
Sapodilla (Achras zapota) fruit
Sapodilla Caramel Toast
Ingredients
- 1 ripe sapodilla
- 2 slices toasted bread
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mash the ripe sapodilla flesh in a small pan.
- Warm gently until it becomes thick and caramel-like.
- Spread the warm sapodilla mixture over toasted bread.
- Finish with a small pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
🌿 About the plant:
Sapodilla is a tropical evergreen producing brown fruit with sweet, brown-sugar flavored flesh.
🏡 In the garden:
Likes heat and humidity. Grafted or air layered trees fruit earlier. Drought tolerant once established but best with regular watering.
🛒 Add Sapodilla - Brown Sugar Fruit tree to your Food Forest
📚 Learn more:
#Food_Forest #Recipes
🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 2 Aug 2020
Sunshine Boosters: Healthy Plant Food
Q&A from Mr Booster
This year we introduced many new items to Sunshine Boosters selection - for all your plant needs in the garden. We receive lots of feedback and questions, so it is time now to share this information with all our customers and open this new section in our Newsletter -
From Mr Booster: Q&A
We promise that we will keep up with your favorite Cat of The Month blog as well!
Dry, liquid, or both?
Q: I have bought different plant boosters, and I am so exited to use them on my plants! I understand that Sunshine Boosters are better than traditional fertilizers, should I give up dry fertilizers all together, or can I continue using them? They are so easy, don't require any mixing...
A: We are all busy and it seems at first like a little bit of
work with all the mixing, but it saves your time in a long run! And money
too.
When we used dry fertilizers, every now and then a plant got killed, some
looked undernourished (or over-fertilized) and unhappy. It was always a
challenge to figure out which plant needs more and which needs less, and how often.
It made us use more and more chemicals trying to adjust the feeding balance,
and we had to worry about why a plant doesn't look happy. Sometimes we lost rare, valuable, collectible plants since we couldn't find a cure for their illnesses.
With Sunshine Boosters, those problems are gone now! See examples.
Compare using Sunshine Boosters with eating healthy, well-balanced food.
You can still survive on junk food and won't die from starvation, but eventually eating junk food will take its toll and create health problems. So you will end up trying to fix them with more and more medicine... which in turn will create more side effects.
By using Sunshine Boosters, you provide all necessary elements and vitamins
to plants without a risk of side effects or building up unnecessary
junk/toxins in their system. No more leftovers!
According to tests, Sunshine Boosters are used up completely through plant metabolism, making them healthy, strong, and disease resistant. Sunshine Boosters are based on organic amino-acids which is the foundation of life on Earth. This helps to eliminate nutrients lock up in soil. See why Sunshine liquid fertilizers are better than dry fertilizers.
To answer your question, we recommend to switch to liquid Sunshine Boosters. It is possible to additionally use dry granulated "smart-release" fertilizers for in-ground plants, no more than once a month and only during hot season (Sunshine Boosters can be used year-round). However, some customers ran independent tests and admit that using Sunshine Boosters alone is more effective than in combination with dry fertilizers. See review from Karma Nursery.
Garden Series, or Combo Total Feed Collection - all nutrients in just one bottle, for different plant types. See booster in this collection, for different types of pants.
Date: 12 Sep 2019
Helping Citrus and other fruit trees with Nutritional Supplements
Q: Can you recommended a product to help with my citrus? Combating greening and chlorosis.
A: Citrus greening is spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. The psyllid feeds on the stems and leaves of the trees, infecting the trees with the bacteria that causes citrus greening. Florida Citrus growers dedicated the last decade to researching citrus greening. Officially, currently there is still no cure, however, some Nutritional solutions have shown promising results. To slow the progression of citrus greening in infected trees, nutrients are applied to the leaves and to the roots. Providing better nutrition helps trees fight against citrus greening and enables them to continue to produce quality fruit.
We recommend the following products for use on regular basis:
SUNSHINE Epi is a natural Brassinosteroid plant hormone and a bio-stimulant that may be very effective as citrus greening treatment. It works through plant's immune system and shows amazing results of recovery of weak and sick plants.
SUNSHINE Superfood, a complex micro-element supplement, maintains plant's health and provides vigorous growth.
SUNSHINE-Honey is a basic nutritional complement, it contains essential plant micronutrients Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo). These elements are essential to vegetative and reproductive growth, cell expansion, tissue growth, and fertility. A very common problem for most unimproved garden soils is lack of Molybdenum and Boron as soil micro-component. This results in underdeveloped / low quality fruit and/or premature fruit drop. Applying SUNSHINE Honey on your fruit trees will fill that gap and help a fruit tree to form a healthy fruit.
Macro-nutrients should be applied in combination with micro-nutrients on regular basis:
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster (works great for all
tropical fruit trees)
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Ideal blend designed to improve fruit trees
health and vigor, and increase crop yield.
See SUNSHINE Boosters page for the complete list of plant boosters.
