Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 10 Jul 2021

Bauhinias: Orchid trees with Butterfly leaves

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Have you seen butterflies? Yes, of course. Have you seen orchids? Yes, of course. And have you seen a tree with flowers that look like both a butterfly, and an orchid?...
...Bauhinias are beautiful and diverse. Their flowers are showy and slightly perfumed; their leaves always cleft in the characteristic Bauhinia manner... And they are gorgeous - all together and each in their own way... They turn your garden into a colorful paradise and make you feel like living on exotic island...
...Some of them are everblooming and start flowering in 1-3 gal pots!...

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Date: 4 Jun 2021

Fragrant plants - Sweet memories

...More than any other sense, the sense of smell has the power to recall memories of the past. Perhaps this is because the olfactory impressions are received by the brain's limbic system, one of the most ancient components that also associated with emotions. The result is that even a whiff of a certain flower or leaf can instantly transport us in time to when we first encountered the fragrance. Little wonder that fragrant plants have always ranked high among Southern favorites...

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Date: 28 Apr 2021

Macadamia Goodness

Macadamia nuts are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Their potential benefits include weight loss, improved gut health, and protection against diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease.
Native to Australia, Macadamia trees are now grown in various places around the world, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
Like most other nuts, Macadamia nuts are rich in nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. They are also linked to several benefits, including improved digestion, heart health, weight management, and blood sugar control.

10 health benefits of macadamia nuts

1. Rich in nutrients
2. Loaded with antioxidants
3. Boost heart health
4. Reduce risk of metabolic syndrome
5. May aid weight loss
6. Improve gut health
7. Providing anticancer properties
8. Boosting brain health
9. Bumping up your longevity
10. Easy to add to your diet
Learn more...

Delicious Macadamia nuts are loved by everyone, but they are so expensive from a grocery store... If you are excited about this nut, start saving: get your own tree and harvest your own goodness!

Macadamia are very handsome trees. They are easy to grow, require very little care and are relatively cold hardy. The are slow growing, compact bushy trees that start fruiting within 2-3 years from seed. Macadamias trees are reliable producers. The most important in Macadamia cultivation - do not over-fertilize this plant, it is very sensitive to regular fertilizer. Use only liquid plant food, and provide Micro-elements on regular basis.

Read more about this plant >>

Date: 11 Feb 2021

Schlumbergera x New Deal

A remarkable Christmas cactus hybrid

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

...This hybrid, completely lost to the trade today, is being offered here for the first time after it was originally offered for purchase at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden over 80 years ago. That institution was having a special rare plant sale on the day of the famous presidential election on November 8, 1932, when F.D.R. was historically voted in as the next American president.
The plants we are offering are all 3rd generation vegetative propagations from an original specimen (still alive btw) of a plant purchased from them that very day. Its name is identical to that president's main campaign slogan!..

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Date: 8 Feb 2021

Valentine's Garden Party was a blast!

We would like to thank all our vendors and guests who made this Garden Party a real fun event!
If you haven't been to Top Tropicals Festivals yet, and even if you live far away - it is worth a trip. Lots of vendors with happy crafts, and lots of happy people. Because Garden People are Happy People! Stay connected and visit our next Festival - more info coming soon on our Event page...