Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 24 Feb 2026

5 Heart-Shaped Plants Every Gardener Needs This Spring

Aristolochia " The "alien" flower that hosts rare butterflies.

Aristolochia " The "alien" flower that hosts rare butterflies.

Dombeyaflowers on the bush

Dombeyaflowers on the bush

Hoya kerrii Sweetheart Hoya

Hoya kerrii Sweetheart Hoya

Philodendron leaves

Philodendron leaves

Piper - edible leaves

Piper - edible leaves

5 Heart-Shaped Plants Every Gardener Needs This Spring 💕

❣️ Why heart-shaped?



Heart-shaped leaves instantly soften a garden. They feel welcoming, romantic, and just a little bit playful. But if you choose wisely, you will get much more than a cute leaf shape.

Before adding a plant to your collection, look beyond the foliage. Does it flower? Does it attract pollinators? Does it offer edible or fragrant benefits? The right heart-shaped plant can bring beauty, fragrance, butterflies - even flavor - to your landscape all year long.

Here are five plants that truly give your home a little love.

    • 💚 1. Aristolochias - bold leaves and wild flowers


    If you want a conversation starter, Aristolochia is the answer. These vines don't just offer bold, oversized heart foliage and produce "alien-looking" blooms that defy garden norms.

· Garden Hack: Use it to create "living shade" on hot west-facing walls to naturally cool your home.
  • · Extra benefits: Many species are host plants for Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies, making them essential for pollinator gardens. They grow fast, create dense shade, and can cool down hot garden walls during summer. 👉Explore Aristolochias


💚 2. Dombeyas - winter flowers when little else blooms



Dombeyas bring heart-shaped foliage together with spectacular winter blooms. Their large clusters of pink flowers resemble hydrangeas and appear when many other plants are resting.

Extra benefits: They bloom in the cooler months, feeding bees when nectar sources are limited. These fast-growing shrubs create privacy quickly and fill the air with a light, sweet fragrance during flowering season. 👉Explore Dombeya

    • 💚 3. Hoya kerrii - the living Valentine



    Often sold as a single heart-shaped leaf in a pot, Hoya kerrii is known as the Sweetheart plant. But when mature, it becomes a climbing or trailing vine with thick, succulent foliage.

    Extra benefits: It is extremely low maintenance, tolerates dry indoor air, and can live for many years. When happy, it produces clusters of star-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers. It is compact enough for desks and shelves, yet long-lived enough to become a true keepsake plant. 👉Explore Heart Hoya

    • 💚 4. Philodendron - classic hearts, endless varieties



    If you picture a heart-shaped leaf, you are probably imagining a Philodendron. From deep green to bright chartreuse like Golden Goddess, there is a variety for every style.

    Extra benefits: Philodendrons adapt easily to indoor or outdoor growing in warm climates. They help improve indoor air quality, tolerate lower light, and require minimal care. In the garden, they thrive in shade and add a lush tropical feel without demanding constant attention. 👉Explore Philodendrons

    • 💚 5. Piper - beautiful and edible



    Many Piper species have attractive heart-shaped leaves, but they offer more than good looks. Some are edible and culturally significant.

    Extra benefits: Piper betle and Piper sarmentosum leaves are used fresh in Southeast Asian cuisine, while Piper nigrum gives you real black pepper from your own vine. These plants grow well in warm, humid climates, thrive in partial shade, and combine ornamental appeal with practical harvest. 👉Explore Pipers

    • 💚 Ready to add some 'love' to your landscape?



    Heart-shaped foliage is charming, but the real value comes from what these plants give back - flowers in winter, butterflies in spring, edible leaves in summer, or easy indoor greenery all year.

    Choose plants that not only look lovely but also work hard in your garden. That way, your landscape is not just pretty - it is alive, useful, and full of personality.


🛒 Discover tropical plants with benefits

📚 Learn more:


#Container_Garden #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 23 Feb 2026

Macadamia nut oven crisp

Golden macadamia-crusted fish fillet

Golden macadamia-crusted fish fillet

Macadamia integrifolia - Macadamia nuts and leaves on a tree

Macadamia integrifolia - Macadamia nuts and leaves on a tree

🍴 Macadamia nut oven crisp: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Macadamia Nut Oven Crisp

Ingredients

  • 1 fish fillet (cod, tilapia, or snapper)
  • 1/3 cup crushed macadamia nuts
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Spread a thin layer of mustard over the fish fillet.
  3. Press crushed macadamia nuts onto the top of the fillet.
  4. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
  5. Bake until golden and crisp, about 12–15 minutes.


🌿About the plant:
Macadamia is an Australian rainforest tree that gives us one of the richest, creamiest nuts on earth. The shell is famously hard - you really earn that buttery crunch.

🏡 In the garden:


Best in warm climates, zones 9-11, cold hardy to light freeze. Needs full sun, good drainage, and patience - seedlings can take several years to start producing (grafted or air-layered trees start flowering right away). Once established, they are long-lived and productive.

🛒 Plant a hardy Macadamia tree to always have your nuts

📚 Learn more:

Plant Facts

Macadamia sp.
Macadamia nut
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large tree taller than 20 ftSmall tree 10-20 ftFull sunRegular waterYellow, orange flowersWhite, off-white flowersPink flowersEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeFlood tolerant plant

🎥 Growing Macadamia trees

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 15 Feb 2026

Tamarind date dipping sauce, quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Tamarind date dipping sauce

Tamarind date dipping sauce

Tamarind - Tamarindus indica - flowers

Tamarind - Tamarindus indica - flowers

🍴 Tamarind date dipping sauce: quick-n-fun exotic recipes



Tamarind Date Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 soft dates
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2–3 tablespoons warm water

Instructions

  1. Soak the dates briefly in warm water if they are firm.
  2. Add the dates, tamarind pulp, and salt to a blender.
  3. Blend until smooth.
  4. Add warm water gradually until the sauce reaches dipping consistency.
  5. Serve with snacks, roasted vegetables, or grilled foods.


🌿 About the plant:


When combined with dates, tamarind transforms into a sweet-sour chutney common in Indian street food.

🏡 In the garden:


Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) flowering occurs in warm months with small yellowish blooms. Pollination leads to the familiar curved pods.

🛒 Add Tamarind tree to your garden

📚 Learn more:

Plant Facts

Tamarindus indica
Tamarind, Sampalok
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large tree taller than 20 ftFull sunModerate waterEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeFlood tolerant plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant

Tamarindus indica in Plant Encyclopedia

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Mar 2017

Taking care of Guanabana (Soursop) after shipping

Q: Since I have never grown a soursop tree before I need some pro help. My tree was delivered absolutely beautiful, leaves were a pretty green. I potted it and gave it a good drink of water and put it in a shaded area outside. Then the weather here became cool so I brought it in for a few days until the weather warmed, and it lost all the leaves. Is it in shock and will come around eventually? Will I be able to grow this tree indoors during winter?

A: Soursop - Annona muricata trees are very sensitive to temperature drops. This always causes leaf loss. You seem to be doing everything right. Do not water until soil gets slightly dry; keep it in bright shade. The weather should be good now with high temperatures and humidity rising. No fertilizer until the plant shows active new growth. Be patient with your plant, it should recover soon.

Soursop is an ultra-tropical tree and doesn't take any freeze. If you live in cooler climate, keep the plant in a pot (the good news is, Annonas in general have compact nature and are perfect for container culture). Bring the tree indoors during cold period, providing bright light.

Remember that grafted trees start flowering and producing fruit right away, unlike seedlings of Soursop that may take a few years till fruiting.

We have very interesting article about growing and fruiting Soursop in apartment. Check out Tropical Treasures Magazine #7.

Date: 31 Jan 2017

Plants of Love. TopTropicals Webinars

Plants of Love - Valentines Day Sale. For Valentines day, look beyond roses for a plant that will last a lifetime! It is not a surprise that the most popular plants that has been ordered from TopTropicals for Valentines day for the past 3 years, are: Vanilla, Chocolate, Grape, Strawberry tree, Rose apple - all things you get for your Valentines!

This year we are celebrating Valentines day with our special local event - "Aphrodisiacs, or Plants of Love".

When: Saturday, February 11, 2017, from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Toptropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft Myers, FL 33905
Agenda:
10:00 am - Explore the grounds: Customers can come in to look through the nursery and guided tours through gardens.
12:00 pm - Aphrodisiac plants. Class on plants used for aphrodisiacs throughout history.
1:00 pm - Plant giveaway. Must be present to win one of the aphrodisiac plants in lecture.
2:00 pm - sale ends.
Special Love Discounts for local visitors! Snacks and drinks.

Just a few examples of the most famous plants of love that we will be talking about -
Coffea arabica - in East Africa and Arabia it was a sacred beverage to African sufis. For aphrodisiac results mix in cardamom and honey.
Banisteriopsis caapi, Ayahuasca - giant liana from tropical Amazon forests psychedelic, ritual inebriant that promotes potency. Drink is made from the bark and is taken in love rituals to revive the mythical past of the tribe.
Areca catechu, Betel Nut - seeds have stimulating effect on the entire body and eros. It's a traditional aphrodosiac in Ayurvedic medicine and is counted among the eight types of pleasure in the Brahmanic tradition. It has magical and religious properties and used as an offering to the Gods.
Theobroma cacao, Chocolate - mild stimulant, beans contain aphrodisiac. Antient Indian "recipe of chocolati" will be shared at the event! Cocoa was considered the "food of gods".
Cinnamon - in Southern Asia used as stimulant, in food or massage oil for erotic stimulation.
Cola nitida, Cola nut - used in love magic, was used as currency in W Africa.
Cananga odorata, Ylang-Ylang - increases eroticism with oil inhaled. Prescribed to treat impotency and frigidity.
Butea monosperma, Flame of The Forest - is traditionally used to manage male sexual disorders.
Mimosa pudica, Sensitive Plant - significantly increases the libido and hormonal levels of testosterone.
Satureja Viminea, Kama Sutra Mint Tree - used for love gel...
- and much more!

TopTropicals Webinars. Welcome to Top Tropicals Webinar! Discover the world of Rare Plants and surround yourself with a Tropical Paradise! Our plant experts will be answering your garden questions. Our next LIVE air time is just before Valentines Day - Saturday February 11, at 2 pm ET, with a topic of... of course, Aphrodisiac Plants! Get your questions ready!

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