Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 17 Jun 2020

The easiest to grow Gardenia

Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis

by Onika Amell, tropical plant expert

One of the easiest and hardiest Gardenias in our collection is the Vietnamese Gardenia. This plant is much easier to grow than many other Gardenias. It can handle overly moist soils much better, is quite drought tolerant once established and has a high resistance to the typical Gardenia woes. It is hands down also the most cold hardy Gardenia in our collection!

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Date: 20 May 2020

How to prevent Jasmine flower drop

Q: My jasmine buds turn purple to brown and drop before it blooms. What should I do to get the jasmines to bloom fully. Appreciate your help & suggestions.

A: At this time of the year in Florida, jasmines may drop flowers because of the sudden hot weather. The plants didn't have a chance yet to change their metabolism to summer type. The high temperatures promoted early bloom, but the plant is not strong enough to support the flowers. It needs extra food. To improve flower quality and reduce bud drop, we recommend these supplements:
SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Plant Booster
Sunshine Honey
and Sunshine Superfood

Date: 22 Apr 2020

Quirky Brazilian Starfish Pepper

by Onika Amell, tropical plant expert

There is something very rewarding in growing your own peppers. Brazilian Starfish pepper - Capsicum baccatum is a little bomb of flavor! This is not a plant you will find just anywhere in the United States.
This is a very uniquely shaped pepper which makes it an excellent ornamental plant. But unlike many other peppers with pretty faces and lacking in flavor, the Brazilian Starfish pepper is delicious too. It is hailed for the complex floral and fruity undertones and a medium level of heat for most folks. These fruity and juicy, crunchy peppers are perfect for pickling or just eating raw in salads or salsas. They are irresistible in a glass pickling jar because of their unique shape. Bold and crisp, this pepper is much sought after by foodies and gardeners alike.

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Date: 12 Apr 2020

Exotic Easter Lily Vine

by Onika Amell, tropical plant expert

If you happen to love Easter Lilies, let us introduce you to a very beautiful and hard-to-find vine... The magnificent Easter Lily Vine - Beaumontia grandiflora, is not sold at most nurseries and is not widely grown for this very reason. We certainly feel it should be, as this woody vine is a tremendous climber which rewards the gardener with large clusters of white flowers resembling Easter Lilies, during early spring to late fall. The flowers are sweetly scented and make excellent cut flowers, which last for at least a week! An added bonus is the twining ends, which makes a very unusual and interesting addition to floral arrangements...

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Here at the nursery, our Easter Lily vines are almost ready to burst into full bloom. We are waiting impatiently. Order yours, and have a Happy Easter!

Seeds of Easter Lily vine also available at BOGO deal - buy 2 packs for the price of 1 with FREE shipping!

See how to how to create a fragrant privacy fence of virtually unlimited size.

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!

Save 20% on ANY 20 Dream Plants in your cart!