Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 30 Jan 2026

Start a garden

Cat Persephone

Cat Persephone

😳 Start a garden



"Life begins the day you start a garden." - Chinese proverb

🐈📸 Cat Persephone - the Guard of TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

#PeopleCats

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 2 Feb 2020

Compact Bonsai and Money Money...

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

Q: I am looking for a tropical plant to grow indoors as a bonsai which would naturally stay small, tolerate low humidity, and if possible also make flowers or something interesting. Any suggestions?

A: Better than anything, would be a particular variety of Euphorbia millii or Crown of Thorns, which Top Tropicals has exclusively introduced from Thailand, and is called - of all things - Money Money. (Those Thai seem to give their hybrids names which don't seem to make sense to us English speakers). I have one growing as a bonsai myself, and hold it with much esteem. It has all the qualities which you are hoping for...

Date: 29 Jan 2020

The most luscious Hospitality Fruit: Pineapple

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

I wonder how many people know that the Pineapple (Ananas comosus) was actually the very first New World tropical fruit to have been sampled fresh by European royalty? It happened 527 years ago, when one made it to Spain, being personally delivered to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella by Christopher Columbus... He had obtained a huge number of them, however only one actually survived intact and edible! That pineapple was instantly declared to be the most luscious wonderful fruit ever!..
...During the 1700s before the Revolutionary War, the overly monetarily intoxicated super-rich were actually paying a modern equivalent of⁠ - get this - 8000 dollars for a single fruit!..
...In conclusion, I will add the simple recipe for my personally favorite go-to comfort food...

Pineapple plantation in Hawaii

Date: 2 Apr 2026

Skip the Egg Hunt - Start a Plant Hunt 🐰

Smokey  the  black-and-white  cat  with  glasses  sits  on  a  patio  taking 
 notes  while  Sunshine,  a  fluffy  orange  cat  wearing  bunny  ears,  holds  a  small 
 potted  mango  tree  with  light  yellow 
 flowers.
Sunshine: I went egg hunting. Found something better. Let’s grow it on the balcony. Mango-filled donuts, here I come.

Smokey: Finally. You’re thinking.

Read more about Smokey & Sunshine

Groundhog said long winter… and it sure felt like it. But now it is finally over, and balconies and patios are waking up again.

Easter is here, and with it comes that fresh start feeling - time to open the doors, bring plants back out, and start growing.

We made it through the cold. For northern gardeners, that is every year; for borderline zones, it is a reminder that freezes happen. That is exactly why growing in pots makes sense - you stay flexible.

Container growing is not just about pots - it is about choosing the right plants. The best options stay manageable, produce well, and handle being moved.

Let's look at what works. Start with plants that naturally stay compact and adapt well to containers. These are the ones that won’t outgrow your space and will reward you quickly. These are proven performers in containers - compact, productive, and easy to manage:

Simple rule: if it stays compact and handles pruning, it works in a container.

Skip the egg hunt this year - go on a plant hunt instead. Start with one or two plants this Easter - not ten. Get them established, learn how they grow, and then expand.

Container basics (keep it simple):

  • Pot size: start with 3–7 gallon, upgrade as plant grows
  • Soil: fast-draining mix (never heavy garden soil)
  • Water: soak well, then let top inch dry
  • Feeding: consistent light feeding works better than heavy doses
  • Sun: most tropicals want full sun (6+ hours)

🐣 Browse our Easter Container Collection

Randia  formosa  (Blackberry  Jam  Fruit)  showing  yellow  ripe  fruits,  some 
 cut  open  to  reveal  glossy  dark  pulp 
 inside.

Randia formosa - Blackberry Jam Fruit

Bunchosia  argentea  (Peanut  Butter  Fruit)  showing  clusters  of  red  ripe 
 fruits  on  a  leafy 
 branch.

Bunchosia argentea - Peanut Butter Fruit

Myrciaria  cauliflora  (Jaboticaba)  tree  with  clusters  of  dark 
 purple-black  fruits  growing  directly  on  the 
 trunk.

Myrciaria cauliflora - Jaboticaba

Eugenia  brasiliensis  (Grumichama)  with  red  ripe  cherries  hanging  from  a
   branch  against  blue 
 sky.

Eugenia brazilensis - Grumichama and more Eugenia Cherries

Date: 8 Feb 2024

Mark your calendars: March 2, 2024

March  2,  2024  -  SATURDAY  -  Spring  Plant  Market:  March  into  Spring!

Plant Festival "March into Spring!"
Saturday, March 2, 9 am - 4 pm

Save the date! On March 2, 2024, join us for our vibrant Plant Festival, "March into Spring!"
Dive into a world of lush greenery, blooming delights, and rare fruit trees at our garden event. Discover unbeatable sales, exclusive deals, delightful gift bags, and receive free plants with every purchase.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to embrace the beauty of spring and elevate your garden to new heights!

Highlights of the event:

30% OFF online prices, one day only! (excluding 15 gallon material and rare plants)
Gift bags - for first 25 customers with $50 order
Secret Garden: Super savings area 50-70% off
$5 and $10 plants
Raffle
Free plant with any purchase as a token of our appreciation

Event discounts valid at both locations:

Ft Myers Garden Center: 13890 Orange River, Ft Myers, FL
Sebring B-Farm: 9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL

Facebook event page - Download invitation

Cat  with  plants  in  a  bag