🍴 Velvet Nopal tacos: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Slice tender Opuntia pads, boil 5 minutes, then saute with onions and tomatoes.
• 🟢Serve in tortillas for a tangy, juicy twist on tacos.

🌵 About the plant:
Nopal Opuntia (prickly pear cactus pads) is a cornerstone vegetable in Mexican cuisine and a long-standing staple across Central and South America. It is valued both as food and medicine. Traditionally eaten sauteed, grilled, or stewed, nopal is rich in fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. It is especially well known for its role in blood sugar management - many people who eat it regularly report significant improvement in diabetes control.

🌱 In the garden:
Prickly pear is a fast-growing, tough desert plant with showy red flowers. It thrives on neglect, tolerates drought, and also handles Florida rain surprisingly well. Easy to grow, productive, and edible, it is one of the most practical food plants you can add to your landscape.

🛒 Add Nopal Cactus to your kitchen garden

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Prickly Pear in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️ Edible cactus with health benefits that your tortoise will love too

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Remedies

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🌳 Why young trees need staking?

Staking a young tree is simple but important. The goal is to attach a bamboo stake to support the trunk, encourage straight growth, and-most importantly-prevent the stem from wiggling.

Young trees grow fast and vigorously, but their trunks are often much taller and heavier than their root systems can support. At the same time, those trunks are still thin and flexible. Even light wind can cause the tree to rock back and forth. This movement disturbs developing roots and slows establishment.

• ❗️Without proper support:

• 🔹 The trunk can break in strong wind.
• 🔹 Roots loosen instead of anchoring.
• 🔹 The trunk may grow crooked.
• 🔹 The tree becomes uneven and less stable long-term.

• 🌳 How to stake correctly
• 🌳 Small trees

• 🔹 Create an A-frame with one bamboo stake.
• 🔹 Attach near the top, forming a triangle.
• 🔹 Do not push the stake right next to the trunk. It may look neat, but it can damage roots and will not provide proper stability.

• 🌳 Medium trees

• 🔹 Use 2-3 tie points along the trunk.
• 🔹 Use soft green garden tape, 1/2" wide.
• 🔹 Secure firmly but allow slight movement.

🌳 Tall or heavy trees

• 🔹 Use a strong support such as a metal pipe. We use 1" aluminum electrical conduit.
• 🔹 Attach with wider green tape, about 1" to protect the bark.
• 🔹 Build tripods around larger trees.

❗️ Important maintenance tips:

• 🔸 Check ties and tape often-every few weeks to once a month.
• 🔸 As the tree grows, re-adjust the tape so it does not cut into the trunk as it thickens and doesn't cause any rot.
• 🔸 Re-position bamboo stakes as needed, and be ready to replace them with a larger, stronger stake as the tree grows.

These rules apply to both potted trees and trees planted in the ground. Proper staking early on helps your tree establish faster, grow straighter, and develop a strong, stable root system for the future.

📸 Mango trees in 7 gal pots with "nursery-style" bamboo stakes that create a neat "standard". When stepping up or planting in the ground, attach a new stake and keep it away from the trunk.

🛒 Explore fruit trees and flowering trees

#Food_Forest #Trees #How_to

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Customer appreciation moment

"Dear Smokey and Sunshine, thank you for your recent newsletter 2026 Gardening Resolution That Actually Works.
I laughed, smiled so right and funny with my coffee!" - Sheryl

Smokey: Look, Sunshine. Customer comments. They like us.
Sunshine: Of course. Because of my coffee and donuts advice.
Smokey and Sunshine: Thank you for your kind words and support. Gardening together with you makes this all worth it.

🎉 Happy New Year!
Here’s to a fresh calendar, happy plants, curious cats, and lots of good garden moments ahead.
Let’s make it a fun, green, slightly muddy one 🌿😺

💌 Top Tropicals Newsletter cats Smokey and Sunshine reminding you:

• ✦ Make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter to stay informed of our New Arrivals, Happy Gardening Tips, Events, and discount coupons
• ✦ Check out our Blog for daily news, plants and cats

#PeopleCats

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🎊 Happy New Year, fellow gardeners!

• As we step into a fresh year, we want to thank you for being part of our little tropical corner of the world.
• May your garden be full of new leaves, surprise blooms, and plants that thrive beyond expectations.
• May your hands get a little dirty, your heart stay light, and your days be brightened by greenery, flowers, and a few curious cats supervising every step.
• Here is to another year of growing, learning, and enjoying the simple joy of life in the garden.

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💻 Make a wish for the New Year!

🐈📸 Niki the Cat making a wish: "I want to wake up to zero news tomorrow. Nothing. Just the cat videos"

TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden #PeopleCats

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🐎 Year of the Fire Horse - what should you grow in 2026?

✔️ Here are the top lucky plants to grow, gift, or decorate with during the Year of the Fire Horse - each one chosen for its symbolism, element balance, and ability to channel that galloping energy in a positive direction:

🌿Anthuriums

Symbolizes: Elegance, passion, transformation
Why it's lucky: Its bold, vigorous leaves and exotic flowers are perfect for 2026.
Where to use it: Place in the southeast corner of your home, office, or garden to draw prosperity and charisma.

• 🛒 What to plant: Exotic Anthuriums - Anthurium Black Dragon, Anthurium hookeri - Giant Birds Nest, Anthurium veitchii - King Anthurium, Anthurium vittariifolium - Long Leaf Anthurium

💮 Jasmines and Gardenias

Symbolizes: Love, luck, beauty
Why it's lucky: Horses are social and affectionate - jasmine’s sweet scent supports romance and good vibes.
Where to use it: Grow near entrances or windows; use jasmine oil in bedrooms to boost relaxation and harmony.

• 🛒 What to plant: Fragrant Jasmines - Sambac, French Perfume, Night Blooming, and many varieties of Gardenias.

🌻 Sunflowers and sunny-yellow flowers

Symbolizes: Optimism, vitality, success
Why it's lucky: Bright yellow blooms reflect Fire energy and attract recognition.
Where to use it: Display in the east or south part of your home; great for creative spaces or work areas.

• 🛒 What to plant: Tropical Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia), Tecoma stans - Yellow Elder, Cassias and Sennas

🎋 Lucky Bamboo, Money Trees and Bonsai

Symbolizes: Growth, flexibility, fortune
Why it's lucky: Combines Wood (growth) with Fire (motivation) - a perfect combo for 2026.
Where to use it: Place arrangements with 3 or 9 in the southeast to promote health and wealth.

• 🛒 What to plant: Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana), Shaving Brush Tree (Pseudobombax), Money Plant (Pilea), Money Tree (Pachira aquatica)

Edible Greens with Fire-Friendly Energy

Symbolizes: Nourishment, healing, grounded action
Why they're lucky: Green leafy herbs support Wood energy, which fuels Fire. Think fresh, healthy, juicy, and nourishing.
🛒 What to plant: Tropical herbs, spices and edibles, including -

• · Chaya (Maya spinach tree)
• · Gynura (Longevity spinach)
• · Lippia dulcis (Aztec sweet herb)
• · Lemongrass and Citronella
• · Alspice and Baurum
• · Pepper Vines (Pipers) and Chili Peppers (Capsicums)

Grow them near the kitchen, patio, or sunny balcony for both beauty and bite.

❌ What to avoid?

Poisonous or sharp plants. The Horse is a plant lover - but not a fan of painful surprises. Keep the Fire Horse energy smooth, not spiky.

✍️ Final tip: Let the Fire Horse run wild - but not out of control

2026 is your chance to charge ahead - but keep your hooves on the ground. Plants can help you stay focused, bring balance, and add a little luck along the way. So get planting, stay bold, and let the good energy gallop in!

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️More #Horoscope info for plants and cats
• ▫️2026: Year of the Fire Horse - time to grow bold, live free, and plant lucky

#Horoscope

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🐎 2026: Year of the Fire Horse - time to grow bold, live free, and plant lucky

• 🔥 Hold on to your flower pots - because on February 17, 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse gallops in, ready to shake things up.

This zodiac year brings passion, freedom, and a go-big-or-go-home kind of energy.
If you've been itching to make a change, start a new project, or finally plant that herb garden - this is your cosmic green light!
• 🔥 What kind of energy does the Fire Horse bring?


The Horse is all about movement, independence, and bold decisions. Fire Horses, in particular, are fiery (naturally), adventurous, and stubborn in the best way. They're known for charging ahead fearlessly - sometimes without thinking it through. That means 2026 is a year to take chances, but stay grounded. Think big, but don’t skip the planning.
• 🔥 What does that have to do with plants?

A lot, actually. Horses are herbivores. In the year of the Fire Horse, plants aren’t just background decoration - they’re fuel, fortune, and Feng Shui. The Fire element thrives on bright colors, strong scents, and warm energy, so the right plants can balance all that intensity, boost your luck, and keep your home and garden in harmony.

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️More #Horoscope info for plants and cats
• ▫️Year of the Snake
• ▫️2025: The Year of the Green Wood Snake A Time for Wisdom, Growth, and Renewal
• ▫️Green Wooden Dragon's favorite plants

#Horoscope

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🌸 How to create privacy in your yard fast

• 🌸 Tropical Hydrangea - Dombeya x wallichii - really shines, if you need privacy in your garden fast!
• 🌸 Dombeya is the fastest-growing flowering shrub you can plant. In just one season, it can turn an open space into a thick, leafy privacy screen. Large, heart-shaped tropical leaves fill in quickly, creating solid coverage long before slower hedges even get started.
• 🌸 The bonus comes in winter, when the plant is covered in big, soft pink, hydrangea-like flower clusters that also attract bees and pollinators. It loves water and handles wet spots with ease, making it a great choice for Florida gardens and rainy summers.
• 🌸 If you are looking for a fast, flowering solution for privacy in your garden, Dombeya is your hedge with benefits!

🛒 Plant Dombeya today and get pricacy right away

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Dombeya x wallichii in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️ What is the most popular Winter-flowering shrub?
• ▫️ 13 festive shrubs with bright flowers that bring color to your Winter Garden when everything else is dormant

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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😠 The office team in action

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell

🐈📸 Cats Klaksa (turned her back), Google and Jacques brainstorming in the office of TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🍴 Persimmon spoon pudding

Ingredients

• 2 very ripe persimmons (astringent type, fully soft)
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• Optional: pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

1. Scoop the soft persimmon flesh into a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Chill the puree in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Spoon into a bowl and top with plain yogurt.
4. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon if desired and serve.

🍑 About the fruit:
Persimmon (Diospyros spp.) is a graceful, cold-hardy subtropical fruit tree native to China and widely grown across temperate and warm regions. The fruit is loved for its rich sweetness, often compared to honey and apricot. Persimmons are divided into astringent types, which must soften fully before eating, and non-astringent types, which can be enjoyed firm. The fruit is nutritious and commonly eaten fresh or used in desserts.

🌱 In the garden:
Persimmon trees are highly ornamental, with drooping branches, lush summer foliage, and dramatic fall color. They thrive in well-drained soils, tolerate alkaline conditions, and are hardy in USDA zones 7-10. Many varieties perform well in containers, making persimmon a beautiful and productive choice for both edible landscapes and patio gardens.

🛒 Plant Persimmon Tree for sweet fruit and deserts

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Explore Persimmon trees (Diospyros spp) in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️How soon will Persimmon tree fruit?
• ▫️Why so many gardeners this year planted Native American Persimmon
• ▫️Hardy, dramatic looking tropical fruit tree with a sweet fruit

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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