🎁 Cats waiting in line to use their Christmas present, watch who wins at the end!

🐈📸 Cats: James Coconuts, Niki, Timo, Bob, and Scooby are competing (impatiently!) to try their new scratching board at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden. Guess who wins?

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🎄 Do not throw out your poinsettia - 4 simple tips how to keep it alive for next Christmas

Poinsettias - Euphorbia_pulcherrima - are tender perennials, not one-season plants. After the holidays they naturally fade, rest, and regroup. With a few simple care tweaks, a healthy plant can live all year and rebloom next winter.

• 🎄 1. Let it rest after the holidays

• ✦ Flowering ends naturally - faded bracts and some leaf drop are normal.
• ✦ Prune when bracts fall: cut stems back by 1/3 to 1/2, leaving 4-5 inches.
• ✦ Wear gloves - the sap can irritate skin.
• ✦ Move to a cooler, bright spot for 4-6 weeks.
• ✦ Ideal temp: 55-60°F
• ✦ Reduce watering.
• ✦ Water only when the top 2 inches of soil are dry.
• ✦ Avoid soggy soil.

• 🎄 2. Repot in late spring

• ✦ New growth usually starts in late spring.
• ✦ Repot at this stage to refresh nutrients and give roots space.
• ✦ Use a well-draining, slightly acidic potting mix.
• ✦ Choose a pot only slightly larger, with drainage holes.
• ✦ Loosen roots gently and remove old compacted soil.
• ✦ Water lightly, then place in a bright, warm spot.
• ✦ Resume regular watering and light feeding through spring and summer.

• 🎄 3. Adjust care during the growing season

• ✦ Increase temperature gradually to 64-68°F.
• ✦ Water more often once growth resumes.
• ✦ Wilted or curling leaves signal thirst.
• ✦ Water thoroughly and evenly.
• ✦ Bright light is key, but avoid harsh direct sun.
• ✦ Use sheer curtains or a grow light if needed.
• ✦ Fertilize periodically with a balanced houseplant fertilizer.
• ✦ Pinch back new shoots in late spring for a fuller, bushier plant.

• 🎄 4. Preparing for winter color

• ✦ In fall, poinsettias need long nights to bloom.
• ✦ Provide 12-14 hours of complete darkness nightly for 6-8 weeks.
• ✦ This triggers colorful bracts in time for the holidays.

❓ Quick FAQ

Can it go outside?
Yes, in warm months only. Bring it indoors before temps drop below 50°F.

Winter outdoors?
No - poinsettias are cold-sensitive and must stay inside.

🎄 Poinsettias don't die after Christmas - they just take a nap. Give them rest, light, and patience, and they will reward you next year.

✍️ Expert reference: Homes and Gardens

🛒 Explore plants for containers

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Poinsettia - Euphorbia_pulcherrima in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️Can Poinsettia grow for years? 5 most common mistakes with new container plants

#How_to #Container_Garden

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🎄 Merry Christmas!

"At Christmas, all roads lead home." - Marjorie Holmes

🐈📸 Philemon the Cat waiting for the magic at TopTropicals Christmas Tree - PeopleCats.Garden.

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🌸 I wait all year for this vine to bloom!

It's this time of the year when beautiful Tecomanthe is opening her majestic blooms!
The New Guinea Creeper (Tecomanthe dendrophila) is a stunning, non-aggressive vine that will captivate with its vibrant blooms and lush foliage.

• 🌸 New Guinea Creeper, Tecomanthe dendrophila, is one of those plants that changes the whole garden when it blooms. Winter doesn’t have to be boring! In early winter through spring, it covers itself in large trumpet-shaped flowers with deep pink tubes and creamy white tips. The display lasts weeks, not days!
• 🌸 Unlike many flowering vines, this one is well-behaved. It climbs without taking over, stays glossy and evergreen year-round, and works beautifully on trellises, arbors, or strong supports. Butterflies love it, and people always stop to ask what it is.
• 🌸 A true winter show stopper for warm climates or containers!

🛒 Your garden needs New Guinea Creeper

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Tecomanthe dendrophila in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️How to grow New Guinea Creeper Tecomanthe

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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😈 Watch an Alien by the Christmas Tree!

🐈📸 Alien Cat Pelmen from the Galaxy Ctrl+F1 is claiming his Christmas Tree.
TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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💡 It's a Holiday time!

🐈📸 Onika's cats: iTembie on the back of the chair, and Nandie arranging the flowers.
TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

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🗿 Center of the world tree that stops traffic in Florida - now fits in a pot

🎥 Ceiba Dwarf Pink Princess

• 🌸 If you’ve ever visited Florida in winter, you’ve probably seen those unbelievable pink trees in full bloom - that’s a Ceiba (Chorisia) speciosa, also known as the Kapok or Pink Silk Floss tree, famous for its hibiscus-like flowers and fluffy silk pods.
• 🌸 The problem? The classic Ceiba can grow 40 feet tall.

This one doesn’t! Ceiba hybrid Dwarf Pink Princess stays compact - about 8-12 feet in the ground and even smaller in a pot.
And unlike seed-grown trees, this one blooms right away because it’s grafted! No long wait.
• 🌸 In winter, it drops most of its leaves and explodes into thousands of soft pink flowers. Same wow factor. Just a fraction of the size.

Perfect for small yards, patios, balconies, or anyone who wants a show-stopping winter tree without committing to a giant.
• 🌸 #Fun_facts: the ancient Maya believed the Ceiba was the sacred tree at the center of the world, connecting earth to the sky.
• 🌸 So yes… You can officially say you’re growing the center of the world in your backyard.

🛒 Plant it now - it fits any garden

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Ceiba (chorisia) speciosa in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️How this breath-taking flowering tree stays so compact

#Trees #Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden

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🍴 Chaya Nutritious Omelet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Ingredients

• Chaya leaves - about 2 cups packed, stems removed
• Onion - 1 small, sliced
• Eggs - 2
• Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon
• Salt - to taste

Instructions

1. Boil chaya leaves in plenty of water for 10 to 15 minutes to remove natural toxins. Drain well and chop.
2. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion until soft and lightly golden.
3. Add eggs and scramble gently.
4. Fold in the cooked chaya and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until well combined.
5. Serve warm. Flavor is similar to spinach with a firmer texture.

🛒 Add Chaya to your tropical Veggie Garden

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Chaya, Maya Spinach Tree) in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️Variegated Chaya - beauty meets nutrition
• ▫️Chaya's health benefits: a must-have tropical leafy vegetable for sustainable gardening

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🔔 Lily's conspiracy on her first Christmas at B-Farm

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." - Hamilton Wright Mabie

🐈📸 Lilimon the cat has her cozy spots at TopTropicals. This year she is going to have her first Holiday Season at Bfarm PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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❤️‍ Everyone wants Red Jade vine - this is the one that lives! How to grow Red Jade outside the Tropics.

• 🔥 Camptosema grandiflorum (grandiflora) - Dwarf Red Jade Vine, Cuitelo, or Rooster's Crest - this Brazilian superstar brings cascading chains of bright red blooms.
• 🔥 Love the stunning, fiery blooms of the famous Red Jade Vine (Mucuna benettii) but live outside the tropics? Its cousin - Dwarf Red Jade Vine - delivers the same jaw-dropping, flame-red flower chains as the famous tropical Red Jade vines - but without the extreme fuss.
• 🔥 This vine is native to Brazil, where it grows at higher elevations. That is the secret. It is noticeably more cold tolerant than Mucuna benettii and can handle short dips to around 28F with little or no damage. It is also more forgiving with watering and can tolerate brief dry spells once established.
• 🔥 Bloom time is late fall through winter, exactly when most gardens slow down. The flowers are long, heavy, and hang best from a pergola, arbor, or fence where they can cascade freely. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds find it fast.
• 🔥 Despite the word "dwarf," this is a vigorous vine. It grows quickly, needs strong support, and rewards good care with a massive display. Give it sun to light shade, water when the soil feels slightly dry, avoid soggy roots, and prune after flowering. Mulch helps keep roots cool.
• 🔥 It can even be grown in a large container with solid support.
• 🔥 If you have ever wanted the iconic Red Jade look but live in a place with real winters or surprise cold nights - this is the smarter choice.

🛒 Plant the Red Jade Vine that grows outside the Tropics

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Camptosema grandiflorum - Dwarf Red Jade Vine in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️Cold-hardy Dwarf Red Jade Vine
• ▫️Camptosema grandiflora, Dwarf Red Jade Vine - my favorite plant

#Nature_Wonders #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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