Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date:
1-22-2023: New Lunar Year
Customer message: Happy new year! My family is Chinese and we celebrate the lunar new year this weekend… the year of the rabbit. Wasn't sure if this email was sent in error (maybe your founder is Vietnamese? I think they celebrate the year of the cat...
Answer: You are right, it is a Year of the Rabbit in Chinese calendar, and it is also a Year of the Cat in Vietnamese, both starting from January 22nd, 2023. While in Chinese culture it is called a Year of the Rabbit, the Cat was seen as more relevant to the daily lives of Vietnamese farmers, who valued the cat's ability to protect their crops from rats, squirrels... Here at Top Tropicals we have a multi-national team, and although we don't have a Vietnamese person yet, but we have lots of cats - all kinds!
Happy New Year of the two furry friends:
RABBIT and CAT!
Flowers in the photo above: Clerodendrum philippinum - Cashmere Bouquet, Scent Malli. Very fragrant off-white flowers, carnation-like, coming in big clusters. Shade tolerant shrub, great for shade gardens as well as indoor culture to enjoy tropical fragrance year around.
Date:
Plants and Cats... do they mix well?
How to keep cats and plants together without going crazy
Growing indoor plants is a great hobby because it provides a sense of
accomplishment and allows you to have a piece of nature inside your home. Many
people know that indoor plants improve air quality and have a calming and
stress-relieving effect...
Having cats in the house is also fun: they provide companionship and can be
very affectionate. Just like plants, they also have a calming effect on
people and can be very entertaining to watch. Taking care of a cat can provide a
sense of responsibility and can be very rewarding...
When it comes to keeping both of these rewarding hobbies in the same house,
the question is: are they compatible? Cats may be attracted to houseplants
because they like to chew on leaves or dig in the soil... others pull the
vines or even swing in hanging baskets!
To keep cats and houseplants in the same house follow these tips:
1. Grow a potted "cat grass" so a cat has some greens to chew
2. Provide alternatives such as chew toys
3. Train your cat... yes, sometimes it takes a spray bottle to teach
staying away from a plant!
4. Create barriers/screens
5. Consider keeping plants in hanging baskets out of reach.
This will help keep your cats and plants happy and healthy together! As a purrfect start - order rare indoor plants online...
In the photo: James Coconuts is planning his handyman project
Date:
Secrets of Winter planting:
Tropical Planting Breaks the Rules
by Murray Corman, Garden of Delights
Wintertime does not just mean hard work for tropical gardeners. It is
also a time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Winter-blooming plants and the visitors they attract - birds, bats and
butterflies - make the garden as enjoyable in winter as any other time of
year.
What a welcome relief: January daytime temperatures in the 70s, dropping to
the 60s at night. This is why I came to live in the subtropics of southern
Florida. The balmy climate of South Florida represents one of the few places
on the mainland United States where tropical plants thrive unprotected
outdoors.
But just as I had to leave behind so many of my favorite northern trees, so
too did I have to put behind me many of the so-called "rules" of
horticulture. These had worked well for me up north and I thought they would hold true
anywhere in the world. Florida's subtropical climate posed new challenges and
I soon realized that gardening in the Sunshine State would not be business as
usual...
CONTINUE READING >>
See also: A Guide to Cold Hardy Tropical Fruit Trees and Avoicado Varieties (pdf download)
Photo above: Noni is not just a useful fruit tree, but also a great ornamental for
both sun or shade. It is also great for interior floral design or as an exotic
addition to your room decorations in Winter! It fruits year round even
indoors!
Order Noni
online.
Date:
Vietnamese Mickey Mouse Plant
Hoa Mai - a must for 2023 luck!
Easy Sunday Morning Deal 50% off!
It's our favorite day and another Easy stroll through Top Tropicals Garden with savings of up to 50% and MORE!
The most celebrated flower in Vietnam, Ochna integerrima, called in Vietnam Hoa Mai or Mai Vang, blooms profusely on the occasion of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. It will be celebrated soon - January 22. As we know, it is a Year of the Cat. So, all you will need is a Cat and... the Hoa Mai, the Mickey Mouse plant!
Mickey Mouse plant has pretty bright yellow flowers, believed to bring good luck and prosperity. They are followed by cute shiny black berries on bright red sepals that resemble the face of Mickey Mouse.
Date:
2023 - a year of Hope,
a year of the Cat who protects your crop
According to the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar, Year 2023 is a year of the
Water Cat, starting from January 22nd, 2023 - same as Chinese New Year.
While in Chinese culture it is called a Year of the Rabbit, the Cat was seen as more relevant to the daily lives of
Vietnamese farmers, who valued the cat's ability to protect their crops from rats, squirrels... or even
rabbits?
At the same time, the Vietnamese year of the Cat also symbolizes tenderness, gentleness, and kindness. The sign of Cat is a symbol of longevity,
peace, and prosperity.
2023 is predicted to be a year of hope
"Cats, rabbits, and gardens are what make a house a home."
