Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 10 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

How to deal with chocolate cravings? Chocolate with zero calories

Portlandia - glorious flower of Cuba

🍪 How to deal with chocolate cravings? Chocolate with zero calories

🍪 Do you have to deal with chocolate temptation all the time? Portlandia, the glorious flower of Cuba, smells like creamy chocolate and blooms in stunning bells. Rare, fragrant, and tough - even thrives in alkaline soil!

📚 Learn more:
What flower smells like warm chocolate?

🛒 No calories, just fragrance - bring home Portlandia!

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Trees

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Date: 8 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What to plant in a shady spot? Unusual variegated flowers of Lavender Ice!

Thunbergia erecta Lavender Ice - Lavender Lace

☂️ What to plant in a shady spot? Unusual variegated flowers of Lavender Ice!

💜 Thunbergia erecta Lavender Ice, or Lavender Lace, is a unique, rare variety of King's Mantle with stunning lavender-off-white variegated flowers.
💜 Unlike many variegated plants, this one is vigorous and easy to grow. It can be used as a showy garden specimen or a low-growing hedge, and it responds well to pruning, which encourages more blooms.
💜 This plant thrives in filtered light and will grow larger, darker leaves in shade. It reaches a height of 5-7 feet and has a dense habit, making it perfect for creating a hedge.
💜 Lavender Ice attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with its profusion of flowers
💜 For healthy growth, keep the soil consistently moist, but not soggy, and mulch around the base to retain moisture. If growing in a pot, frequent watering is key.
💜 It's hardy enough to withstand temperatures as low as 30F for short periods. Ideal for USDA Zones 9-11, this plant can also be grown in pots in colder climates.

🛒Bring home rare Lavender Ice!

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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Date: 7 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Why you should grow a Pitanga tree

Eugenia uniflora - Surinam cherry, Brazilian cherry, Pitanga tree - fruit

Eugenia uniflora - Surinam cherry, Brazilian cherry, Pitanga tree - fruit var. Lolita

Eugenia uniflora - Surinam cherry, Brazilian cherry, Pitanga tree

Eugenia uniflora - Surinam cherry, Brazilian cherry, Pitanga tree - fruit var. Lolita

🍒 Why you should grow a Eugenia uniflora), also known as Surinam cherry or Brazilian cherry

Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora), also known as Surinam cherry or Brazilian cherry, is a tropical fruit that's as tasty as it is healthy. This small tree or bush brings beauty to your yard and benefits to your body. With shiny leaves, fragrant white flowers, and bright red or dark maroon fruit, it's an easy-to-grow plant that also happens to be a nutritional powerhouse.

❓ So, why plant Pitanga?

🍒 Pitanga is packed with vitamins. Pitanga is loaded with vitamin C for glowing skin and a strong immune system, and vitamin A for healthy eyes.
🍒 Pitanga is full of antioxidants. Especially the dark fruits, which are rich in plant compounds like lycopene and beta-carotene that may protect your cells and reduce inflammation.
🍒 Pitanga has healing power. Traditional medicine has used it for heartburn, stomach issues, and even respiratory conditions. Lab studies show it may help fight bacteria and fungi too.
🍒 Pitanga might fight cancer. Early research suggests pitanga extracts may slow cancer cell growth.
🍒 Pitanga tastes like summer. When fully ripe, the juicy fruit has a sweet-tart flavor - great in salads, desserts, jams, and even cocktails. Pitanga var. Black Star, or Lolita has exceptional flavor, larger sweeter fruit than regular red-fruit variety.

⚠️ Bonus: It grows fast, stays evergreen, and makes a great natural privacy screen or edible hedge.

If you're looking for a tropical fruit tree that’s both beautiful and beneficial, Pitanga is a smart choice. Just make sure to pick the fruit when fully ripe - and prepare to fall in love with this cherry that's not quite a cherry!

🛒 Start growing Health today - add Pitanga to your Food Forest

📚 More about Lolita Cherry from previous posts:

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

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Date: 6 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

☀️ Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

🌼 Beauty without the hassle! Cassia occidentalis, commonly known as Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, or Privet Cassia, offers striking beauty and practical benefits, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance landscapes and herbal medicinal garden.
🌼 From spring to fall, this medium-sized shrub showcases clusters of orange-yellow flowers that look like little yellow hummingbirds from the distance and attract butterflies and bees. The large, red-veined leaves add ornamental value even when not in bloom.
🌼 Coffee Senna thrives in full sun to partial shade and is drought- and cold-tolerant once established. Requires minimal care, making it ideal for gardeners seeking beauty without the hassle. Its spreading habit can provide a natural hedge or privacy screen.
🌼 Coffee Senna gets its common name from the resemblance of its seeds to coffee beans. The seeds are dark and oval-shaped, much like coffee beans. Despite the name, the seeds are not related to the actual coffee plant (Coffea arabica). The "Senna" part of its name refers to its botanical Senna genus, which includes various species traditionally used for medicinal purposes.
🌼 Health Benefits of Coffee Senna

Beyond its ornamental appeal, Coffee Senna has a history in traditional medicine:

✔️Digestive Aid: The seeds have mild laxative properties, aiding in constipation relief.
✔️Respiratory Support: Infusions of the root and dried flowers are used to treat gastrointestinal issues, colds, and flu .
✔️Skin Health: Poultices made from the roots and flowers are applied to treat skin disorders such as eczema .
✔️Nutritional Value: The seeds are rich in iron and other minerals, contributing to overall health .