Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
What flower smells like lemons?
Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant, Chinese Rice Flower
- 🍋 Aglaia odorata, also known as Chinese Perfume Plant or Chinese Rice Flower, is in full bloom at TopTropicals, filling the air with its pleasant lemony fragrance virtually year-round!
- 🍋 This tough, low-maintenance plant adds a touch of enchanted magic and delightful scent to your garden.
- 🍋 Beyond its beauty, Aglaia boasts medicinal properties thanks to compounds like odorine and odorinol.
- 🍋 It grows into a dense bush without the need for pruning, making it the perfect, cold-tolerant tropical hedge.
🛒 Get ever-blooming, fragrant delight - Aglaia
📚 Learn more:
Replacing a boring hedge witth Chinese Rice Flower: lemony fragrance year around
#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Remedies
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This is why Tibouchina is called the Eyelash Flower
Tibouchina Peace Baby - Eyelash Flower
👀 Tibouchina is often called the Eyelash Flower because of the long, delicate, and hair-like stamens that protrude from its vibrant flowers. These stamens resemble eyelashes, giving the flower its unique and eye-catching appearance.
📸🕊The stunning Tibouchina Peace Baby, a new selection bred in Queensland, Australia, now making waves globally! This compact beauty stands out with its large, clear white flowers and vibrant purple stamens that bloom throughout the warmer months, bringing gorgeous color to your garden. The blooms are so abundant, they often cover the foliage completely! Perfect for pots and containers, this easy-to-grow variety is ideal for adding a splash of beauty to any space.
📚 More Tibouchinas in previous posts:
- 💋How this addictive purple took over yards
- 💋Why this tree grows in every yard of Central Florida
- 💋Is purple your favorite color? This is your plant!
- 💋Why this Tibouchina is so popular: giant leaves & bold purple flowers of Quaresmeira
🛒 Shop Tibouchinas
#Hedges_with_benefits #Fun_Facts
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How to deal with chocolate cravings? Chocolate with zero calories
Portlandia - glorious flower of Cuba
🍪 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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What to plant in a shady spot? Unusual variegated flowers of Lavender Ice!
Thunbergia erecta Lavender Ice - Lavender Lace
- 💜 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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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
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:
- 💋What makes Lolita different from regular Surinam Cherry?
- 💋Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #8 Lolita Cherry
- 💋 Who is that Sweet Black Lolita from Surinam?
- 💋Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #3. Eugenias - Tropical Cherries
- 💋How to make a jam with Surinam Cherry
#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover
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