Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 15 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Baby bird first flight caught on video - ending left us stunned!

Baby bird first flight

🐓 Baby bird first flight caught on video - ending left us stunned!

Greenhouse nest story - surprise ending you have to see!

❓ Does anyone know the name of this Florida bird? 🐦‍⬛️

#PeopleCats

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Date: 15 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Free natural shampoo: squeeze it and see what comes out!

Pine Cone Ginger - Zingiber Zerumbet, Shampoo Ginger

💄 Free natural shampoo: squeeze it and see what comes out!

💄Pine Cone Ginger (Zingiber Zerumbet), is called Shampoo Ginger due to its unique, milky substance found in the cones. If you squeeze these bright red cones, a fragrant, milky liquid seeps out - traditionally used in Asia and Hawaii as a natural shampoo. Even today, you’ll find it in commercial shampoos.
💄 But there's more to it than hair care. All parts of the plant carry a spicy fragrance, the cones make striking, long-lasting cut flowers, and the whole plant adds a tropical vibe to your garden.
💄 And here's a fun history twist: Pine Cone Ginger is a "canoe plant", carried across the Pacific by ancient Polynesian voyagers. Imagine - this little shampoo factory traveled the ocean in canoes centuries ago!

Would you try washing your hair with this tropical ginger?

🛒 Grow your own Natural Shampoo Ginger

📚 Learn more:

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Remedies #Food_Forest

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Date: 14 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What kind of animal do you think it is?

Pelmen - hairless Sphynx cat

👽 What kind of animal do you think it is?

A fox?
A dog?
An Alien?

🐈📸 This is Pelmen - our friend, hairless Sphynx cat!
He does look like an alien!

#PeopleCats

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Date: 14 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What is Akee - Jamaicas National Fruit - and how to grow it

⛔️ What is Akee - Jamaica's National Fruit - and how to grow it

🛒 Plant your own Akee (Achee) tree

📱

#Food_Forest

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Date: 14 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Banned Jamaican fruit: why you never see fresh Akee in U.S. stores?

Akee (Blighia sapida)

⛔️ Banned Jamaican fruit: why you never see fresh Akee in U.S. stores?

Did you know that fresh Akee (Blighia sapida) is restricted for import into the U.S.?
That's the bad news.
The good news: you can grow your own Akee tree and enjoy this famous fruit right in your backyard!

The reason it's restricted is because unripe Akee (Ackee) contains toxins. Only when the pods split open naturally is the fruit safe to eat, after cooking (video). That’s why it's hard to import fresh – but easy to grow and handle at home once you know the trick.

Plenty of people love this fruit (it's actually a vegetable). It's the national fruit of Jamaica, and a must-have in the classic dish Akee and saltfish. Planting your own tree means you never have to miss out.

⛔️ Why grow Akee?

✔️Fresh fruit that you simply can’t buy in U.S. stores.
✔️You decide when it's ripe and safe, straight from the pod.
✔️A taste of Jamaica in your own garden - both food and culture in one tree.

So don't wait for the fruit that never arrives at the port. Plant your own Akee tree and enjoy the harvest tomorrow!

🛒 Plant your own Akee (Achee) tree

📚 Learn more:

📱 What is Akee - Jamaica's National Fruit - and how to grow it

▫️New Christmas ornaments? Ackee monster fruit!

▫️Akee deliciousness
▫️What is number one tree-grown vegetable
▫️Grow Your Own Food: Akee

📱 How to cook perfect Akee

#Food_Forest

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Date: 14 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Jackfruit curry quickie: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

Jackfruit curry quickie: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

🍴 Jackfruit curry quickie: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes

🟡Saute young Jackfruit chunks with coconut milk, curry paste, and ginger.
🟡Tastes like pulled chicken curry, but totally plant-based!

🍲 Jackfruit curry exotic recipes

Ingredients

2 cups young Jackfruit chunks
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp curry paste
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Instructions

Saute young Jackfruit chunks with curry paste and ginger.
Add coconut milk and simmer until the Jackfruit is tender.
Serve hot. Tastes like pulled chicken curry, but completely plant-based!

🛒 Shop Jackfruit varieties

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 13 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Which dog would you take home: golden, black or chocolate?

Sunshine (golden), Draco(chocolate) and Lila (black) Labrador dogs

🐶 Which dog would you take home: golden, black or chocolate?

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later." - Mary Bly

🐈📸 Sunshine (golden), Draco(chocolate) and Lila (black) Labrador dogs at Top Tropicals Bfarm and PeopleCats.Garden.

#PeopleCats

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Date: 13 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Watch this before cooking with black pepper!

Black pepper (Piper nigrum)

🍃 Watch this before cooking with black pepper!

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is famous for its berries, but the leaves are edible too, and in some regions they’re used just like betel leaves or bay leaves. Here are a few ways you can use them:

Cooking wrap: Fresh leaves can be used to wrap fish, meat, or rice before steaming or grilling, similar to banana or betel leaves. They add a mild peppery aroma.
Flavoring curries and soups: Whole leaves can be simmered in curries, broths, or stews to infuse a gentle peppery note, then removed before serving (like bay leaves).
Herbal teas: Fresh or dried leaves can be steeped with ginger, turmeric, or lemongrass to make a warming tea traditionally used for digestion and colds.
Chutneys and pastes: In South India, young pepper leaves are ground with coconut, tamarind, and chilies to make a tangy chutney.
Medicinal uses: Folk remedies use the leaves for coughs, sore throats, and as a poultice for muscle aches.

🍛 Black pepper leaf chutney

♨️Lightly saute 6-8 pepper leaves in a little oil.
♨️Blend with 1/2 cup grated coconut, 2 green chilies, tamarind, salt, and cumin.
♨️Optional: top with a quick tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
♨️Serve with rice or dosa.

☕️ Pepper leaf tea - when you feel under the weather

Boil 2-3 leaves with a cup of water.
Add a slice of ginger and a pinch of turmeric (optional).
Simmer 5 minutes, strain, and sweeten with honey.

Both recipes give a warm, peppery aroma without being too spicy. Pepper leaves are milder than the berries, so you’ll get aroma more than heat.

🛒 Grow your own Black Pepper plant - spice and vegetable!

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 13 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Newsletter

Ground Orchid FAQ – Your Questions Answered

Why should I buy them?

Because they give you more bloom for less effort. They flower on and off almost all year, they’re tough, and they come in colors you can actually plan a garden around.

Will they survive winter in my area?

In frost-free zones, yes, they come back bigger every year. If you’re farther north, just keep them in pots and bring them inside for the cold months.

Do they really bloom in shade?

They do. We’ve got a clump under a big oak and it still puts on a show. Not as heavy as full sun, but enough to brighten the spot.

How big do they get?

Depends which one. Spathoglottis stays neat, about knee-high. Nun Orchid shoots up tall spikes that can hit 4 ft. So you can go small or dramatic.

Are they hard to care for like other orchids?

Not at all. Forget the bark mix and misting bottles. Just plant them in soil, keep the water steady, and feed once in a while. That’s it.

Can I grow them in pots?

Absolutely. They do great in containers. Makes it easy if you’ve only got a patio or you want to move them in for winter. Use well-drained soilless mix like Abundance Potting Mix.

Do they attract pollinators?

Yep. Bees love them, butterflies too, and every so often a hummingbird will check them out.

What is the best fertilizer?

For extra blooms, we use Sunshine Orchidasm – Orchid TotalFeed Booster. Works like a charm!

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Date: 13 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Newsletter

🌸 Meet the Most Colorful Ground Orchids

Ground Orchids – Spathoglottis, Phaius, Arundina, Epidendrum

Chinese Nun Ground Orchid (Phaius tankervilleae)
Yokohama Ground orchid Kate (Bletilla striata x formosana)
Tropical Punch, Sorbet Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata)
Bamboo Orchid (Arundina graminifolia)
Snow Angel, Coconut Cloud Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis alba)
Orange Reed Ground Orchid (Epidendrum radicans Sunrise)
Lemon Kiss, Sorbet Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis chrysanta)
Pink Reed Ground Orchid, Violet Queen (Epidendrum radicans Fuchsia)
Lavender Reed Ground Orchid (Epidendrum elongatum x radicans)
Red Raspberry Reed Ground Orchid (Epidendrum radicans Red Glow)

Orchids have a mystique that sets them apart — elegant, exotic, almost unreal in their perfection. But let’s be honest, not everyone has luck with the fancy ones that cling to trees or need greenhouse tricks.

Ground orchids are different. They grow in regular garden soil, bloom in sun or shade, and come in all sorts of shapes and colors. They’re the orchids you don’t have to fuss over.

Nun Orchid (Phaius tankervilleae) – Ever wonder why it’s called the Nun Orchid? The flowers really do look like the white veil and brown habit nuns used to wear. The plants send up spikes 3–4 ft tall with 10–20 fragrant blooms that open one after another for weeks. I like them best tucked under trees where they just keep spreading year after year.

Spathoglottis – The nonstop bloomer – If you want flowers that just don’t quit, this one’s it. Spathoglottis clumps up and throws spikes of purple, pink, or yellow that last for weeks, then keep coming back through the summer. In warm spots they’ll bloom almost year-round. Honestly, it’s one of the easiest orchids you’ll ever grow.

💲 Special Offer – 20% off Ground Orchids!

Get 20% OFF ground orchids with code

ORCHID2025

Min order $100. Excluding S/H, valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires September 17, 2025!

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