Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Ten shrubs you need to have for winter colors. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Ten shrubs you need to have for winter colors

Garlic Vine, Dombeya - Tropical Hydrangea, Brunfelsia Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Fountain Clerodendrum, Tibouchina grandifolia - Glory bush, Chinese hat, Barleria - Philippine violet, Thunbergia - Kings Mantle, Eranthemum - Blue Sage or Lead Flower, Petrea vine - Queens wreath

🌷 Ten shrubs you need to have for winter colors

Many snowbirds ask what to plant when they’re here just for the season. The answer is simple: go for trees and shrubs that bloom in winter. Fall is the perfect time to get them in the ground so your garden will be bursting with flowers once the cool season arrives. In our earlier video, we shared 8 best flowering trees that will bloom for you in Winter. Now, here are the shrubs that will complete your colorful winter garden.
  • 🌷 1. Mansoa alliacea - Garlic Vine

    • Known for its garlicky scent, it also puts on clusters of lavender to purple flowers in cool weather. Reliable and eye-catching, often trained on fences or trellises. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 2. Dombeya wallichii - Tropical Hydrangea

    • Large pink pompom clusters hang like lanterns from the branches. Sweetly fragrant and showy, it creates a hydrangea effect right in winter. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 3. Brunfelsia pauciflora Compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow

    • Small and manageable, it opens purple flowers that fade to lavender and then white, giving the look of three colors at once. A cheerful winter bloomer for pots or borders. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 4. Clerodendrum minahassae - Fountain Clerodendrum

    • This shrub lives up to its name with cascades of long white flower sprays, blooming heavily in the cooler months and brightening shaded corners. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 5. Tibouchina multiflora (grandifolia) - Glory bush, Quaresmeira

    • Covered in clusters of soft, fuzzy purple blooms, this shrub adds tropical flair during the cooler months. Its velvety leaves are ornamental year-round. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 6. Holmskioldia sanguinea - Red Chinese hat

    • Cup-shaped bracts form red “hats” around small flowers. This shrub stands out with unique form and long-lasting blooms. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 7. Barleria cristata - Philippine violet

    • A hardy shrub with masses of purple-violet blooms in the cool season. It flowers when many plants are quiet, adding dependable winter color. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 8. Thunbergia erecta - King’s Mantle

    • A compact shrub with velvety purple blooms and bright yellow throats. It’s neat, easy to manage, and flowers generously in winter. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 9. Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower

    • Few shrubs can match its electric-blue spikes of flowers in winter. Compact and low-care, it brings a rare color to the cool season garden. 👉plant it
  • 🌷 10. Petrea volubilis (racemosa) - Queen’s wreath

A woody vine-shrub that bursts into cascading sprays of lavender stars. It flowers heavily in winter, resembling wisteria in the tropics. 👉plant it
🛒 Explore Winter bloomers

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Tequila Sunrise Hibiscus breaks the rules. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Tequila Sunrise Hibiscus breaks the rules

Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise

Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise

Tuxedo cat Smoky and Orange Cat Sunshine enjoying Tequila Sunrise

Tuxedo cat Smoky and Orange Cat Sunshine enjoying Tequila Sunrise

🍸 Tequila Sunrise Hibiscus breaks the rules
  • 🌅 Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise is a cousin of Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary we introduced earlier. El Capitolio is an unusual type of Hibiscus with a graceful, fountain-like growth habit and unique pendant, double-skirted blooms
  • 🌅 Tequila Sunrise has warm peach-orange tones, often with soft pink highlights. The pom-pom-like flowers stand out against glossy green foliage, adding a bright, exotic touch to the garden.
  • 🌅 Blooming from summer through fall, this hardy hibiscus thrives in full sun to partial shade, tolerates heat, drought, salt, and even wet soils. A fast grower reaching 5-10 ft, it's perfect as a showy specimen, hedge, or container plant in USDA zones 9-11.


🛒 Shop Hibiscus plants

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Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardener's dream. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardeners dream

Desmos chinensis - Ylang Ylang Shrub

⭐️ Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardener's dream
  • ⭐️ Desmos chinensis - Ylang Ylang Shrub - is a rare treasure for fragrance lovers. It's a compact, bushy, vining cousin of the famous Ylang Ylang tree, but with an even more intense perfume. The scent is often compared to sweet lemon candy.
  • ⭐️This shrub shows off graceful, arching branches and pendant flowers that come in golden yellow or the even rarer bright red form. It thrives in warm, humid conditions and becomes vigorous once established.
  • ⭐️Unlike the big Ylang Ylang tree (Cananga odorata) that can shoot up quickly and needs space, Desmos stays compact and can be maintained at about 3 to 6 ft. Perfect for smaller gardens or containers, while still delivering that unforgettable fragrance.


🎥 The rare red-flowered variety of Desmos is one of the most sought-after perfume plants of Southeast Asia.

🛒 Make Desmos the highlight of your fragrance collection

📚 Learn more:
Perfume in a pot: exotic Dwarf Chanel No 5 Tree

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How to get a mini flamboyant look in a small yard. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to get a mini flamboyant look in a small yard

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise, Pride of Barbados, Peacock Flower

🔥 How to get a mini flamboyant look in a small yard
  • 🔥 Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Dwarf Poinciana, Bird of Paradise, Pride of Barbados, Peacock Flower, or Flower Fence - is the national flower of Barbados, and for good reason!
  • 🔥 Why everyone is planting this butterfly magnet
  • 🔥 It puts on a show of fiery red, orange, yellow, or pink blossoms that look like miniature flamboyant trees.
  • 🔥 Flowers appear almost year-round, making it one of the longest-blooming shrubs.
  • 🔥 A true butterfly magnet - your garden will be full of wings!
  • 🔥 Compact, heat- and drought-tolerant, and low-maintenance.
  • 🔥 Available in different colors - red-orange, yellow, pink - so you can choose your favorite splash.


🛒 Get your own Dwarf Poinciana

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Nine best tropical shrubs that will bloom for you all summer. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Nine best tropical shrubs that will bloom for you all summer

Abutilon darwinii x striatum - Fireball, Biltmore Ballgown, Acalypha hispida - Cat Tail, Chenille plant, Allamanda, Brunfelsia - Lady of the night, Calliandra - Powderpuff, Clerodendrum speciosissimum - Java Glorybower, Hibiscus El Capitolio, Rondeletia

Abutilon darwinii x striatum - Fireball, Biltmore Ballgown, Acalypha hispida - Cat Tail, Chenille plant, Allamanda, Brunfelsia - Lady of the night, Calliandra - Powderpuff, Clerodendrum speciosissimum - Java Glorybower, Hibiscus El Capitolio, Rondeletia leucophylla - Panama Rose, Senna alata - Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant

🌺 Nine best tropical shrubs that will bloom for you all summer

📸 Pictures for the previous post:

🛒 Explore most spectacular flowering shrubs

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9 best tropical shrubs that bloom all summer long or year around. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

9 best tropical shrubs that bloom all summer long or year around

Abutilon darwinii x striatum - Fireball, Biltmore Ballgown, Acalypha hispida - Cat Tail, Chenille plant, Allamanda, Brunfelsia - Lady of the night, Calliandra - Powderpuff, Clerodendrum speciosissimum - Java Glorybower, Hibiscus El Capitolio, Rondeletia leucophylla - Panama Rose, Senna alata - Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant

🌺 9 best tropical shrubs that bloom all summer long or year around
  • 🌺 1. Abutilon darwinii x striatum - Fireball, Biltmore Ballgown. Lantern-like blooms in orange, red, and yellow keep coming all summer. Compact and graceful, perfect for pots or borders.
  • 🌺 2. Acalypha hispida - Cat Tail, Chenille plant. Fuzzy red tassels dangle nonstop in the heat, adding playful texture to containers and garden beds.
  • 🌺 3. Allamanda (many varieties). Fast growers with trumpet flowers in yellow or pink. Can be shaped as shrubs, trellised vines, or flowering hedges.
  • 🌺 4. Brunfelsia - Lady of the night. Creamy white blooms open at dusk, filling the evening garden with a sweet fragrance.
  • 🌺 5. Calliandra - Powderpuff (many varieties). Cheerful pompom flowers in red, pink, or white attract hummingbirds and bloom nearly year-round.
  • 🌺 6. Clerodendrum speciosissimum - Java Glorybower. Bright red flower clusters stand out against tropical foliage. Loves sun and steady moisture.
  • 🌺 7. Hibiscus El Capitolio - Unique, double-skirted, ruffled pendant blooms with pom-pom-like centers make this hibiscus a showpiece shrub for summer gardens.
  • 🌺 8. Rondeletia leucophylla - Panama Rose. Compact and butterfly-friendly, with fragrant pink flower clusters that perfume warm evenings.
  • 🌺 9. Senna alata - Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant. Bold, upright candles of golden flowers shine through the season and draw in pollinators.


🛒 Explore most spectacular flowering shrubs

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Four best perennials that will bloom for you all summer. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Four best perennials that will bloom for you all summer

Crossandra, Heliconia Lady Di, Plumbago, and Spathoglottis ground orchids.

Crossandra, Heliconia Lady Di, Plumbago, and Spathoglottis ground orchids.

🌷 Four best perennials that will bloom for you all summer

📸 Pictures for the previous post: Crossandra, Heliconia Lady Di, Plumbago, and Spathoglottis ground orchids.

🛒 Discover more flowering perennials

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Four best low-growing perennials that bloom all summer. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Four best low-growing perennials that bloom all summer

Crossandra, Heliconia Lady Di, Plumbago, and Spathoglottis ground orchids.

🌷 Four best low-growing perennials that bloom all summer
  • 🌼 1. Crossandra


    • Crossandra is one of those plants that never really takes a break. Its ruffled orange blooms pop almost nonstop in warm weather, making it a reliable color source for borders, pots, or even as a filler around taller shrubs. Unlike many flowering plants that fade in midsummer, Crossandra keeps going through heat and humidity, thriving where others give up. It's compact, easy to trim, and works beautifully in small gardens or patios.
  • 🌼 2. Heliconia psittacorum Lady Di


    • Heliconia Lady Di adds a tropical accent with its upright, torch-like blooms in fiery orange and yellow. What makes this variety practical is its manageable size compared to giant heliconias - it fits well in small gardens and large pots. Its flowers last long, both on the plant and as cut flowers, making it popular for summer arrangements. Once established, it keeps sending up flower stalks all season, giving a steady display of color and drama.
  • 🌼 3. Plumbago


    • Plumbago is a gardener's friend in hot climates because it covers a lot of ground and throws out flower clusters all summer (sky-blue, white or red). It's versatile - train it as a shrub, hedge, or let it spill over walls and trellises. The flowers attract butterflies, and the plant is low-maintenance, tolerating pruning, sandy soil, and neglect. If you need a reliable plant to soften fences or add a cool color contrast to reds and oranges in the garden, plumbago is a winner.
  • 🌼 4. Spathoglottis ground orchids


Ground orchids like Spathoglottis are practical because they give you the exotic look of orchids without the fuss. These hardy, clumping perennials send up spikes of purple, pink, or yellow blooms that last for weeks, repeating through summer in warm climates. They’re perfect for edging walkways or filling beds where you want constant color with minimal care. Unlike potted orchids that bloom once and rest, Spathoglottis keeps producing flowers right in the ground, almost year-round in frost-free areas.

🛒 Discover more flowering perennials

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10 reasons to grow this Indian secret tree - the miracle Fruit of the Gods you never knew about: Syzygium cumini - Jambolan. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

10 reasons to grow this Indian secret tree - the miracle Fruit of the Gods you never knew about: Syzygium cumini - Jambolan

Syzygium cumini - Jambolan, Java plum, Malabar plum, Black Plum, Jamun, Jaman, Jambul, Duhat, Lilly Pilly

🍆 10 reasons to grow this Indian secret tree - the miracle Fruit of the Gods you never knew about
  • Sacred and secret Indian divine Berry - Jambolan (Syzygium cumini) - goes by many names: Java plum, Malabar plum, Black Plum, Jamun, Jaman, Jambul, Duhat, even Lilly Pilly! Which one do you know it by?
  • Sweet-tart and healthy fruit. The tree is a heavy producer of juicy, sweet-tart black fruits that can be eaten fresh or turned into tarts, sauces, and jams. In Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, both the fruit and plant are valued for their powerful health benefits. The flavor is unique, with a mile herbal note (maybe Oregano?).
  • A tree steeped in tradition. According to Hindu belief, Rama survived on this fruit during his 14-year exile, which earned it the title Fruit of the Gods. Lord Krishna himself is often described as having skin the color of jambul. In India, its leaves are still used to decorate marriage pendals.


♥️ Jambolan health and life benefits
  • ▫️1. Fights diabetes - helps manage blood sugar naturally.
  • ▫️2. Weight loss - low in calories, high in fiber, keeps you full and curbs cravings.
  • ▫️3. Fiber-rich digestion aid - improves gut health, prevents constipation, and soothes indigestion.
  • ▫️4. Vitamin C boost - strengthens immunity, brightens skin, and supports healthy hair.
  • ▫️5. Controls heart rate and blood health - potassium regulates heart rate and blood pressure, while iron supports hemoglobin and circulation.
  • ▫️6. Slows aging - loaded with antioxidants, it protects cells and supports vitality.
  • ▫️7. Liver and kidney detox - traditionally used for cleansing and protection.
  • ▫️8. Skin and oral care - helps with acne, blemishes, mouth ulcers, and freshens breath.
  • ▫️9. Respiratory relief - eases coughs, asthma, and colds.
  • ▫️10. Quick privacy screen! Here's what most gardeners don't realize: Jambolan is the ultimate low-maintenance, fast-growing tree with dense glossy leaves. It thrives in any soil, stays pest free, and in just a couple of seasons can grow into a dense, bushy privacy screen - perfect if you want quick shade, an ornamental barrier, or a living fence with health benefits that practically takes care of itself!


🛒 Plant Jambolan: shade, fruit, beauty, and health - all in one tree!

📚 Learn more:
The Divine Berry - large, bushy, exotic fruit tree in no time

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This flower opens in a few seconds! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

This flower opens in a few seconds!

Phymosia umbellata - Cranberry Mallow Malva Aparasolada

🌺 This flower opens in a few seconds! (Time lapse)

"The earth laughs in flowers." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

🎥 Phymosia umbellata - Cranberry Mallow Malva Aparasolada - one of the most impressive Malva (Hibiscus) shrubs

🛒 Explore Hibiscus species

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