Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Many faces of hibiscus. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Many faces of hibiscus

Hibiscus plants: schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus, Cotton Candy - Mallow Hibiscus, Double Red - Double Rose of Sharon, Apricot Brandy, El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise, El Capitolio Bloody Mary

Hibiscus plants: schizopetalus - Coral Hibiscus, Cotton Candy - Mallow Hibiscus, Double Red - Double Rose of Sharon, Apricot Brandy, El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise, El Capitolio Bloody Mary

🌺 Many faces of hibiscus

📸 Pictures for the previous post:

❓ What is your favorite Hibiscus plant?

🛒 Explore Hibiscus species and varieties

#Hedges_with_benefits

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Much more than fancy flowers: discover the many faces of hibiscus. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Much more than fancy flowers: discover the many faces of hibiscus

Hibiscus varieties

🌺 Much more than fancy flowers: discover the many faces of hibiscus
  • 🌺 When people think of hibiscus, they usually picture the "fancy hibiscus" - those dazzling hybrids of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis with wild color blends and exotic shapes. These varieties, often grown in pots or as showy houseplants, are famous for their tropical flair. But while they steal attention, there's far more to the hibiscus world than the exotic hybrids alone.
  • 🌺 The fancy hibiscus types can be a bit demanding: they prefer full sun but dislike extremes, need consistent feeding with liquid fertilizer and microelements, and require close watch for pests like mealybugs. Growing them in containers makes it easier to manage water, soil, and weather. With the right care, they’ll reward you with spectacular blooms, though not every variety flowers year-round.
  • 🌺 Beyond the showy hybrids lies a whole family of hibiscus species that deserve just as much admiration - if not more. These include tough, easy-growing, and even edible types that thrive in the landscape with minimal care. Many are cold-hardy, pest-resistant, and bloom for months. Some are used for teas and salads, adding both flavor and color to your kitchen.
  • 🌺 This season, several flowering standouts worth discovering include:



❓ What is your favorite Hibiscus plant?

🛒 Explore Hibiscus species and varieties

📚 Learn more:

#Hedges_with_benefits

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You won't believe this red orchid tree exists! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

You wont believe this red orchid tree exists!

Bauhinia galpinii (punctata) - Pride of De Kaap, Nasturtium Orchid tree

☄️ You won’t believe this red orchid tree exists!
  • 💥 Bauhinia galpinii (punctata) - Pride of De Kaap or Nasturtium Orchid tree - has the most unusual color for Bauhinias. It went bold with bright scarlet flowers that look like little flames!
  • 💥 Native to South Africa, it’s a woody shrub you can shape into a small tree about 6-10 feet tall.
  • 💥 It blooms almost year-round, covering itself with clusters of fiery red blooms that butterflies can't resist. The flowers resembling those of nasturtiums, coming in clusters.
  • 💥 As all orchid trees, it has deep green, bilobed leaves are resembling butterfly wings. Tough, sun-loving, and low-maintenance - this beauty brings a touch of Africa right into your garden.


🛒 Plant beautiful Pride of De Kaap

📚 Learn more:
• Why red flowers are so attractive?

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_plants

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The solution to eliminate weeds finally found! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

The solution to eliminate weeds finally found!

🌞 The solution to eliminate weeds finally found!

📱

  • 🟡 Senna (Cassia) alata – Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant - grows fast and stays in bloom from Summer through Fall, for many months. It covers your garden with lush, vibrant greenery and sunny, candle-like flowers.

  • 🟡 This garden wonder lights up your space with golden, candle-like flowers, while its huge leaves provide cool shade and keep weeds at bay! Weeds 🌱 just don't have a chance to grow under its canopy!

  • 🟡 In just one or two seasons, it can grow up to 10 feet wide and 6-8 feet tall, creating a natural masterpiece of beauty.

  • 🟡 Butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees flock to its bright yellow flowers, which are followed by intriguing, rattling seed pods 🐝

  • 🟡 The Empress Candle isn't just a plant - it's a stunning, must-have addition that transforms any garden into a living work of art.


🎥 Watch the video

🛒 Plant sunny Empress Candle and say goodbye to weeds

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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How we turned an eyesore into a wall of flowers. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How we turned an eyesore into a wall of flowers

Quisqualis vine - Rangoon Creeper

How we turned an eyesore into a wall of flowers
  • Quisqualis vine - Rangoon Creeper - Flamingo pink and fruity fragrance in one!
  • Who said utility areas have to be ugly? Our Quisqualis indica - Rangoon Creeper - turned the roof of our water system into a wall of flowers! This shrubby vine covers itself in clusters of pink, crimson, and white blooms that change color as they age.
  • The fragrance is sweet, fruity, and absolutely unforgettable. Every time we walk by, we can’t help but stop and smell the... creeper!
  • Got a fence, trellis, or an eyesore to hide? This is your plant!


🛒 Plant Quisqualis today for a beautiful spot with perfume tomorrow

📚 Learn more:

#Butterfly_Plants #Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits

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What's that fragrance in the dark? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Whats that fragrance in the dark?

Brunfelsia - Lady of the Night

🌠 What's that fragrance in the dark?
  • 💐 Brunfelsia? People often ask: what can you plant in a shady spot that blooms year-round and smells amazing? The answer is Brunfelsia, known as Lady of the Night.
  • 💐 This Brazilian beauty is a compact, shade-loving shrub that thrives in low light and rewards you with creamy white flowers. As the sun sets, the blooms release a sweet, unforgettable perfume that lingers through the night. It’s like nature’s way of setting the mood for evening strolls.
  • 💐 Brunfelsia is more than just fragrance. Its flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, turning shaded corners into lively little stages. Low-maintenance, pollinator-friendly, and elegant, it’s the answer to your prayers: shade, flowers, and fragrance all in one plant.
  • 💐 The most fragrant Brunfelsias are the creamy-white varieties, often called Lady of the Night.

Popular species include: B. americana, B. isola, B. nitida, B. lactea, B. manaca, B. densifolia, B. gigantea.

Do you already grow Brunfelsia? What kind do you have in your garden?

🛒 Experience Brunfelsia fragrance

📚 Learn more about Brunfelsias:

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden

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Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!

Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Vine

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!
  • Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Flower: did you know this Florida native passion vine is more than just a butterfly host? Birds love it too - they’ll happily snack on the little fruits and sing you thank-you songs all day long!
  • And yes, the fruit is edible for people as well! The berries are small, but they make a fun and exotic treat.
  • The plants has a tiny flower and a tiny fruit – both only about half an inch – but together they create a mighty native habitat.
  • It's a triple win: butterflies, birds, and people can all enjoy something from this charming little plant. Plus, it’s the larval host for Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies, and its tiny greenish flowers provide nectar all year long. Fast-growing, easy, and full of life – a real gem for any Florida garden.
  • This vine is delicate and compact, perfect for a medium trellis or climbing a small tree. Unlike the big, aggressive passion vines that can cover a whole fence, this one stays manageable.
  • This Passion vine is not just charming and wildlife-friendly, it’s also tough as nails. Cold hardy and easy to grow, this native vine takes whatever Florida throws at it – heavy rains, long droughts and heat, poor sandy soils, even total neglect – and still thrives. A perfect choice if you want beauty, wildlife, and resilience all in one little plant.


🛒 Plant this small and tough vine with food and wildlife benefits

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to

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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

📚 Learn more:

#Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

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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

📚 Learn more from previous posts:

#Hedges_with_benefits

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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

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden

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