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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

How to grow Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia reginae - Bird of Paradise

🦩 How to grow Bird of Paradise
  • ⭐️ Strelitzia reginae - Bird of Paradise (more photos in earlier post) - is incredibly easy to grow, especially in warm climates!
  • ⭐️ This tough, low-maintenance tropical thrives in full sun to partial shade, needs well-draining soil, and can handle drought once established.
  • ⭐️ It's resilient, long-lived, and nearly indestructible - perfect for beginners!
  • ⭐️ To keep it happy, just give it regular watering during growth and occasional fertilizer for best blooms.
  • ⭐️ It loves warm temperatures (zones 9-11), but in cooler areas, grow it in a pot and bring it inside during winter.
  • ⭐️ With minimal care, you'll get stunning, bird-like orange and blue flowers that bloom year after year. A showstopper, a survivor, and a statement plant all in one!


🛍 Plant Bird of Paradise

#How_to #Container_Garden

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What is the easiest flower for dry sunny spots

Crocosmia - Coppertips Grass, Falling Stars

⭐️ What is the easiest flower for dry sunny spots
  • 🔥 Crocosmia - Coppertips Grass, Falling Stars - is a fiery burst of color!
  • 🔥 Crocosmia is perfect for borders, flower beds, and rock gardens. This easy-to-grow perennial boasts sword-like leaves and arching spikes of vivid red, orange, and golden blooms in summer, attracting hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
  • 🔥 Resilient and long-lasting, it thrives in full sun to semi-shade and well-drained soil. Drought tolerant, great for xeriscaping. With minimal care, this plant delivers breathtaking color and pollinator activity season after season!
  • 🔥 Crocosmia adds drama, movement, and a tropical touch to your garden
  • 🔥 In colder climates, grow in pots and protect corms in winter.


More pictures in the next post ⤵️

🛍 Plant Crocosmia

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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Date:

Spring is calling - let's plant some trees!

March 21: World Planting Day
Big Tree Sale and Specials

Cat planting a tree

Spring is Officially Here! March 20, 2025, marked the Spring Equinox - the first day of Spring - a season of growth, renewal, and fresh beginnings! And on March 21, we celebrate International Day of Forests - the perfect time to plant a tree!

Happen to live in Florida? You're in luck: Top Tropicals is right around the corner! Not only do we offer a massive online selection of flowering and fruiting tropical trees, but we also have large, ready-to-go trees in 7-gal, 15-gal, and 25-gal sizes - already mature and ready to bloom and fruit! No waiting years for results! Mango, Avocado, Champaka and other hot selling trees are available in large size.

And here's the best part - FREE DELIVERY! (see offer details below ). Visit our Garden Center in Ft. Myers or our B-Farm in Sebring, Florida to check out our large tree selection. Our friendly team is ready to help you find the perfect trees, discuss delivery options, and even install them for you!

Yes, we install! We bring the trees, soil, mulch, fertilizer, and all necessary supplies for a hassle-free garden upgrade! Discounts and special deals are available based on order size and plant type. Enjoy our free delivery deal this week only! See offer details below.

Fruiting Wax Jamboo in 25 gal pot
Fruiting Wax Jamboo in 25 gal pot

FREE DELIVERY+
7 gal - $25 off regular price
15 gal - $75 off regular price
25 gal - $125 off regular price
Purchase over $300 in big trees, install only $30 for 15g, $60 for 25g
Purchase over $600 in big trees, install only $20 each

For walk ins only. Min order $200 for free delivery to Lee, Collier, Highlands counties and more (check with our office). Exp. 3-28-25

Avocado trees in 15 gal pots

Champaka trees in 15 gal pots

Date:

What is coffee made of?

Coffee berries (Coffea arabica)

Coffee berries (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

☕️ What is coffee made of?

☕️ Coffee beans are actually the seeds of red or purple cherries that grow on Coffee Trees (Coffea arabica). Once harvested, the beans are dried, roasted, and ground to make the coffee we drink. The roasting process brings out the rich, aromatic flavors that coffee lovers enjoy!

📚 Learn more from previous posts:
Coffee tree is the best gift
Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #2. Coffee Tree
The best Gift plant
The most popular and the easiest tropical fruit tree grown as a house plant

📱GROW your own COFFEE plant - Free Coffee Everyday

🛍 Shop Coffee trees

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts

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Date:

Why is it called Star Apple?

Star Apple - Chrysophyllum cainito

Star Apple - Chrysophyllum cainito

🌟 Why is it called Star Apple?
  • ⭐️ Caimito Tree, or Star Apple - Chrysophyllum cainito - is a rare and exotic gem of tropical fruit world, related to Sapote and Sapodilla.
  • ⭐️ Exotic & Rare: Hard to find, this tree is a favorite in the Caribbean, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
  • ⭐️ Unique Fruit: The fruit has a mild, grape-like flavor and is best enjoyed fresh. When cut, the inside reveals a star-shaped pattern.
  • ⭐️ Attractive & Delicious: A great addition to your garden with both aesthetic and edible benefits!


🛍 Shop Caimito trees

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The fruit tree that every garden must have

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) leaves

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) leaves

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) fruit

Fig Tree (Ficus carica) fruit

😊 The fruit tree that every garden must have
  • 🍎 Fig Tree (Ficus carica) is a great addition to your garden or patio, offering delicious fruit and attractive, lobed leaves with minimal care.
  • 🍎 Delicious Fruit: Figs come in violet, brown, or black colors, offering a sweet flavor with health benefits.
  • 🍎 Nutrient-Rich: High in Iron, Fiber, Potassium, and Calcium - perfect for a healthy treat!
  • 🍎 Beautiful Leaves: Large, lobed, green leaves provide landscape value even when the tree isn’t fruiting.
  • 🍎 Cold Hardy: Sensitive to frost during active growth but can withstand up to 10°F when dormant.
  • 🍎 Low Maintenance: Grows easily with minimal attention, prefers alkaline soil (unlike most tropical plants!), and can tolerate wet conditions.
  • 🍎 Prolific: Bears fruit from early summer to late fall, with fruits maturing quickly. It is self-fertile and low-maintenance, perfect for growing at home.


🛍 Shop Fig Trees

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Date:

Why this plant is called Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia reginae - Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia reginae - Bird of Paradise

🌈 Why this plant is called Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia reginae
- Bird of Paradise - is known for its striking, bird-like flowers that resemble a vibrant bird in flight. Native to South Africa, it's a popular ornamental plant that thrives in sunny, tropical gardens.

🛍 Plant Bird of Paradise

#Fun_Facts #Container_Garden

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Date:

What is the easiest Gardenia

Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia

🌸 What is the easiest Gardenia
  • 🥰 Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia - is one of the easiest and hardiest Gardenias in our collection is the Vietnamese Gardenia. This plant is much easier to grow than many other Gardenias. It can handle overly moist soils much better, is quite drought tolerant once established and has a high resistance to the typical Gardenia woes.
  • 🥰 Fragrant & Beautiful: Creamy white, 3-inch flowers with an unforgettable fragrance. Flowers are very unusual shape, work of art!
  • 🥰 Hardy & Easy to Grow: More resistant to typical Gardenia issues like root rot, mildew, and bud drop. Tolerates moist soil and is drought-tolerant once established.
  • 🥰 Cold-Hardy: The most cold-hardy of all tropical Gardenias, perfect for various climates.
  • 🥰 Perfect for Containers: A compact, bushy shrub that thrives in pots or the ground.
  • 🥰 Low Maintenance: Prefers well-drained, acidic soil and some afternoon shade. Prune after flowering for best shape.
  • 🥰 Evergreen Beauty: Blooming year-round. Ideal for beginners who want a reliable and fragrant plant!


🛍 Shop Gardenias

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Date:

What trees are fruiting and blooming right now?

Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia

Photo above: Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia

Q: What tropical trees are fruiting and flowering in March?

A: There's always something blooming and fruiting, especially with spring on the way! Our garden is buzzing with bees and butterflies, and in the nursery, you'll always find plants in bloom or bearing fruit. Here are a few standout winners of the season.

Orchid Trees

Bauhinia alba (candida) - White Orchid Tree

Orchid trees are among the most spectacular trees in Florida, flowering from late winter through spring. They are fast-growing, not fussy about soil or water, and bloom for several weeks in a stunning display of white, purple, pink, or red flowers. In the photo: Bauhinia alba (candida) - White Orchid Tree - the most cold-hardy of all Bauhinias, tolerating temperatures as low as 26F. You can see them in full bloom across Florida right now!

Carambola - Star Fruit

Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola)

Starfruit trees (Averrhoa carambola) have been fruiting in our garden since fall, and they just keep producing! We've had so many starfruits that we ended up making lots of jam.

Calliandra

Calliandra tweedi With Love - Red Tassel Flower

Calliandras are known to be spectacular winter bloomers, but in our garden, they seem to flower year-round. They make fantastic ever-blooming hedges or striking small specimen trees.
In the photo: red-flowering Calliandra tweedii "With Love" - Red Tassel Flower, yright now, this beautiful bush is covered in red blooms in front of our office at Sebring Farm.

Mulberry Trees

Mulberry fruit on the tree

Yes, it's Mulberry season! Some varieties have already ripened, while others are just about to. We're competing with the birds to see who gets the first fruit, but honestly, there's plenty for everyone! These trees are very cold hardy and highly productive.

Loquat Trees

Loquat tree Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat trees (Eriobotrya japonica) are loaded with fruit right now! We've started picking them and have already made some delicious preserves - you can only eat so many fresh. Loquats continue fruiting through April and May, making them one of the most rewarding, easy-to-grow, and productive fruit trees.

Tabebuia Trees

Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo

Tabebuia trees put on a spectacular show from late winter through spring! Golden and pink Tabebuias are small, compact trees that fit any yard and deliver a breathtaking display year after year.
Check out these short videos of blooming Tabebuias:
Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia
Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo

Date:

What is the most beautiful winter flowering tree for Florida snowbirds?

Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo

🌸 What is the most beautiful winter flowering tree for Florida snowbirds?
  • 🌸 It's not a cherry blossom! It's one of the most beautiful Florida trees - Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo. It is in full bloom now, and it's a spectacular view!
  • 🌸 This tree is a Florida favorite that's sure to make your garden stand out. This beauty is a winter-spring bloomer that'll have your landscape looking fabulous with bright pink flowers and a splash of yellow in the throats.
  • 🌸 These gorgeous blooms pop up before the tree even puts out new leaves.
  • 🌸 Perfect for smaller yards, this compact tree brings a burst of color without taking up too much space. Plus, it's the ideal choice for snowbirds visiting Florida in winter - when you're craving some color!
  • 🌸 But this Tabebuia isn't just pretty - it's also practical! This tropical beauty is cold-hardy down to the upper 20’s, making it a great fit for Central Florida.
  • 🌸 It's been a prized medicinal tree for centuries! Pau DArco (Taheebo) bark is brewed to make a smooth, earthy, and subtly sweet tea that contains compounds like lapachol and quercetin, used for centuries by indigenous South American tribes. A tree that's not only lovely to look at but also useful? That’s a win-win!
  • 🌸 Starts flowering in very small size - see next post ⬇️


🛍 Shop Tabebuias

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