Have you ever seen a Half-n-Half Parrots Beak? Top Tropicals Blog

Date: 20 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Have you ever seen a Half-n-Half Parrots Beak?

Gmelina philippensis variegata - Half-n-Half Parrots Beak

🦜 Have you ever seen a Half-n-Half Parrot's Beak?

‼️ Just landed: Half-n-Half Parrots Beak - rare variegated form! Limited quantities - first time ever!

🐦 We just got our hands on a super rare twist of a beloved classic - Half n Half Parrot's Beak! This is not your average Gmelina philippensis. It's a variegated version you've probably never seen before, and it's ready to steal the show!
🐦 Classic Parrot's Beak is already a fan favorite with its whimsical, hanging branches and cartoonish yellow blooms that really do look like parrots mid-laugh. Now imagine all that - with variegation!
🐦 Why is it special? Because each leaf is half green, half creamy-white - a stunning two-tone effect . It's got the same iconic yellow parrot-beak flowers, but with a brand-new flair.
🐦 Compact growth and ivy-shaped foliage make it ideal for bonsai. The leaves reduce beautifully with training. Develops character as it ages: spiny branches, textured bark, and an artistic form perfect for styling.
🐦 Fast grower with a naturally tidy canopy, it produces eye-catching yellow flowers shaped like parrot beaks, hanging in chain-like racemes. This rare form is perfect for collectors, bonsai lovers, or anyone who wants a showpiece plant that sparks conversation.
🐦 Note: Gmelina is pronounced "Melina" - the G is silent, but the plant is anything but!

📚Check out the Classic Parrot Beak in earlier post and in the Video

🛒 Limited quantity available - grab your Half n Half before they’re gone!

#Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Nature_Wonders

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Date: 14 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What is the best plant for a butterfly garden

Panama Rose - Rondeletia leucophylla

🦋 What is the best plant for a butterfly garden

🦋 If you're looking to add a splash of color and attract fluttering butterflies, the Panama Rose (Rondeletia leucophylla) is a must-have for your butterfly garden.
🦋 This stunning shrub, reaching up to 5 feet, is a true butterfly magnet with its bright pink, star-shaped flowers that bloom in clusters.
🦋 Why every gardener wants Panama rose for their butterfly garden? The sweet nectar from these flowers draws in butterflies, making it the perfect addition for a garden that thrives on natural pollinators.
🦋 Panama Rose has an enchanting fragrance that becomes more noticeable after sunset.
🦋 Native to Mexico, it’s ideal for USDA Zones 9-11, though with the right care, it can thrive in colder regions too.
🦋 This easy-care shrub thrives in full sun with regular watering and can tolerate occasional flooding. It maintains a natural, bushy shape and blooms cheerful, cup-shaped flowers from November to early summer, with sporadic blooms throughout the year.

🛒 Plant Panama Rose Butterfly Magnet

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants

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Date: 13 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What flower smells like lemons?

Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume Plant, Chinese Rice Flower

💐 What flower smells like lemons?

🍋 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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Date: 13 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

This is why Tibouchina is called the Eyelash Flower

Tibouchina Peace Baby - Eyelash Flower

👀 This is why Tibouchina is called the 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:

🛒 Shop Tibouchinas

#Hedges_with_benefits #Fun_Facts

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Date: 10 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

How to deal with chocolate cravings? Chocolate with zero calories

Portlandia - glorious flower of Cuba

🍪 How to deal with chocolate cravings? Chocolate with zero calories

🍪 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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Date: 8 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What to plant in a shady spot? Unusual variegated flowers of Lavender Ice!

Thunbergia erecta Lavender Ice - Lavender Lace

☂️ What to plant in a shady spot? Unusual variegated flowers of Lavender Ice!

💜 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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Date: 7 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

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

🍒 Why you should grow a Eugenia uniflora), also known as Surinam cherry or Brazilian cherry

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:

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

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Date: 6 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

Cassia occidentalis - Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, Privet Cassia

☀️ Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

🌼 Beauty without the hassle! Cassia occidentalis, commonly known as Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, or Privet Cassia, offers striking beauty and practical benefits, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance landscapes and herbal medicinal garden.
🌼 From spring to fall, this medium-sized shrub showcases clusters of orange-yellow flowers that look like little yellow hummingbirds from the distance and attract butterflies and bees. The large, red-veined leaves add ornamental value even when not in bloom.
🌼 Coffee Senna thrives in full sun to partial shade and is drought- and cold-tolerant once established. Requires minimal care, making it ideal for gardeners seeking beauty without the hassle. Its spreading habit can provide a natural hedge or privacy screen.
🌼 Coffee Senna gets its common name from the resemblance of its seeds to coffee beans. The seeds are dark and oval-shaped, much like coffee beans. Despite the name, the seeds are not related to the actual coffee plant (Coffea arabica). The "Senna" part of its name refers to its botanical Senna genus, which includes various species traditionally used for medicinal purposes.
🌼 Health Benefits of Coffee Senna

Beyond its ornamental appeal, Coffee Senna has a history in traditional medicine:

✔️Digestive Aid: The seeds have mild laxative properties, aiding in constipation relief.
✔️Respiratory Support: Infusions of the root and dried flowers are used to treat gastrointestinal issues, colds, and flu .
✔️Skin Health: Poultices made from the roots and flowers are applied to treat skin disorders such as eczema .
✔️Nutritional Value: The seeds are rich in iron and other minerals, contributing to overall health .

🛒 Plant your own Coffee Senna

#Food_Forest #Butterfly_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Remedies #Discover

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Date: 5 May 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

How to get a large, lush and fragrant bush in no time

Clerodendrum bungei - Glory Bower, Cashmere bouquet

💐 How to get a large, lush and fragrant bush in no time

💐 Looking for a fragrant, fast-growing shrub that adds beauty and privacy to your garden? Clerodendrum bungei - Glory Bower, Cashmere bouquet - is an excellent choice.

Key Benefits:

💐 Fragrant Blooms: Enjoy clusters of sweetly scented, pink flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. They open in terminal panicles up to six inches across.
💐 Versatile Growth: Dark green leaves often tinged purple are up to 8 inches long. This plant can be grown as a compact shrub or allowed to spread. This plant is incredibly vigorous and fast-growing, spreading quickly through root suckers. If you don’t want it to take over your yard in just one season, make sure to plant it in a contained corner or a container.
💐 Hardy and Resilient: Cashmere Bouquet is hardy to USDA Zones 8-10 and can tolerate light freezes, rejuvenating each spring.
💐 Low Maintenance: It thrives in full sun to part shade and is drought-tolerant once established. Keep the soil moist during the growing season. Regular pruning helps maintain its shape and encourages more blooms.