Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Jim the Founder

Jim is the oldest cat of Top Tropicals. In fact, he is one of the Founders. In 2004 a tiny kitten showed up at first TopTropicals Nursery - a small quarter acre in Ft Lauderdale... Jim looked very important and confident and told us that he wants to stay with us because he sees a great future for TopTropicals... and he was right. Since then, Jim traveled with us through all nursery locations we ever had!

Jim used to lay on top of a warm monitor and help with our first website designs... if you look at his favorite monitor in the picture, you now can imagine how old this cat is!
In spite of his age, Jim is very active and likes to eat a lot. He believes that a good meal is key to a healthy living, and prefers variety. He eats everything: meat, fish, soup, pasta, pizza, veggies, cucumbers, salad... eats well and stays healthy!
Jim happily participates in all costume parties. Yes, it is him in a Santa costume greeting you at the top of this newsletter!

Don't miss out: Loquat Big Jim - we only have 4 plants, they all named after Jim!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

Hardy Dwarf Red Jade Vine

by Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I simply adore Jade vines. I think they are the Queens of all the vines! I have been very been successful growing the green Strongylodon macrobotrys and purple Jade Mucuna pruriens vines here in Clewiston Florida but I am struggling to make the Red Jade vine (Mucuna benettii) thrive. It keeps dying on me during cold snaps. Any suggestions?

A: ...Here is our solution for you. Consider growing a Dwarf Red Jade Vine or Camptosema grandiflora. It is closely related to the regular and ultra tropical Red Jade Vine Mucuna benettii but much tougher and hardier. It is considered to be one of the more cold hardy of the Jade Vines...
This gorgeous, rare and unusual vine is a sheer showstopper. It is easy to grow and it will reward you with long fiery chains of dangling orange-red flowers that bloom from late fall to early spring. Even though it is listed as a dwarf do not be fooled. This vine will get quite large and will need a strong support over time. The flowers are long and heavy and will show best when planted on an arbor or pergola where they are able to hang down and wow you and your visitors. It puts on a wonderful display. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds will all thank you for growing this stunner!...

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Muggle the Snuggle

The sweet talking bathroom cat

Muggle* (or some call him Mawgli) is the little brother to Bagheera. We call him the sweet talker because he really does talk to you. As soon as he sees you he wants to have a conversation. He meows at you and if you meow back he will continue the talk. He is our bathroom cat because he loves to sit in the bathroom with you and purrrrrr. We think maybe he sees this time as his alone time with his humans, his one-on-one time when he doesn't have to share the attention with the other PeopleCats!

* His name is actually Muggle, Jamie named him after Harry Potter which she loves.

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

Pavonia for hummingbirds - a cinch to grow!

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

...Flowers of the Brazilian candle - Pavonia multiflora are designed to be visited and pollinated strictly by hummingbirds. The narrow, upright, barely opening tubular flowers present a display any hummingbird can truly appreciate. While our eyes simply see a dazzling combination of reds, violet, and blue, the super-vision of those tiniest of birds perceive several more colors in the infra-red and ultra-violet spectrum, visible only to them and certain insects! Sort-of like electric lights along Times Square flashing "HERE I AM"! ...

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Kevin Coconuts, brother of James Coconuts

Many of you know well James Coconuts who has been in charge of our Customer Service. Only recently James discovered a twin brother! Kevin Coconuts lives with Sue and Mark (our horticulturist) and helps Mark to grow all his exclusive rare plants. Here is Kevin's story told by Sue...

"...One fall day about a year ago we had a visit from a gangly little stray who seemed drawn to our home. We originally thought he was the kitty from across the street, as his markings are almost identical. We repeatedly shooed him off but the next day, there he was again. His unassuming, humble personality drew us in. Upon closer observation we could see he was a male, while the one across the street is female, so we realized he did not belong over there. He seemed to have nowhere else to go...
With his silly playful attitude, Kevin wormed his way into our hearts and we decided to accept him as one of ours. Upon entering our house for the first time, he seemed to know his way around, and within a couple hours he was fast asleep on the couch. Our two other cats (Amun & Midnight) did not seem perturbed, which is very unusual for CATS, as anyone with cats knows! We have enjoyed Kevin's warm and comical demeanor and could not imagine life without him. He is a bright light that lifts the hearts of all who meet him!"

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

Chestnut vine - perfect plant for home and office

by Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I was visiting Ford Myers recently and attended the Edison Ford Winter Estate Garden Festival. I could not help but notice two stunningly beautiful Chestnut vines on your stand at the event. I have never seen this plant anywhere before. I was told they make a great indoor plant. I was also told your company ships to all 50 states. I have been looking for something unusual to grow in my office and this may be just the plant! How do I take care of it indoors?

A: If you want to bring a little bit of the tropics into your office, you have chosen the perfect plant. Tetrastigma voinierianum - Chestnut vine - is a long-lived perennial plant that will stay green all year long. It is a native of Laos and a member of the grape (Vitaceae) family. This is a truly striking vine with beautiful lush and large leaves. It is a vigorous climber with 8 inch or longer tendrils for climbing purposes. The underside of the leaves has clear pearl-like bumps, which are actually plant secretions that are used by ant colonies when growing in its wild habitat...

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Bagheera

Bagheera and Mowgli are Kristi's PeopleCats, originally they came together and they stick together. As little kittens, they were raised by Moe, the Mama-cat. Although she is not technically their Mom, but... she is a Mom for everyone!

Bagheera was born with his brother at a gator farm. He was too little to leave his mom, but he needed out. Bagheera is one of the sweetest boys we know. When he was a baby he could not sleep without laying on Kristi's face, both paws stretching across her mouth. Now he's a big brave boy. He rules the inside PeopleCats, stealing food from his human's plates and asking forgiveness at night when he lays above your head with his hands on your face. He's a reminder that we are all still little kittens on the inside...

Bagheera's new nicknames are Mr Biggs, Biggie and Biggy Biggy Biggy!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

Ghost Cold Protection

Q: Has anyone ever tried using heat packs under frost blankets to protect tropical plants from frost?

A: The reality is, the heat packs used for shipping do not have enough heat capacity to create efficient warming effect. From our own experience, the best way is to use small 25W incandescent bulbs which produce lots of heat (considering observing all safety precautions and fire safety). Some gardeners use Christmas lights. See picture of our plants in the ground during a cold night. We called them Ghost Cold Protection! ;)

See more columns on cold protection:
Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals
About Cold Protection
Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection
Tropical Treasures articles

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cindy's Purry - Jackson's Nanny

Purry came in the same litter with LadyBug, Ricki, and Charlie.
She now lives in Cindy's house as an indoor cat. She is the most lovable and purring purrrrson.

Purry (or Pursey) has a little ward she faithfully looks after... Her soft purrs put Baby Jackson Michael every time to sleep!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

The Florida Native Banyan

...The most impressive plant-life for me was a single native tree growing near a parking area along the Bay. It was the largest, oldest, "Shortleaf fig" I have ever seen. It was growing on a mass of bare exposed karst limestone and bore a small plaque describing it as being the largest Ficus citrifolia in the National Park. As it was dropping some of its little fruits at the time, I ended up taking a couple home for cultivation...