Date: 15 Jan 2024
Florida Starter Garden in Winter
Photo above: Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree
Q: We just moved to Florida and our yard is currently just plain grass. I want to add some beautiful tropical plants, but I'm not sure where to start. Can you suggest easy-to-care-for plants that look nice in winter, preferably with flowers? Considering it's Winter time and some trees look dormant... But I can't wait to start my tropical garden!
A: Florida residents are blessed to have mild winters, and many tropical and subtropical plants enjoy this climate year around. Just be mindful of your location's specific conditions (sun-shade, wet-dry, cold sensitive or hardy). Here are some recommendations for easy-to-grow, evergreen plants that love Florida and look great even in winter. They'll establish well during cooler months, add a splash of color to your garden with their flowers, and even treat you with fruit!
Winter flowers - will bloom now!
Clerodendrum Winter Starburst
Clerodendrum Blue Butterfly
Eranthemum Blue Sage
Odontonema Firespike
Pavonia - Brazilian Candles
Photo above: Odontonema cuspidatum - Firespike
Fragrant Garden
Banana Magnolia
Jasminum sambac Little Duke Supreme
Vietnamese
Gardenia
Nyctanthes - Parijat
Ylang Ylang vine
Photo above: Gardenia vietnamensis - Vietnamese Gardenia
Curious unusual trees
Hong Kong Orchid Tree
Candle Tree
Photo above: Parmentiera edulis - Candle Tree, Guahalote
Easy fruit
Noni Tree
Yellow Dragon Fruit Palora
Coffee Tree
Photo above: Morinda citrifolia - Noni Tree
Great looking now:
for Shade and Indoor Garden
Calathea
zebrina - Zebra Plant
Black Bat Head Lily
White Bat Head Lily
Medinilla
Vanilla Orchid
Reed Ground
Orchid
Calathea Fuzzy
Pheasant
Colocasia Mojito
Syngonium
Photo above: Tacca nivea - White Bat Head Lily
Date: 24 Nov 2021
Carambola - the Star of the orchard
from seed to flower... in less than 2 years?
by Ed Jones, the Booster guy
...My story starts on Dec. 2, 2019 when a co-worker brought a bag of
carambola. Well, being a crazy plant person, and being still fairly new to
Florida, you know I had to save a seed and plant it, right? Why not, it just might
grow. If it does, I may get my own star fruit someday. But when? Google
tells me that it takes 3 - 8 years to get fruit from a carambola that is planted
from seed. OK, I am good with 3 years....8, not so much, but I was willing to
give it a shot... Not really knowing what to expect, I planted just one
salvaged seed in some potting soil in a coffee cup and placed in on a shelf on
our lanai...
...Here is a picture of that plant FLOWERING and ready to fruit, taken at
the end of October 2021... Now, read the whole story...
CONTINUE READING >>
Grafted Carambola Trees available from our store are ready to flower and fruit right away. Some of them start fruiting right in a pot!
Date: 3 Feb 2019
Aquarius Plant Horoscope
Aquarius - 1/22 -
2/18.
Aquarius is an AIR sign ruled by odd-ball Uranus.
The water-bearer's plants will often grow in unusual places and may vary in
appearance. They often have purple or blue flowers, or may have unusual
colors.
The most healing and beneficial plants for Aquarius are the ones that help
circulation, relax the nervous system, or promote inspiration. When Uranus
was discovered, it replaced Mercury as ruler of Aquarius. Physiologically,
Uranus rules the bioelectrical impulses that power the body's nervous system
(nervous tension and nervous exhaustion brought on by powerful changes in the
environment are related to both Mercury and Uranus). Physically, Aquarius
rules the lower legs, the calves, and the ankles, and the electrical impulses
that travel through the body's nervous system. The nervous system itself is
ruled by Mercury, and Uranus is said to be a "higher octave" of Mercury. Since
Uranus was discovered after the correspondences with plants had been
established, the herbs used in Aquarius are Mercury herbs. Always difficult to
pinpoint, quirky Aquarius appreciates the unusual and complex flavor of star anise. Use this star-shaped spice when you wish to bring happy
surprises into your life.
Aquarius Zodiac lucky plants:
Anise, Orchid, Golden rain - Koelreuteria paniculata, Bird of Paradise, Heliconia, Petrea, Mandevilla, Jasminum, Kiwi, Persimmon, Loquat, Olive, Alocasia, Colocasia, Citrus, Apple, Peppers, Gingers, Carambola, herbs spicy with an unusual flavor, White Pothos, Ivy, Shami - Prosopis cineraria, Neem, Medinilla, Sheesham Tree, Catnip, Passion fruit, Valerian, Aloe, Myrrh, Kava-kava, Cinnamon, Clove, Eucalyptus, Coffee, Cola nut, Nepenthes, Vanilla Orchid, Strongylodon - Jade vine, Tacca - Bat Lily, Eranthemums, Agapanthus, Orchid trees, Bolusanthus, Chamaedorea metallica, Clerodendrum ugandense, Clitoria, Duranta, Guaiacum, Jacaranda, Lavanda.
For other signs information, see full Plant Horoscope.
Date: 27 Oct 2025
Large Grafted Mango Trees - Plant Now Before Winter!
"Next Time We'll Specify - A TREE!" - Smokey and Sunshine Plant a Giant Mango
🌡️ Why plant now?
Fall is the perfect time to plant tropical fruit trees. The soil is still warm, the air is mild, and your trees can quietly build strong roots. By spring, they’ll already be settled and ready to grow fast.
Imagine walking outside next summer and picking your own mangoes from a tree you planted this fall!
💲 Special Offer – 20% off Large Mango Trees: 7-15 gal
Get 20% OFF large grafted Mango trees (7-25 gal) with code
MANGO2025
Min order 150 (excluding S/H), valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.
Hurry, offer expires November 03, 2025!
👉 Explore Mango Varieties:
15 gal pots: pick up or delivery
Date: 20 Dec 2025
☃️ Winter is choosing season
Smokey: "December is for planning, not planting."
Sunshine: "Gift card now. Perfect plants later."
Smokey: "You surprise me sometimes. Must be the donuts."
This time of year always feels special to us. The days are shorter, the garden slows down, and we finally have a moment to pause, look at our wish lists, and dream a little about spring.
As gardeners, we know winter is not really planting season. It is choosing season.
It is when ideas take shape. When we think about what we want to grow next, what we want to add, and what we want to do differently when warm days return. That is why, in winter, the best plant gift is not a plant itself. It is the promise of one.
Cold weather and holiday shipping can make winter plant deliveries stressful, especially for tropical plants traveling north. A gift card lets plants wait for the right moment, and lets the gardener enjoy the fun part now: planning, choosing, and imagining.
It also solves something we all know too well. Every gardener is wonderfully different. Some dream of fruit trees, others of flowers, rare collectors, or easy growers. Some plant in containers, some in the ground. Guessing is hard. A gift card lets them choose exactly what fits their garden and their vision.
🎁 Holiday Gift Card Bonus
To make the season a little brighter, we are offering a holiday gift card bonus through 12/31/2025.
When you purchase a gift card, we add 15% extra value. Just add Christmas greeting in gift card message field. For example, a $100 gift card becomes $115 to spend.
The bonus value is not valid with other promotions or discounts. Gift cards cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Bonus value is added at the time of purchase.