Date: 12 Jan 2025
How to protect tropical plants in Winter
Winter tips and podcast
Photo above: wrapping plants with frost cloth
Winter can be tough on plants, especially on tropical varieties. But with a little preparation, you can protect your garden and keep your plants safe from the cold. Here's how:
Winter Care Tips for Tropical Plants
Cut watering: Reduce watering to prevent root rot. Cold + wet = dead roots.
Water before frost: Thirsty plants are more vulnerable. Water them before a cold night to prevent damage.
Wind protection: Wind is more harmful than temperature drops. Plant near structures like houses or trees for shelter.
Prepare for long cold periods: If cold weather lasts for hours, use all available protection, including Christmas lights and propane heaters.
Don't use dry fertilizer in winter: Heavy fertilizing encourages tender growth, which is more susceptible to cold damage. Sunshine Boosters liquid fertilizers are safe to use year around as their intake is controlled by reduced watering.
Use fabric covers, not plastic: Plastic can cook plants in the sun, while fabric allows better ventilation.
Photo above: we cover our plants in the nursery with a thin synthetic fabric (sintepon) called "frost cloth" or "strawberry cloth". It is light, breathable and allows light and water to go through unlike plastic that creates heavy water pockets.
Prepare for Cold Nights
Wrap plants: On cold nights, cover individual plants or trees with sheets or blankets to shield them from wind chill.
Use Christmas lights: A simple string of lights can add extra warmth, protecting your plants during frosty nights.
Use propane heaters: For added warmth in a larger area, place a propane heater near your plants. Make sure to follow safety guidelines and keep the heater at a safe distance from flammable materials. This can help maintain a few extra degrees of warmth, especially in more open garden spaces or temporary greenhouses. Always ensure proper ventilation to avoid harmful gas buildup.
Photo above: we use both propane and kerosene heaters at the nursery
Large Collections? Build a Temporary Greenhouse
Affordable winter greenhouse: For large plant collections, you don't need an expensive greenhouse. A mobile carport with plastic or fabric covering, costing around $200, can house up to 100 plants!
Photo above: Temporary wrapping around plant collection with a plastic or frost cloth protects from a windchill. It may also win you a few degrees even without a heater. In this particular case, according to our temp sensors, with 30F outside, it was 41F inside this "dome", no heaters used.
Southern Exposure and Garage Storage
Southern windowsills: Compact tropicals can thrive on southern-facing windowsills, getting plenty of sunlight during the day.
Move plants inside: If you have larger collections, move them into a well-lit garage for the colder nights or longer periods.
Photo above: using Christmas lights around plants while wrapping with frost cloth.
Key Factors for Survival
Cold duration: Tropical plants can survive brief cold spells but long durations, even above freezing, can be deadly.
Wind-chill: Wind chill can be harsher than the temperature itself.
Exposure: Southern-facing slopes hold heat longer, making them ideal for your plants.
Humidity: Proximity to lakes or oceans can create a milder micro-climate.
Gradual temperature Drops are safer. Plants adjust better to slow temperature changes than sudden cold blasts. Gradual cooling allows plants to prepare, reducing the risk of damage.
Strengthen Plant Hardiness
Health and maturity: Well-established, healthy plants are more cold-hardy.
Boost plant immunity: Use products like SUNSHINE-Epi to improve cold resistance. Apply it before and during cold snaps to protect your plants.
Healthy plant is hardy. Make sure to fertilize your plants on regular basis - healthier and stronger plants are more cold hardy.
With these steps, you can protect your plants and help them survive the winter months. Stay warm and keep your garden thriving!
Podcast with Horticulturist Mark Hooten:
How to Protect Tropical Plants in Winter
Date: 30 Sep 2024
The solution to eliminate weeds finally found!
Senna (Cassia) alata - Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant
🌞 The solution to eliminate weeds finally found! Yet it has beautiful sunny flowers!
- 🟡 Imagine a plant that grows fast, stays in bloom almost year-round, and covers your garden with lush, vibrant greenery with sunny, candle-like flowers. That's the Senna (Cassia) alata – Empress Candle, Candelabra Plant.
- 🟡 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 in the next post 👇
🛒 Shop Empress Candle
#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #Nature_Wonders
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Date: 21 Feb 2025
Why you need these pretty bells in your garden
Strobilanthes cusia (flaccidifolius) - Chinese Rain Bell
🔔 Why you need these pretty bells in your garden
- 💕 Strobilanthes cusia (flaccidifolius) - Chinese Rain Bell - Very showy, charming little shrub that will bring a touch of elegance and color to your garden.
- 💕 Impressively statured herbaceous shrub with graceful, arching branches and lovely pink, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from fall to spring, like a natural fountain of beauty.
- 💕 Not only is it eye-catching, but it also has a fascinating history - used to make the famous Assam Indigo dye and even for treating common ailments in traditional medicine.
- 💕 This fast-growing, cold-hardy plant is also great for containers
- 💕 Those delicate bells will attract butterflies. Add some charm and whimsy to your outdoor space!
🛍 Order online
#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #Container_Garden
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Date: 11 Mar 2025
What trees are fruiting and blooming right now?
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
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 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
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
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 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
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: 16 Mar 2025
The fruit tree that every garden must have
Fig Tree (Ficus carica) leaves
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
#Food_Forest
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