Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 20 Feb 2026

Top Ten Flowering Tree Winners of Florida 2026 Record Freeze

Bauhinia Orchid Tree

Bauhinia Orchid Tree

Beaucarnea recurvata - Pony Tail

Beaucarnea recurvata - Pony Tail

Caesalpinia mexicana, Mexican Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia mexicana, Mexican Bird of Paradise

Callistemon - Bottlebrush

Callistemon - Bottlebrush

Erythrina

Erythrina

Jacaranda tree

Jacaranda tree

Magnolia figo

Magnolia figo

Magnolia Little Gem

Magnolia Little Gem

Tabebuia chrysotricha

Tabebuia chrysotricha

Tabebuia impetiginosa

Tabebuia impetiginosa

🏆 Top Ten Flowering Tree Winners of Florida 2026 Record Freeze



These flowering trees had no damage after 3 nights of hard freeze (25F) with NO PROTECTION:
🛒 Explore cold tolerant tropical plants

📚 Learn more:


#Discover #How_to #Trees

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Date: 19 Nov 2024

In the photos:

Coconut palm, Cocos nucifera

Coconut palm, Cocos nucifera

Fan palm - Licuala sp.

Fan palm - Licuala sp.

Areca palm - Areca (Dypsis) lutescens

Areca palm - Areca (Dypsis) lutescens

Windmill palm - Trachycarpus fortunei

Windmill palm - Trachycarpus fortunei

Cabbage palm - Sabal palmetto

Cabbage palm - Sabal palmetto

Queen Palm - Syagrus romanzoffiana

Queen Palm - Syagrus romanzoffiana

Majestic palm, Royal Palm - Ravenea rivularis

Majestic palm, Royal Palm - Ravenea rivularis

European fan palm - Chamaerops humilis

European fan palm - Chamaerops humilis

Date Palm - Phoenix canariensis

Date Palm - Phoenix canariensis

🌴 How cold hardy are palm trees and how to protect them in winter
  • 🌴 Most palms are tropical plants and require a frost-free climate to grow outdoors. However, there are a few exceptions. Adjust care depending on your zone and palm species. 
  • 🌴 Some cold-hardy species can handle harsher conditions, with proper protection, making them great options for gardeners in zones that experience occasional freezes.
  • 🌴 Mulch generously: Apply a thick layer of mulch around the base to insulate roots. Keep mulch a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rot.
  • 🌴 Water before frost: Water deeply before a freeze to stabilize soil temperature and prevent dehydration.
  • 🌴 Cover young palms: Wrap smaller or sensitive species in burlap, frost cloth, or blankets. Avoid plastic, as it can trap moisture and cause damage.
  • 🌴 Protect the crown: For cold-sensitive palms, bundle fronds upwards and wrap the crown with cloth or burlap to shield the growing point.
  • 🌴 Use heat sources: Place Christmas lights (non-LED) or a heat lamp near the tree, ensuring they’re safe and don't touch the foliage.
  • 🌴 Avoid pruning: Keep fronds intact during winter—they provide natural insulation.
  • 🌴 Species-specific care: Cold-hardy palms need less protection. Delicate types require more attention, including covering and relocating potted ones indoors.


📷 In the photos:



🌞 Cold sensitive palms:


Coconut palm: Cocos nucifera
Fan palm: Licuala sp.
Areca palm: Areca (Dypsis) lutescens

❄️ Cold hardy palms:


Windmill palm: Trachycarpus fortunei
Cabbage palm: Sabal palmetto
Queen Palm: Syagrus romanzoffiana
Majestic palm: Ravenea rivularis
European fan palm: Chamaerops humilis
Date Palm: Phoenix canariensis

🛒 Shop Palm Trees

#Trees #How_to

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 4 Nov 2019

Hardy Plumeria Pudica

Q: I have ordered plumeria pudica from you in March and it is thriving really well here in Rancho Cordova, California. The current temperatures are ranging from 68 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. My USDA zone is 9b. Does this plumeria pudica survive outside with temperatures dropping in coming winter in CA?

A: From our experience, Plumeria pudica is pretty cold hardy and takes some cold spells in spite of being a tropical species.
Our trees (well-established) took a few hours of freeze with no significant damage.
Potted plants are less hardy than in-ground plants. However, their advantage is, they are easy to move indoors or inside warmer place like garage, etc. If the temperature stays borderline around 32F for a few hours, the plant should be safe as long as warm day temperatures follow a cold night. For longer periods of cold, move the plant inside.
Make sure do not overwater and keep Plumeria on a dry side during winter, since cold and wet is a bad combination and may cause root problems.
Above is the picture of Plumeria pudica tree growing in Cape Coral, FL where low temperatures in winter sometimes go down to upper 20's for a few hours.

To improve cold hardiness of Plumerias and other tropical plants, use SUNSHINE-Epi-T for plant thermal protection and immune system boost.
Make sure to fertilize plants on regular basis to keep them strong and vigorous. The stronger and bigger the plant, the hardier it is!

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS:
Plumeria Top Dress - Smart-Release Booster
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Date: 26 Jan 2022

Don't miss this one:
PodCast Premiere!

Episode 1
How to Protect Tropical plants in Winter: Q & A

Featuring Horticulturist Mark Hooten

...We are introducing our new Series: Top Tropicals Podcast. Growing tropicals and pushing the limits. Watch the first episode:

How to Protect Tropical plants in Winter

...Who doesn't like tropical beauty? Everyone wants tropical plants. But not everyone lives in a warm climate. Is it possible to grow tropicals outside of Tropics?
Top Tropicals horticulturist Mark Hooten, who is well known to many gardeners as the Garden Doc with his Saturday Plant Clinic, is answering gardeners' questions about how to prepare and protect tropical plants during winter...

Premiere scheduled:
Thursday, January 27, 8:00 AM

More about cold hardiness and cold protection:

Cold hardy tropical fruit trees
Growing Stephanotis and cold protection
Cold protection of tropical container plants
Plumeria cold protection
Ghost Cold Protection
Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals
Improving cold hardiness before winter: fertilizer and micro-elements
3D garden ideas and winter cold protection
Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection
About Cold Protection

Date: 15 Nov 2025

What to do and not to do before a cold snap?

Cat and potted plants

Cat and potted plants

Frost covers

Frost covers

What to do and not to do before a cold snap?



Growing tropical plants outdoors? Here are a few practical notes for your cold protection guide.

⭕️ 5 things to DO to prepare your plants before a cold snap:



1. Water well. A well-hydrated plant is stronger. Juicy stems and leaves handle cold better than dry ones.
2. Add mulch. A thick layer around the base helps insulate the roots and keep them warm.
3. Block the wind. Move pots to a sheltered spot or set up a windbreak.
4. Cover at night, uncover by day. Use frost cloth, blankets, or plastic at night - but remove during the day so plants don’t overheat in the sun and can get as much light as possible.
5. Add gentle heat if needed. Christmas lights or a small heater can help - just use caution and make sure everything is safe.

❌ 5 most common mistakes, what NOT to do before or during a cold snap:



1. Don’t prune. Fresh cuts and new growth are tender and will freeze first.

2. Don’t overwater. Cold and soggy roots can rot. Keep soil moist, not soaked. Water just enough to quench the plant’s thirst and fill stems and leaves with moisture. Cold and wet is a dangerous combination.

3. Don’t let plants dry out either. Wilted, thirsty plants are more likely to suffer cold damage. Cold and dry can be just as harmful as cold and wet.

4. Don’t use dry fertilizer. It can burn roots in cold soil. A gentle liquid feed like amino-acid Sunshine Boosters is an exception and safe to use with every watering. Its intake naturally slows down as watering decreases.

5. Don’t just watch the thermometer. Duration and wind chill matter. A long cold night with wind can do more harm than a brief freeze.

✔️ Keep these in mind, and your plants will thank you when the cold passes!

#How_to

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