Sunshine: Look what I can do. It all started with
plumerias. Aloha, backyard edition.
Smokey: You are not just planting a tree - you are building
a tropical island lifestyle around it. Not bad for
staying home.
It usually starts simple. A plumeria in a pot by the patio. The flowers
catch your eye first, then the scent follows you,
soft but unmistakable. And that scent does something strange - it brings
back places you have been, or places you wish you had. Warm evenings, ocean
air,
tropical vacations that stay with you long after they are over.
That is the part people do not expect. One plant changes how the space
feels. But
adding a few changes everything. Different colors, slightly different
fragrances, layers that build on each other. It stops being a plant and
becomes an atmosphere that
pulls you outside without thinking.
Plumeria carries that tropical world with it. The same feeling people travel
for can live
right outside your door. Mix a few varieties, and your backyard starts
feeling like a place you never want to leave.
Plumerias are one of those plants you don't just grow
- you start collecting. One turns into two, then five, then suddenly you
want them
all!
Orchids have a mystique that sets them apart — elegant, exotic,
almost unreal in their perfection. But let’s be honest, not everyone
has
luck with the fancy ones that cling to trees or need greenhouse tricks.
Ground orchids are different. They grow in regular garden soil, bloom in
sun or shade, and come in all sorts of shapes and colors. They’re the
orchids you don’t have to fuss over.
Nun Orchid
(Phaius tankervilleae) – Ever wonder why it’s called the
Nun
Orchid? The flowers really do look like the white veil and brown habit nuns
used to wear. The plants send up spikes 3–4 ft tall with 10–20
fragrant blooms that open one after another for weeks. I like them best
tucked
under trees where they just keep spreading year after year.
Spathoglottis – The nonstop bloomer – If you want flowers
that
just don’t quit, this one’s it. Spathoglottis clumps up and
throws
spikes of purple, pink, or yellow that last for weeks, then keep coming back
through the summer. In warm spots they’ll bloom almost year-round.
Honestly, it’s one of the easiest orchids you’ll ever grow.
💲
Special Offer – 20% off Ground Orchids!
Get 20% OFF ground orchids with code
ORCHID2025
Min order $100. Excluding S/H, valid online only,
cannot be combined with other offers.
3 year old macadamia tree after 3 nights of hard
freeze in February 2026 - standing strong.
Earlier in early February we had a rough stretch at the B-Farm in Sebring. Three nights around 25°F with steady wind. Weather like that quickly shows which plants actually belong in Zone 9 and which ones only look good on paper.
Once things warmed up and we could see the real results, a few clear winners stood out. All of the macadamias handled the cold surprisingly well. The grumichamas stayed solid. And the cold-hardy avocado varieties again proved why gardeners rely on them in borderline climates.
Instead of listing every tropical plant that might survive a freeze, we decided to keep things practical and focus on the ones that actually went through this cold spell and that we currently have in stock.
If you garden in USDA Zone 8b-9, these are the kinds of trees that make winter a lot less stressful.
