❄️ The Hardiness Report: February 2026 ❄️

🐾 Smokey & Sunshine’s real-world survival data from our Sebring, Florida Research Gardens. Smokey analyzed the data. Sunshine just stayed happy. Here is what they found.

📊 Weather Data – February 1–6, 2026

Sebring, Florida – 132 years of recorded observations
This was not a light frost. It was a prolonged, windy, penetrating hard freeze.

• 🌡 Minimum temperature: 25F
• ❄️ Wind chill: 14F
• ⏳ Duration: 3 nights of 8–10 hour hard freeze
• ☀️ Daytime temperatures: around 50F for 7 days
• 🌀 Wind: sustained 20 mph, gusts 40–50 mph

While all our plants in pots were protected in greenhouses, our in-ground plantings faced the freeze outdoors. We covered what we could. Even so, some plants were damaged, some died, and some surprised us by surviving.

In the next few newsletters, we will share the real survivors - the plants that proved themselves in the ground, under real conditions. Smokey and Sunshine have been out in the fields assessing the damage from the February 1–6 freeze. While many plants struggled, the Macadamia proved to be a true standout. This is how we grow them to handle the tough years.

Why does this matter? Because we have gotten used to warm winters, and this freeze was a rude awakening. Not everyone lives in Miami. If you garden in places where a real cold event can happen, you have to be prepared - and you have to plant what can take it.

🌰 Macadamia: Freeze Tested and Standing

When temperatures dropped to 25F with wind chill near 14F, our established macadamia trees remained upright, green, and structurally intact. Leaves held. Branches stayed firm. No collapse, no panic.

That is not luck. That is macadamia hardiness.

Often considered a "tropical luxury nut," macadamia proved it can handle more than many gardeners expect. In USDA Zones 9b-11, with proper drainage and site selection, it is not just ornamental - it is a long-term food tree with real resilience.

In a winter that reminded us not to take warmth for granted, macadamia earned its place on the survivor list.

The nut itself is famous for its strength. The shell is among the hardest in the nut world, requiring serious pressure to crack. Inside, the kernel is creamy, buttery, rich, and deeply satisfying. High in monounsaturated fats and naturally low in sugar, macadamias have long been valued both for flavor and for nutrition.

The tree is equally impressive. An evergreen with tough leaves and elegant spring flowers, it matures into a productive, manageable canopy. Nuts develop slowly over six to seven months. Production begins in a few years and increases steadily as the tree matures. Plant it once, and it can reward you for decades.

Cold will come again. It always does. The question is not whether winter will test your garden. The question is whether your trees are ready. Macadamia proved it is. If you are building a garden that feeds you for decades, this is a tree worth planting.

🛒 Add Macadamia Tree to your garden

When the Black Bat Lily decides to bloom

Every so often a plant blooms and the whole greenhouse seems to slow down.

That is what happened this week with the Black Bat Lily, Tacca chantrieri. We have grown Taccas for years, but when the black ones open properly, it still feels special. The flowers are dark and quiet, almost unreal up close. They do not shout for attention. They make you lean in.

Bat Head Lily Plant Facts

Botanical name: Tacca chantrieri
Also known as: Bat Head Lily, Bat Flower, Devil Flower, Black Tacca

USDA Zone: 9 - 11

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Right now, we have a lot of them blooming at the same time. If you have never seen one in person, photos only get you part of the way there. The wings are darker than you expect, and the whiskers seem to go on forever. People walk into the greenhouse, stop, stare, and usually ask the same question: "Is that real?" - Yes. It is.

A quick honest note, because this matters. The blooms themselves are delicate and may not travel well. That is just the nature of this plant. The plants, however, are strong, well established. With the right conditions, they bloom again. This is not a one-time trick.

Black Tacca is not a beginner houseplant, but it is also not impossible. It likes filtered light, steady warmth, and humidity. It does especially well in a greenhouse or a bright indoor spot where you already keep plants that enjoy moisture. It is the kind of plant you keep close, not one you forget in the corner.

We are offering them now simply because they are ready and looking their best. If you have been waiting for one, this is a good moment.

You can see the Black Bat Lily here: https://toptropicals.com/store/item/2345.htm

Just wanted to share something we are enjoying in the greenhouse right now. Some plants come and go. Some stay with you.

Tacca (Bat Lily) FAQ

What is Tacca?

Tacca, also known as Bat Lily or Devil Flower, is a tropical plant grown for its unusual bat-shaped flowers with long whisker-like filaments. The most popular species is Tacca chantrieri, the Black Bat Lily.

Is Tacca hard to grow?

Tacca is not a beginner plant, but it is not impossible. It does best with warmth, humidity, and filtered light. Gardeners who already grow orchids, calatheas, or other humidity-loving plants usually do well with Tacca.

Does Tacca need a greenhouse?

A greenhouse is ideal, but not required. Tacca can be grown indoors in a bright spot with indirect light and good humidity, such as near a humidifier or in a bright bathroom with a window or skylight.

Will my Tacca arrive in bloom?

Plants may be blooming in the greenhouse, but flowers are often removed before shipping because they are delicate and do not travel well. The plants are well established and capable of blooming again with proper care.

How often does Tacca bloom?

Tacca does not bloom constantly. It may take time to establish before flowering, but once settled, it can bloom seasonally and may produce multiple flowers in warm, humid conditions.

Does Tacca grow from a bulb?

Tacca grows from a rhizome, not a bulb. The rhizome stores energy and allows the plant to regrow and bloom again.

Why does Tacca have long whiskers?

The long filaments are thought to help attract pollinators such as flies by mimicking the look of decaying organic matter. While unusual, this is part of the plant's natural pollination strategy.

A Miracle for every special garden:
Synsepalum - Miracle Fruit

...Every tropical plant lover wants to have this plant in their collection. And there are at least three good reasons for it:
1) it is a true miracle fruit
2) It enjoys growing in a pot, stays compact and brings you miracle berries nearly year around
3) it can be grown indoors as it has very low water and light needs.

Miracle fruit is one of the strangest tropical fruits. The most unusual thing about it is the effect it has on one's taste after this miraculous berry has been consumed. The "miracle" is that if lemon or other sour food is eaten after the miracle fruit, the sour tastes sweet, as if sugar has been added. That kind of magical experience is unforgettable! The interest in this plant is so high that anyone who has a plant always finds eager volunteers to test its sweetening properties. A natural chemical in the fruit masks the tongue's sour taste buds so that lemons taste like lemonade or lemon pie, or lemon candy; beer tastes like Malta drink, sour strawberries taste super sweet, and a grapfruit tastes delicions and not bitter! What causes the miracle? The fruit has a unique taste changing glycoprotein that inhibits tastebuds' perception of sour taste. The sweet sensation lasts for half an hour to a few hours...

5 most rewarding tropical fruit trees

Top Tropicals @ Garden America Radio Show

...The most popular garden radio show Garden America is featuring Top Tropicals topic "5 most practical and rewarding fruit trees for subtropical areas".

1) Jackfruit Orange Crush (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
...We recently obtained this variety and it is hands down the best Jackfruit we ever tasted. It is crunchy, sweet, aromatic, with bright orange pulp...

2) Dwarf Guava Hawaiian Rainbow (Psidium nana)
- A very small version of the favorite aromatic Guava.
- Grows only up to 5-6 ft tall with a short trunk and branching, bushy habit.

3) Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit (Selenicereus megalanthus)
- This particular species of Dragon fruit is the sweetest and has great flavor unlike most pitayas
- doesn't mind regular water and rains but is also drought-tolerant

4) Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
- Can be kept as a very compact tree, and fruits in a pot.
- Flowers and fruits right away. The plants are covered with flowers now and setting fruit.
- Very cold hardy to upper 20's, drought tolerant, fast growing

5) Macadamia Nut (Macadamia integrifolia x tetraphylla)
- The most delicious and popular sweet nuts that are usually so expensive, can be produced in your garden!
- Cold hardy, fast growing, and very productive.

Listen to Facebook-Live Show (recording):

How to grow a nice Olive tree fast?

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

Q: I got an Olive tree from you a few months ago, planted in the ground and it is doing well, but I don't see any active growth. The tree looks healthy but still about the same size when I planted it in June. I'm old and I want to see the olives sooner than later. Any suggestions, should I give it some fertilizer?

A: Olive trees are relatively slow growers, however, with balanced nutrition they can grow much faster, as fast as a few feet per year. Check out this Article by Ed Jones where he describes how he grew nice, bushy Olive trees just within one season with a help of Sunshine Boosters fertilizers. The article shows in details how to properly use liquid fertilizer on your fruit trees.

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