Florida’s warm, adaptable climate gives local nurseries a remarkable advantage during the winter months, allowing growers to cultivate holiday greens and vibrant tropical plants while much of the country lies dormant under frost.
Behind every festive poinsettia, lush fern, and exotic palm is a season of careful planning, climate management, and hands-on expertise.
From small family-run farms to large-scale wholesale operations, Florida’s nurseries work diligently through cooler temperatures to protect delicate species, maintain consistent growth, and meet the surge in holiday demand.
Exploring how these growers overcome seasonal challenges reveals the dedication, innovation, and skill that bring winter landscapes and holiday décor to life across the Sunshine State.
1. Lukas Nursery
Family-owned operations bring a personal touch to plant cultivation that larger companies sometimes miss.
Lukas Nursery has been serving the community since 1950, making it one of the oldest plant growers in the region.
Located at 1909 Slavia Road, Oviedo, FL 32765, this establishment specializes in producing quality foliage plants and seasonal greens throughout the year.
Winter months bring special challenges even in Florida’s mild climate.
The team uses shade houses and climate-controlled structures to protect delicate tropical species from occasional cold snaps.
Their expertise extends to growing poinsettias, cyclamen, and traditional holiday plants alongside tropical varieties like palms and ferns.
Customers appreciate the wide selection available during peak holiday shopping periods.
Staff members monitor temperature fluctuations carefully and adjust irrigation schedules based on seasonal changes.
This attention to detail ensures plants remain healthy and vibrant.
The nursery also educates visitors about proper plant care after purchase.
Many local landscapers rely on their consistent quality and reliable supply throughout winter months when demand increases significantly.
2. Plant Creations Inc
Wholesale operations supply the backbone of Florida’s ornamental plant industry during busy winter seasons.
Plant Creations Inc operates from 28301 SW 172nd Ave, Homestead, FL 33030, where they grow an impressive variety of tropical specimens year-round.
The location benefits from South Florida’s naturally warm temperatures that rarely require heating systems.
Growers here focus on producing plants for retail garden centers and landscaping companies across the eastern United States.
Their winter production includes cold-tolerant palms, bromeliads, and festive red and white plants perfect for holiday displays.
Advanced irrigation systems deliver precise amounts of water and nutrients to thousands of plants simultaneously.
This technology helps maintain consistency across large production areas.
Workers carefully time planting schedules so plants reach peak appearance exactly when customers need them most.
The coordination required for holiday production begins months in advance with careful planning.
Quality control teams inspect plants regularly to ensure only the healthiest specimens leave the facility.
Their reputation depends on delivering robust plants that thrive after transplanting.
3. Pine Island Nursery
Pine Island Nursery specializes in tropical fruit trees and exotic plants at 16300 SW 184th St, Miami, FL 33187, attracting gardeners and collectors from across South Florida.
Their extensive selection includes mango, avocado, lychee, longan, and many other rare tropical species that thrive in the region’s warm winter climate.
Winter conditions provide ideal planting weather, allowing new trees to establish strong root systems before the intense summer heat arrives.
Growers rely on detailed cultivation techniques and careful nutrient management to produce healthy, high-quality specimens suitable for both home landscapes and larger agricultural projects.
Holiday shoppers appreciate the availability of unique fruiting plants that offer long-term value and make memorable seasonal gifts.
Visitors benefit from knowledgeable staff who guide them in selecting varieties best suited to their climate, soil, and space, ensuring long-term success with their tropical plantings.
4. R.F. Orchids
R.F. Orchids has been cultivating award-winning orchids for decades at 28100 SW 182nd Ave, Homestead, FL 33030.
Known for its vibrant displays and rare species, the nursery attracts collectors and tourists from across the country.
Winter brings ideal blooming conditions for many orchid varieties, allowing the facility to showcase spectacular floral displays at a time when northern climates lie dormant.
Growers carefully maintain humidity-controlled greenhouses to mimic rainforest environments.
These precise conditions protect delicate blossoms from seasonal temperature fluctuations.
The nursery produces phalaenopsis, dendrobiums, vandas, and many specialty hybrids prized by enthusiasts.
Their selection peaks during the holidays, when colorful orchids make elegant gifts.
Staff members offer extensive guidance on orchid care, helping customers understand watering, lighting, and feeding requirements.
Educational tours further enhance the visitor experience during the winter season.
5. Flamingo Road Nursery
Flamingo Road Nursery, located at 1655 S Flamingo Rd, Davie, FL 33325, operates one of South Florida’s most popular seasonal garden centers.
Their expansive property transforms throughout the year to highlight different plants and celebrations.
Winter signals the arrival of their Holiday Extravaganza, featuring poinsettias, fresh wreaths, winter vegetables, and a wide range of tropical plants for indoor décor.
Greenhouses and shaded structures protect tender species from occasional cold fronts, ensuring consistent plant quality despite fluctuating temperatures.
The nursery also grows many of its own ornamentals, reducing dependence on outside suppliers during busy holiday seasons.
This improves freshness and availability.
Visitors enjoy themed displays, seasonal foods, and an inviting market atmosphere that blends gardening with family-friendly entertainment.
6. Kerby’s Nursery
Kerby’s Nursery has served the Tampa Bay region from 2311 S Parsons Ave, Seffner, FL 33584 since 1974.
Known for its friendly atmosphere and expert growing advice, the nursery offers tropicals, perennials, and winter flowers.
Florida’s cooler months allow gardeners to plant varieties that struggle in summer heat.
Snapdragons, petunias, and winter vegetables thrive under these milder conditions.
Kerby’s maintains heated greenhouses for tropical foliage and cold-sensitive species, ensuring year-round availability of healthy plants.
The nursery emphasizes education, hosting workshops on container gardening, fruit tree care, and seasonal planting.
These sessions grow in popularity during winter when demand for gardening guidance increases.
Customers rely on Kerby’s for high-quality plants and personalized service that encourages long-term success in home landscapes.
7. Wilcox Nursery & Landscape
Wilcox Nursery & Landscape, located at 12501 Indian Rocks Rd, Largo, FL 33774, focuses on environmentally friendly plants that thrive in Florida’s natural ecosystems.
Winter is an especially active season for native plants, which remain attractive even during cooler months.
Customers seek frost-tolerant shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses to reinvigorate winter landscapes.
Growers propagate many of their plants on-site, ensuring strong root systems and high adaptability to local soils and conditions.
The nursery also provides ecological landscaping services, helping homeowners design yards that support pollinators and wildlife.
Winter workshops teach pruning, design techniques, and maintenance methods that prepare gardeners for the growing season ahead.
8. Going Bananas
Going Bananas specializes in banana varieties and other tropical fruit plants at 24401 SW 197th Ave, Homestead, FL 33031, offering gardeners a uniquely extensive selection of edible landscaping options that combine ornamental beauty with practical harvest potential.
Winter represents the best planting time for many tropical fruit trees in South Florida because the mild seasonal temperatures allow newly planted specimens to establish strong, resilient root systems long before the intense heat and heavy rainfall of summer arrive.
The nursery maintains hundreds of banana cultivars sourced from regions around the world, and these varieties exhibit differing degrees of cold tolerance, allowing growers to choose plants that match the specific temperature patterns of their location, including areas that experience occasional frost.
Passion fruit vines, papaya trees, and several citrus varieties complement the extensive banana collection, providing year-round visual interest and seasonal harvest opportunities through an ever-changing display of flowers, foliage, and fruit.
Expert guidance from the staff helps customers understand the growth habits, mature sizes, pollination needs, and cold sensitivities of each species, ensuring that home gardeners select fruiting plants capable of thriving in their microclimate and available space.
This personalized support prevents common planting mistakes and allows customers to build diverse edible landscapes that remain productive and healthy through winter and beyond.
9. Island Tropical Foliage
Island Tropical Foliage operates from 17960 SW 232nd St, Miami, FL 33170, where they specialize in growing a vast selection of premium tropical foliage plants that are shipped to retailers, interior landscapers, and wholesalers throughout the United States.
Their winter production remains strong due to South Florida’s consistently warm climate, allowing sensitive plant varieties to thrive even when colder regions experience harsh freezes and limited daylight hours.
Growers utilize large shade-house structures and carefully controlled irrigation systems to maintain ideal moisture and light levels, ensuring that every plant develops vibrant color, strong roots, and durable leaves suitable for indoor or commercial environments.
The nursery is known for producing high-quality philodendrons, calatheas, dracaenas, and other decorative foliage species that remain in high demand during the holiday season when interior spaces are decorated more frequently.
Customers appreciate the nursery’s reliability, consistent quality standards, and ability to supply large quantities of uniform plants that meet strict commercial specifications.
Environmental stewardship plays a major role in their operation, with water recycling and biological pest-management techniques reducing waste while protecting the long-term health of the surrounding agricultural region.
10. Struthers Nursery
Struthers Nursery operates at 27041 County Road 561, Tavares, FL 32778, where they maintain expansive growing grounds dedicated to producing hardy landscape plants, shrubs, and tropical ornamentals suited to Central Florida’s unique climate.
Winter months provide ideal working conditions for the nursery’s extensive plant inventory, as cooler temperatures allow growers to focus on root development and structural strength without the stress of intense summer heat.
The nursery specializes in a wide range of outdoor plants that remain resilient through seasonal fluctuations, including cold-tolerant ornamentals, flowering shrubs, and evergreen species that maintain color and form even during winter.
Growers use a combination of open-field planting areas and protective shade structures to ensure that young plants receive just the right balance of sunlight, moisture, and temperature moderation throughout the cooler season.
Customers appreciate Struthers Nursery for its reliable plant quality, knowledgeable staff, and consistent availability of landscape-ready specimens that support both residential projects and larger commercial installations.
With decades of experience serving the Central Florida region, the nursery continues to refine its growing techniques to meet seasonal demands, offering plants that thrive through winter and prepare landscapes for vigorous spring growth.