The Neighborhood Gardener

January 2026

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Cut Flowers for Cool Weather

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “the earth laughs in flowers.” Cut flowers are an excellent way to harvest this joy and bring warmth to any room. And while many gardeners take advantage of Florida’s temperate winters to grow vegetables, our cooler weather also provides the right conditions for flowers too. Most flowering plants can be cut to enjoy inside, but some produce longer-lasting cut flowers than others. Gardening Solutions lists a few flowers for growing in your Florida winter garden that work well in a vase.

Growing Mushrooms at Home

For mushroom lovers, the idea of growing these fabulous fungi at home can be exciting—and intimidating. Oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are great choices for first-time home growers because they are delicious and some of the easiest to grow. Purchasing a mushroom cultivation kit is a simple way to start growing your own mushrooms at home. How you grow your mushrooms will depend on the kit you buy. But don’t worry; they should come with instructions to help you get started.

Carambola

Nutritious and eye-catching, carambola makes for a tasty snack and interesting garnish. Also called star fruit, this tropical treat is crisp and sweet. Slices of the fruit look like stars — hence the celestial name. Carambola grows best in South Florida. Along with warm to hot temperatures, this plant needs well-drained, moist soil and protection from the wind. Carambola is not a low-maintenance plant, but a mature tree can produce over 100 pounds of sweet, star-shaped fruit each year, so many gardeners find it worth the effort.

Wendy’s Wanderings

January ushers in a new year — and with it familiar phrases like “new year, new me,” “out with the old and in with the new” and “fresh starts and new beginnings.” For gardeners, the start of the year offers an opportunity to make thoughtful resolutions that improve our landscapes while benefiting the environment. Consider making 2026 the year you garden with intention, purpose, and patience.

Plant of the Month: Silver Buttonwood

This Florida native is quite a silver fox, with silky hairs that cover the surface of its leaves, giving the tree a shimmer. It’s a perfect evergreen to plant along street edges or sidewalks, as it adapts well to urban environments. Silver buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) serves well as a hedge, accent or windbreak. This low-branching, shrubby tree can reach up to 40 feet, but generally grows 15 to 20 feet tall. Its high salt tolerance and ability to thrive in sandy soil makes it an ideal tree for near the coast. Silver buttonwood grows well in South Florida and can be planted in USDA Hardiness Zones 10B through 11. 

There’s Still Time to Share Your Feedback

We’d like to hear from you! We want to continue creating content that is helpful to our readers. So we’ve come up with some questions to find out what you want to learn and topics that interest you. This anonymous online survey should only take a couple of minutes, and we appreciate every response! Please take the survey to share your horticultural education needs.

January in Your Garden

Many vegetables can be planted this time of year, including potatoes, which can be planted throughout the state in January. Maintain crapemyrtles by removing seed pods, small twiggy growth and crossing branches to improve appearance and form; hard pruning is not required. Florida Arbor Day is the third Friday of January. Contact your county Extension office to see if there are Arbor Day tree sales or giveaways in your area.

For more month-by-month gardening tips, check out the Florida Gardening Calendar. Three different editions of the calendar provide specific tips for each of Florida’s gardening regions—North, Central and South.

What’s Going On?

If your Master Gardener Volunteer program or Extension office is having an event, be sure to share it with us.