Plant of the Week
EDUCATION
10.09.2026 - LOQUAT
This week I'm focusing on loquats. They fruit in the fall and winter when the temperature at night gets below 65. Typically from November till April. The trees bloom all year but the fruit may not set until the temperature is lower. The blooms smell awesome, like a jasmine and magnolia mixed together. They are great shade trees, and some places they are used as ornamental trees. They can grow to about 25' tall but can be trimmed and kept at 14' easily. The fruit taste varies by variety. Most of them all have an apricot taste, with hints of peach, melon, or cherry. Great to eat fresh, make jam, or cook with them. The leaves are also said to have medicinal properties as well, for sore throats or as an anti inflammatory. We have the trees in stock, a few varieties, all grafted. They are not true to seed, so that's why we graft or do from air layers. They are also cold hardy and can take a frost or freeze.
The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), also known as the Japanese plum or Japanese medlar, is a large evergreen shrub or small tree native to south-central China that produces sweet-tart, edible yellow-to-orange fruit.
Plant Overview & Characteristics
Appearance: Grows 15 to 25 feet tall with a rounded canopy, featuring large, leathery, dark green glossy leaves (6–12 inches long) with serrated edges and fuzzy, lighter undersides.
Flowers: Bears clusters of small, highly fragrant white flowers that bloom in the late fall or early winter.
Fruit: Produces oval or pear-shaped pomes that ripen in the late winter or spring. The juicy flesh tastes like a sweet-tangy blend of apricot, citrus, and peach, containing 1 to 4 large seeds.
Cultivation & Care
Hardiness: Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 11. The mature tree tolerates cold down to about 10°F (-12°C), but blossoms and fruit can be damaged if temperatures drop below freezing (roughly 27°F–28°F).
Sun & Soil: Prefers full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil. It adapts well to various soil types (clay, loam, or sand) and varying pH levels.
Maintenance: Highly drought-tolerant once established and naturally low-maintenance, though it benefits from regular watering and a balanced fertilizer in late winter.
Uses & Considerations
Culinary: Eaten fresh off the tree or cooked into jams, jellies, preserves, and pies. The leaves can also be steeped for herbal tea.
Safety Note: The seeds (stones) and young leaves contain trace amounts of cyanogenic glycosides, which are toxic if ingested in large quantities.
09.30.2026 - COCONUT PALM
We have 4 kinds of coconut trees we offer now. We have the green dwarf malayan, maypan, Golden or yellow dwarf malayan, and dwarf Fiji. My favorite is the green dwarf malayan. It is the fastest fruiting variety, stays half the size of larger coconut varieties, and has the best tasting coconut water. I drink coconut water every day to stay hydrated in these ever hotter days. Packed with electrolytes, and lower in sugar than most hydration drinks too. Most coconut water you buy is from the green malayan coconut tree. We have several sizes available, 3 gallon are $25, 7 gallon are $60, 15 gallon are $95, and 25 gallon are $300. I also have maypan in 3 and 7 gallon, yellow or Golden malayan in 3 gallon, and dwarf Fiji in 3 gallon. Here is some information available on the dwarf green malayan coconut.
The Malaysian Green Dwarf (or Green Malayan Dwarf) is a compact, early-fruiting coconut palm variety (Cocos nucifera) known for producing sweet water and yielding harvests much sooner than tall coconut types.
Key Characteristics
Height: Grows to about 15 to 30 feet tall, which is much shorter than standard tall varieties that can reach 50 to 100 feet.
Fruiting Time: Starts producing green coconuts within 2.5 to 3 years after planting.
Yield: Produces 80 to 150 sweet, water-rich green coconuts annually.
Lifespan: Lives for about 40 to 50 years.
Care and Growing Requirements
Sunlight: Requires full sun with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
Watering: Needs regular, consistent moisture, especially when young, but the soil must have good drainage to prevent root rot.
Climate: Thrives in warm tropical and subtropical climates (USDA Hardiness Zones 10–11). Established trees can tolerate brief dips down to 30°F, but young plants must be protected from frost.
09.19.2026 - WURTZ AVOCADO
The Wurtz avocado, also known as the Little Cado Avocado Tree, is a true dwarf avocado variety that grows only 8 to 10 feet tall at maturity.
Key Tree Features
Size: Grows compactly to 8–10 feet (sometimes up to 12 feet), making it ideal for small yards or containers.
Habit: Features a bushy, weeping growth style with thin, drooping branches.
Hardiness: Tolerates cold down to about 25°F (USDA zones 9–11).
Flowers: Type-A flower classification, but it is reliably self-fertile and produces fruit without a second tree.
Fruit Characteristics
Flavor & Texture: Creamy, rich flesh with a medium-to-high oil content and good flavor.
Appearance: Pear-shaped, medium-sized (8 to 12 ounces) with smooth or pebbly green skin that stays green when ripe.
Harvest Season: Ripens from May through September (often called the "Summer Fuerte").
09.05.2026 - NANCE BERRY
The NANCE berry, aka nances nanches, or cheese fruit. Native to Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. They are healthy fruit packing a ton of vitamin c, antioxidants, and fiber. They thrive in dry sandy soil that is well drained. They can take partial shade to full sun. Once established they are cold hardy down to 25 degrees, larger mature trees. The only fruit that I cannot compare to another fruit, directly for taste. I usually can always say , oh it tastes like this... I have had some people say it tastes like pineapple, and others like olives or even cheese. It's slightly acidic, sweet, and not sour. Lots of customers love it, some hate it, just like a lot of other fruits. It has a lot of medicinal, culinary and cultural uses as well. Some make drinks , alcohol, medicine, desserts, or eat it fresh. It's a nice looking tree with bronze leaves that will grow into a sub canopy tree about 14-16' tall. To me it tastes like pineapple at first and sweet, but finishes like a cheese kurd or Parmesan cheese taste at the end. Truly unique, you just have to tell yourself it's not supposed to taste like a grape, apple, or other only sweet fruit. We have these on sale for $40 in 3 gallon at a nice size 3-5' tall.
08.28.2026 - BAY LEAF
This week I will tell you a little about BAY LEAF. Common in a variety of dishes from many cultures as well. It's from the Mediterranean area originally and can thrive in zone 8-11. A little fresh bay homegrown tastes a lot better than the dry, who knows how old, leaves that expensive from the store. The tree is very slow growing and can take sun or partial shade. It likes well drained soil. The tree will reach 10-12' feet full grown.
08.22.2026 - THE ANONNAS
One of my favorite families of fruit, the anonnas. I have my favorites but will tell you about all we carry. This family includes the guanabana, sugar apple, custard apple, atemoya and more rare varieties listed below. Overall they are smaller to medium canopy trees often used as a medium tree or bush layer in permaculture. They can reach 16-18' full grown but are typically kept around 10-12' to keep picking easy. They can take full sun or partial shade. Most likely we'll drained soil with no wet feet. Ph of 6-7 is fine so they can thrive in our native loamy soil. They typically are semi deciduous meany they go through a cycle of losing leaves during a certain time of year. Please feel free to ask any questions on the difference between varieties. They all taste great but are very different in taste, growth habits, production, and other distinct characteristics.
The "Painter" Cherilata is a rare hybrid fruit tree (Annona cherimola × Annona reticulata) developed in the early 1990s by hobbyist grower John Painter on Pine Island (Bokeelia), Florida. It combines the creamy, firm texture of a cherimoya with the sweet berry-custard flavor of a custard apple.
Kampong Mauve is a rare and distinct cultivar of the sugar apple (Annona squamosa), also known as a sweetsop or purple custard apple. It is prized for its unique pale purple or mauve skin, creamy white segmented pulp, and sweet, custard-like flavor with tropical and vanilla notes.
The red sugar apple (Annona squamosa), also called sweetsop or anón rojo, is a striking tropical fruit featuring bumpy, reddish-purple skin and sweet, creamy, custard-like white flesh. It thrives in warm, humid climates like USDA zones 9–11 and tastes like a rich blend of custard, vanilla, and berry.
The pink ilama (Annona macroprophyllata or Annona diversifolia) is a rare tropical fruit native to Central America. It is heart-shaped or cone-shaped with a bumpy rind. Unlike the green ilama which has sweet white flesh, the pink variety features rosy or deep pink flesh with a sweet-tart, custard-like flavor.
The red ilama (Annona diversifolia) is a rare, highly prized tropical fruit native to Central America and a close relative of the cherimoya and soursop. It features a knobby, thick rind and a sweet, creamy, custard-like pink-to-red flesh that tastes like a mix of raspberry, strawberry, and sweet cream.
The giant yellow sugar apple (Annona squamosa), also called golden sweetsop, is a rare tropical fruit-bearing tree. It produces heart-shaped or round bumpy fruits measuring 5-8 inches across, weighing up to 2 lbs or more. The exterior ripens to a golden-yellow hue, encasing an intensely sweet, creamy, custard-like pulp with tropical vanilla and honey notes.
The Thai Lessard sugar apple (Annona squamosa) is a high-yielding, premium tropical fruit tree prized for large, baseball-to-softball-sized green fruit with an ultra-sweet, custard-like pulp that tastes like vanilla, mango, and pineapple.
The 'African Pride' atemoya is a popular hybrid fruit tree (Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola) known for producing large, sweet, heart-shaped tropical fruits with creamy, custard-like white flesh. Originating in South Africa and commercialized in Australia, it is prized for high yields and a flavor reminiscent of vanilla and piña colada.
The giant Taiwan atemoya (locally known as the "pineapple sugar apple" or fenghli shijia) is a prized hybrid of the sugar apple (Annona squamosa) and the cherimoya (Annona cherimola). It features exceptionally large, plump fruit, smooth-textured sweet custard flesh with few seeds, and a rich tropical flavor.
The Geffner atemoya is a top-performing hybrid fruit tree (Annona cherimola × Annona squamosa) famous for producing sweet, creamy, custard-like fruit tasting of vanilla, pineapple, and mango without requiring tedious hand-pollination.
The PPC Atemoya, short for Phet Pak Chong, is a renowned premium hybrid fruit originating from Thailand. It is a cross between a sugar apple and a cherimoya (roughly 75% sugar apple and 25% cherimoya) and is celebrated for producing massive, exceptionally sweet fruits with a creamy, custard-like texture and very few seeds.
The Lisa atemoya is a premium hybrid fruit tree (Annona cherimola x squamosa) bred in the 1990s by Har Mahdeem by crossing a Libby cherimoya with a Red Sugar Apple. It produces sweet, ultra-creamy, heart-shaped fruit with pink-tinged or deep red skin and a distinct berry-like flavor.
The 'Priestly' atemoya is a grafted cultivar of the atemoya (Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola), a hybrid fruit combining the sugar apple and cherimoya. It produces very large, green, heart-shaped fruit with a sweet, juicy, custard-like flesh featuring tropical pineapple, vanilla, and banana flavor notes.
Rollina Deliciosa is a fast growing tree that has fruits that will turn green to yellow when it's ripe. This variety is related to soursop, cherimoya, and custard apple. Rollina Deliciosa has a tangy and sweet flavor with a complex flavor of pineapple and lemon with hints of passion fruit, mango, and guava.
The Miami soursop (Annona muricata) is a distinct, highly sought-after regional cultivar grown in South Florida. It is prized for having lower acidity, a sweeter flavor profile than typical wild varieties, low fiber content, and a creamy, cotton-like white flesh.
The Bennett soursop is a recognized cultivar of the soursop (Annona muricata), featuring large, blue-green skinned, handsome fruit with flavorful pulp. It was named in honor of G.S. Bennett of the United Fruit Company and is historically noted as a high-yielding, productive tree variety sometimes grown in warm climates like southern Florida.
The Na Dai sugar apple (Annona squamosa), also called sweetsop, is a compact tropical fruit tree from the family Annonaceae. It grows 10 to 20 feet tall and produces knobby, pale green or white-skinned fruit with sweet, creamy, custard-like flesh typically harvested from mid-summer through fall.
Meiogyne cylindrocarpa, commonly known as the fingersop or native apricot, is a small understory tree or shrub belonging to the custard apple family (Annonaceae). It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and the Western Pacific.
Annona montana, the mountain soursop, is a tree and its edible fruit in the Annonaceae family native to Central America, the Amazon, and islands in the Caribbean. It has fibrous fruits. A. montana may be used as a rootstock for cultivated Annonas. This is the tree people uses the leaves to make tea from to fight cancer. Not the normal soursop guanabana.
The San Pablo Red Custard Apple (Annona reticulata) is a prized, superior cultivar of the red custard apple family. It features vibrant red skin at maturity, soft pinkish-red creamy flesh, and a rich flavor profile reminiscent of raspberry cheesecake, strawberry, and caramelized sugar.
The Fernandez red custard apple (Annona reticulata) is a prized, premium cultivar selected in the Redland region of South Florida. It features an opaque, light-red exterior with a distinct "fish-scale" skin pattern and rich, dark pink-to-red flesh offering a creamy, low-grit texture
The Cuban cherimoya, often referred to locally as chirimoya or custard apple (scientifically Annona reticulata or related Annona species), is a sweet, yellow to gray, tropical-subtropical fruit featuring creamy, custard-like white pulp and large black inedible seeds. It offers a rich, sweet flavor with hints of banana and pineapple.
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Fruit trees and plants for Southwest Florida. Grown in Golden Gate Naples.
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