Our new Community Blog, Freshly Rooted, is part of the refreshed Garden Club of St Petersburg’s website. The blog’s intent is to share happenings at our gardens, ideas you may take home to your garden, and other fun facts for gardening here in Florida Zone 10A.
That’s your first fun fact. St Petersburg currently resides in Zone 10A, which was a shift in the last few years. In the context of the USDA Hardiness Zone Map, Zone 10A refers to a geographical area where the average minimum winter temperature ranges from 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, indicating the lowest temperature that a plant will need to survive in the winter. Zone 10A is considered a subtropical climate with mild winters. Parts of California and Hawaii also have Zone 10A climates.
Zone 10 A can support many tropical and subtropical fruits, vegetables, and flowering plants. Citrus trees (like oranges, lemons, and limes), figs, blueberries, mangos, and grapes are popular fruit choices. Vegetables like peppers, cabbage, and sweet potatoes also thrive. In terms of flowering plants, hibiscus, bougainvillea, jasmine, and bird of paradise are well-suited to the climate. Evergreens like live oak, southern magnolia, and holly do well. Additionally, many perennials, including various types of agaves, canna, and verbena, are known to do well in this zone.
Check the tags on the plants you are looking at buying for the Zone they will be best suited for. Or Google it. Keep in mind (and this is unfortunate) – just because a plant is sold locally does not mean it will thrive locally.