Florida Colors Nursery | 1976-2026
Fifty years
in bloom.
A nursery story shaped by family, resilience, careful observation, and a lifelong commitment to plumeria.
A living legacy
Continuity is cultivated.
Florida Colors Nursery did not begin with a plan to become a plumeria authority. It began in 1976 as a small family nursery growing hibiscus and tropical ornamentals in Homestead. Five decades of change-pests, hurricanes, new genetics, discovery, and succession-transformed that beginning into a living archive of plumeria history.
This anniversary is not simply about longevity. It honors the decisions, people, and plants that allowed the nursery to adapt without losing its identity.
The nursery takes root.
Luc and Carol Vannoorbeeck established Florida Colors Nursery in Homestead in 1976. Hibiscus and tropical ornamentals formed the original business and taught the disciplines that would define the nursery: propagation, close observation, honest customer guidance, and careful records.
When severe pest pressure devastated the hibiscus collection in the late 1980s, plumeria moved from curiosity to possibility. Its resilience and extraordinary variation offered a new direction.
Andrew changes everything.
Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in August 1992 and devastated Homestead. Nursery structures, plants, and years of work were lost. In the aftermath, plumeria again demonstrated the durability Luc and Carol had already recognized.
The decision to rebuild was also a decision to redefine Florida Colors around plumeria. What survived became the beginning of a more focused future.
New genetics. A new Grove.
In 1993, Florida Colors acquired more than 100 cuttings from renowned Hawaiian hybridizer Jim Little. Luc and Carol then traveled to Hawaii, returning with more than thirty 50-pound boxes of plant material.
These acquisitions supplied the genetic depth for serious observation and breeding. The Grove emerged as a permanent living reference where plants could be compared across seasons and years.
A cultivar legacy grows.
Florida Colors refined grafting and production methods, expanded wholesale relationships, preserved rare species, and evaluated seedlings with patience. Cultivars such as Mareno’s Rainbow, Abigail, Pink Ruffles, and many others became part of a growing Florida Colors family.
The nursery’s work was never limited to naming flowers. It centered on keeping original trees, documenting parentage, observing growth habits, and maintaining trustworthy plant identities.
The continuing story
One legacy, carried forward.
Tex and Kay Norwood join Florida Colors, bringing new energy to cultivation, documentation, education, and the nursery’s digital future.
After Luc’s passing, Carol, Tex, and Kay continue the work with respect for the collection, its records, and the standards established over decades.
House seedlings, carefully selected releases, education, and digital cultivar records extend the nursery’s reach while preserving its living collection.
Florida Colors marks fifty years as a family nursery and a trusted source for plants, cultivar history, and practical plumeria knowledge.
The nursery, online store, care guide, education platform, and cultivar database work together as one connected plumeria ecosystem.
The work continues: grow patiently, name carefully, preserve what matters, and share what experience has taught.
The Grove is still growing
History lives in the plants.
Explore the original cultivars, their documented offspring, and the living collection that connects five decades of Florida Colors Nursery.
Explore the cultivar families