How to Use Native Plants in your Florida Landscape

Are you tired of struggling to maintain a lush landscape in the Florida heat? Do you long for a vibrant garden that thrives effortlessly without constant upkeep? The secret may lie right under your nose—in the native plants of Florida.

Benefits of Native Landscapes

Florida's unique climate offers a diverse range of flora, yet many homeowners still rely on exotic species that often wither under the intense sun and humidity. Not only do native plants require less water and care, but they also support local wildlife and contribute to a healthier ecosystem. Imagine transforming your garden into a stunning sanctuary that requires minimal resources while enhancing the natural beauty of your surroundings.

Florida Native Plants for Your Garden

Groundcovers

The most common type of groundcover in Florida's yards and gardens is turf grass. However, growing a healthy lawn in Florida's harsh conditions can require high levels of water resources and sometimes other maintenance such as the use of fertilizer. Rather than using turf grass for your entire landscape, consider one of these alternative Florida native groundcover plants for a no-mow, low-maintenance solution that requires fewer natural resources.

Beach Sunflower

Beach sunflower is a native plant that grows well in most areas of Florida. This spreading perennial blooms almost all year round. Use it as ground cover in an area where its bright yellow blossoms will brighten up your landscape. Beach sunflower is great for edgings, borders and mass plantings; it also looks pretty cascading from a container or wall top.

As the name suggests, beach sunflower is tolerant of salty soil and of salt spray. It also grows happily inland and is ideally suited to Florida's hot, dry conditions. In parts of the state with freezing winter temperatures, beach sunflower may act as an annual rather than as a perennial; however, in this case, it usually reseeds itself for the next growing season.

Railroad Vine

Railroad vine, a variety of morning glory, is often found growing in sand dunes, where its low-growing runners help prevent soil erosion. Its pink blooms may be seen at any time of year but peak blooming season is May to November.

Railroad vine is tolerant of salty conditions and can also be grown inland. It does best in dry, sandy soil. Once established, railroad vine is drought tolerant. It spreads very quickly and ideally needs plenty of space to thrive; some pruning is necessary to keep this pretty vine where you want it.

Wildflowers

The key to using wildflowers successfully in your landscape is to choose varieties that are suited to the conditions in your outdoor space. See our post on wildflowers for inspiration, and check out Florida Wildflower Foundation for more information.

Below are some suggestions for Florida native wildflowers that work well in a variety of situations. Some of these plants have many different varieties; be sure to choose one that is native to Florida.

Wildflowers for Dry Areas

Do you have a part of your landscape that is always dry, even after heavy rain? Rather than using mulch, changing the soil conditions or trying to grow traditional landscaping plants without adequate water resources, try some of these native wildflowers:

• Purple thistle
• Lanceleaf tickseed
• Carolina jessamine
• Seaside goldenrod
• Spiderwort
• Partridge pea

Wildflowers for Rain Gardens

Perhaps, rather than dry conditions, you have the opposite problem: a spot that becomes waterlogged from rainfall and runoff after Florida's trademark stormy weather. The following native plants will not die out during dry spells, but can cope with inundation and will happily soak up all that excess water:

• Blue flag iris
• Goldenrod
• Milkweed
• Swamp sunflower
• Spider lily

Wildflowers for Shade

Although many of Florida's wildflowers need direct sunlight, there are also plenty of options for those areas of your Florida native yard that can thrive in the shade. Many of these wildflowers grow in the shade beneath Florida's tall trees:

• Fringed bluestar
• Scarlet hibiscus
• Firebush
• Mistflower
• Prairie Iris
• Cardinalflower

Shrubs

Shrubs are large plants, though still smaller than trees. They have woody stems; often several stems grow from the ground or from a low point on the plant. Shrubs are used in many different ways in landscaping. They can be planted along a property line for privacy or to mark a boundary and are often used to add texture or height difference in garden beds. Shrubs can add color and variety to your landscape, or be used to attract native wildlife such as birds, bees and butterflies.

Beautyberry

Beautyberry is a small shrub that looks great in borders, brightening up your outdoor space in spring with small, pink flowers. Over the summer these slowly change into beautyberry's characteristic, shiny purple fruits. Beautyberry also works very well in a wildlife garden. A range of birds like to eat the striking berries, and pollinators are attracted to the flowers.

This cold-hardy shrub prefers partial sun or shade. It prefers dry soil and has some salt tolerance.

Coral Bean

Coral bean is another native plant that adds striking color to your landscape from spring through fall. Drooping, bright red flowers appear in early spring; these attract hummingbirds and butterflies. As fall arrives, coral bean's unusual black seed pods appear; these will eventually split open to reveal the beautiful but poisonous bright red berries inside.

Coral bean does best in full sun or light shade. It can tolerate a range of soil conditions, but prefers sandy, well-drained soil.

Chickasaw Plum

Chickasaw plum is a native fruit tree that can also be grown as a thicket or shrub. It's a great choice if you want to experiment with growing edible fruit. Chickasaw plum's thorny stems and dense thickets make it excellent for use as a privacy screen or a wildlife habitat. Its small white flowers mature into pretty, yellow or red plums that are enjoyed by birds; these can also be harvested to make jelly.

Chickasaw plum will grow best in full sun. This shrub prefers well-drained, acidic soil.

Trees

Florida's many native trees have a wide range of landscaping uses. Flowering trees can act as an accent plant, providing a focal point for landscaped gardens. Taller trees can be located to provide shade for your deck or patio, or to give privacy.

Red Maple

Red maple can be found in the wild from North Florida as far south as the Everglades, although it is better suited to conditions in the north of the state. This is one of Florida's few native trees to give a vivid display of fall color as the leaves change to red, orange and yellow. It also puts on a display in winter, with its beautiful red blooms beginning to appear as early in the year as January. A mature specimen can reach 60 to 75 feet in height, although some cultivars are much smaller.

Red maple is usually found in swampy conditions; as such, it grows best in wet, acidic soil. It prefers full sun but can also grow in partial shade.

Eastern Redbud

Eastern redbud is a small to medium native tree suited to use as an accent plant to add color to your landscape. Its beautiful pink flowers provide an attractive display during spring. Some cultivars have white blossoms rather than pink. In both cases these develop into distinctive, visually appealing seed pods. The beans these contain are an attractive food for birds. Even the leaves on a redbud tree are beautiful; the heart-shaped foliage can range from purple-red to bronze, yellow or green depending on the cultivar.

Plant your redbud trees in full sun or in partial shade. In the harsher sun of South Florida, more shade is desirable. Redbud trees can grow in a range of soil types. Once established they need some irrigation but do not require a lot of care.

Planning your Natural Landscape

Planning a landscape that uses native plants is a great thing to do for biodiversity and local wildlife. It's also likely to save you time and effort once installed, as all those Florida native plants are likely to need less attention than similar non-native plants that are not suited to our climate.

If you would like help designing and installing your native plant landscape, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at LawnMore. Our friendly, professional staff have years of experience with native landscaping and can help with both design and installation of your new native landscape.

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