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Florida Native Plant Gardening

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Central Florida Is A Difficult Climate For Nursery Grown Plants

Florida is a tall state that covers US cold hardiness zones from 8b to 11. I actually like to use the American Horticultural Society's heat zones to describe the growing zones here. The question is typically what plants will survive the heat, not the cold. I live in Central Florida which is considered sub-tropical. It's a unique area where the climate is hot and dry in the spring, very hot and humid in the summer, followed by intermittent freezes in winter. The soil is sandy and infertile. It's a place where scrub lands and swamps exist side by side. The gardens that are commonly installed in home landscapes by builders consist of cute little pampered nursery grown plants. In order to survive they will invariably require a great deal of water, pesticides, and fertilizer.

II grew up here and have seen this first hand. Where there used to be dense swamps there are now subdivisions with row upon row of almost the exact same house sitting pretty side by side. The lawns are green and the shrubs and flowers are growing, and the garden centers are packed every weekend with homeowners buying mountains of fertilizer and bug killer products.

Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals



The Benefits Of Using Native Plants

Florida Live Oak

Old Live Oak Draped with Spanish Moss


Old Live Oak Draped with Spanish Moss
Photographic Print

Melford, Michael
Buy at AllPosters.com


 First I should explain what makes a Florida Native Plant. According to the Florida Native Plant Society, native plants are "a species occurring within the state boundaries prior to European contact." Floridians and homeowners across the country have taken an interest in native plants in recent years. The demand for native plants is growing. One reason, especially in Florida, is that people visit the state to enjoy the unique natural habitats, so why not use some of the 2,800 native species of plants and trees that grow so well here in our home landscapes? After all, 1 out of every 12 Florida native plants grow here and nowhere else. Planting them in a garden gives a unique esthetic appeal that no other place in the world has.

Visit Florida Friendly Landscaping for photos and specs of native plants that you can search by area and type. Make sure to click the "natives only" button when searching.

More Reasons To Use Native Plants In A Home Landscape

  • Florida native plants have evolved over millions of years to thrive in the climate without being watered, or fertilized, or sprayed for bugs and disease. A homeowner may want to give their landscape some added care but an excessive amount is not required.
  • Using less pesticide and fertilizer will produce less surface water runoff and our lakes will be less contaminated.
  • Native plants are important in maintaining many types of birds, butterflies, and insect pollinators. The natural trees and shrubs provide are part of their habitat.
  • Planting natives in a home landscape will change the monotony of the typical home garden. Many Florida native plants are fragrant, and brightly colored, and add seasonal changes to a garden.

Books About Florida Native Plants Are Easy To Find On Amazon

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Not All Native Plants Grow In All Landscapes

What To Look For When Buying Plants Native To Florida

It's a good idea to do a little research before jumping in to native plant gardening. It's important to determine what plants are truly native to your area. Florida is an extremely diverse state with many ecosystems. The state has four distinct growing zones, North, Central, South, and Tropical. Each area has its own land characteristics. There are swamps, sandhills,scrublands, bottom-land and up-land hardwoods, flatwoods, tropical hammocks, and mangrove swamps. For more information on how to determine the ecosystems you live in, the University of Florida 4-H Ecology website has great explanations.

Some things to think about are the pH of the native soil and water, how wet or dry your soil is in its natural state, where the plants being purchased (or their rootstock) originally came from, and the amount of mulch the plants normally get in the wild. One problem that is frequently encountered is the level of alteration a developer has done to a home site. Many communities require lots of backfill dirt to be trucked in to raise the elevation to the minimum flood zone building codes. Usually cheap dirt filled with construction rubble is used instead of the natural top soil that would normally be found in the area. Have your soil tested at the local county extension office or get a home pH test meter and work from there. There are many Florida native plant websites and associations that can guide homeowners to make suitable choices.

Native Florida Flowering Plants For Central Florida Gardens

Perennials And Vines Are Beautiful In A Florida Landscape

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Florida's State Tree The Cabbage Palm

Also Known As The Sabal Palmetto

The Flaming Orange Sun Sets Behind Silhouetted Cabbage Palms and Cordgrass

The Flaming Orange Sun Sets Behind Silhouetted Cabbage Palms and Cordgrass Photographic Print

Buy at AllPosters.com

Some Garden Centers That Specialize In Florida Native Plants

Central Florida Native Plant Nurseries

Biosphere Consulting, Inc.
Urban Habitat Enhancement - Many species will coexist with man, even in an urban setting, if the landscape includes basic requirements: food, cover, water and nesting areas. Our Bioscapes include the proper nest boxes, feeders and plants to attract birds and other wildlife
Maple Street Natives
Florida Native Plants provide all the benefits for healthy gardening. Maple Street Natives in business since 1987 can design a Florida Plant Community that adapts to your soils and with just a few months of establishing you will sit back and enjoy the benefits of birds and pollinators by bringing back Native Habitat.
Naturewise
Naturewise is a Florida native plant nursery that was started to provide people with native plants and ecological services to create their own sustainable "Florida Friendly" landscapes. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to create native Florida habitats and rewarding gardens that help sustain our environment.
The Natives
Established in 1983, We pioneered upland restoration work in scrub, sandhill, and flatwoods systems; and in propagating and growing native species, including many rare and endangered species. Over 200 species are presently grown, including a wide range of grasses and herbaceous species from upland systems. The Natives Nursery and office are located on 28 acres ( 19 of which are in preserve) near Davenport at the center of peninsular Florida.

The Beauty Of Florida's Native Plants

Blue Salvia

Blue Salvia

Blue Salvia
Seagrape
White Mangrove
Cabbage Palm
Beach Sunflower

The Florida Native Plant Society Has All The Information You Need To Go Native

Florida Native Plant Society

Florida Native Plant Society

Buy Native Plants But Please Don't Dig Them Up

Brook & Hunter Combo-DY-3D Premium 3-Piece Combo Kit With Stainless Steel Alloy Polished Shovel, Fork & Spade With Hand Crafted Red Oak HandlesThere are many garden centers in all areas of Florida that are knowledgeable and specialize in native plants and habitats. Use their expertise and support their businesses. Whatever you do don't dig plants from the wild and bring them home. Many Florida native plants are protected by law because they are becoming scarce. It could be illegal to dig them and even worse, it may harm delicate ecosystems and the wildlife they support. Most native plants don't transplant well anyway. If you are good at propagating plants then take some cuttings or collect seeds. And if you like to start with a plant instead of a seed, the local native plant nursery will have a good selection already growing in pots. When you're ready to start planting, check out Amazon for really nice garden accessories at really nice prices. Like these Brook & Hunter stainless steel digging tools.

Garden Supplies And Accessories

There Are Great Deals On Garden Tools At Amazon And Many Have Free Shipping

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From Florida Or Not Please Leave Your Comments And Suggestions

  • ShirleySunshine Aug 16, 2011 @ 11:52 am | delete
    I've enjoyed this Lens, would love to live in Florida!
  • praise Apr 24, 2011 @ 7:25 am | delete
    Lovely lens, I enjoyed reading through. 5*
  • COUNTRYLUTHIER Mar 17, 2011 @ 1:36 pm | delete
    Keep up the good work! You are helping ensure we all have a Florida with abundant natural plant life in our futures.
  • VickiSims Dec 16, 2010 @ 11:33 pm | delete
    Great lens pointing out the beauty of native plants and the benefits of gardening with them. Blessed by a SquidAngel and featured on my angel lens.
  • CherylK Sep 22, 2010 @ 5:17 pm | delete
    That old live oak tree with the Spanish moss is just beautiful! And I didn't know those palm trees are called cabbage palms...how interesting. I agree that using native plants...wherever you're from...is the best idea.
  • Kimbesa Sep 10, 2010 @ 10:47 pm | delete
    Very interesting! We don't have quite the same kinds of issues in Michigan. Cold hardiness is one, though. Certain plants and trees cannot survive, especially if they are in exposed locations. And the northern Lower and UP (Upper Peninsula) are different than the southern end as well.

    Thanks!
  • vallain Sep 3, 2010 @ 8:08 am | delete
    Central Florida has some remarkable wild plants. I've enjoyed capturing them with my camera. We saw this last winter the folly of trying to be too tropical in our landscaping. Had to replace lots of plants.
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