Florida Gardening: A Guide to Success
Florida’s subtropical climate is a gardener’s paradise, allowing you to enjoy your landscaping efforts year-round. Plus, you can grow a wide variety of exotic plants that northerners can only dream about.
Choosing the Right Plants
The University of Florida and the Florida Select program are great resources for finding ideal plants for your Florida garden. They make recommendations each year for gardening success.
Low-Maintenance Plants
With year-round gardening chores, it’s nice to grow plants that aren’t too demanding. Here are some low-maintenance plants recommended for Florida gardening:
- Annuals: Scarlet milkweed, butter daisy, Indian blanket, ornamental sages, Mexican sunflower
- Epiphytes: Night blooming cereus, mistletoe cactus, resurrection fern
- Fruit Trees: American persimmon, jackfruit, loquat, sugar apple
- Palms and Cycads: Chestnut cycad, Bismarck palm
- Perennials: Amaryllis, bougainvillea, coreopsis, crossandra, heuchera, Japanese holly fern, liatris, pentas, pink muhly grass, spiral ginger, woodland phlox
- Shrubs and Trees: American beautyberry shrub, bald cypress tree, fiddlewood, firebush shrub, flame of the forest tree, magnolia tree, loblolly pine tree, oakleaf hydrangea shrub, pigeon plum shrub
- Vines: Glory bower vine, evergreen tropical wisteria, trumpet honeysuckle
Must-Have Florida Plants
In addition to low-maintenance plants, there are some must-have Florida plants that every gardener should consider:
- Native Plants: Native plants are adapted to Florida’s climate and soil conditions, so they require less care and maintenance. Some popular native plants for Florida gardens include:
- American beautyberry shrub
- Bald cypress tree
- Fiddlewood
- Firebush shrub
- Oakleaf hydrangea shrub
- Pigeon plum shrub
- Woodland phlox
- Epiphytes: Epiphytes are plants that live on the trunks of trees or other living hosts, but do not derive nutrients or water from the host. Some popular epiphytes for Florida gardens include:
- Night blooming cereus
- Mistletoe cactus
- Resurrection fern
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for gardening success in Florida:
- Choose the right plants for your climate and soil conditions.
- Plant in well-drained soil.
- Water regularly, especially during the hot summer months.
- Fertilize your plants regularly.
- Mulch around your plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.
- Prune your plants as needed to encourage growth and flowering.
With a little care and attention, you can enjoy a beautiful and thriving Florida garden all year round.
