Florida native and Florida-friendly landscaping plants

Sweet Mimosa. One of the most useful tropical plants that is very cold tolerant, blooms all winter through spring with honey-fragrant flowers - canary yellow powder puffs, attracting bees and butterflies. This is a large size, multi-stem thorny shrub 15x15 ft that requires some space. It is very fast growing, can be used as a good screen plant. It will bring you joy with pretty flowers and sweet fragrance even during freeze snaps when other trees lose leaves and suffer. This one will continue blooming and stays evergreen - a real survivor! Tolerates poor soils and drought too. Provide regular water to establish quicker.

Variegated ginger - this species is valued for its variegated foliage, and beautiful flowers.

Bougainvillea arborea is a thornless and fragrant species. Free-standing small bushy tree with lavender-pink blooms. Very rare variety very much wanted because its compact and slow growth habit. The tree usually doesn

Bahama Senna. Low growing shrub with dense foliage and profuse, showy golden flowers. Drought tolerant, easy to grow. Good for small places or container culture.

Golden shower tree, Indian Laburnum - To many tropical gardeners, the most beautiful of cassias is Cassia fistula. This is a medium to large tree with ovate, pointed leaflets; when these drop, usually in the dry season, masses of bright gold flower clusters appear on almost every branch. This tree drops leaves in fall/winter.

Golden shower tree, Indian Laburnum - To many tropical gardeners, the most beautiful of cassias is Cassia fistula. This is a medium to large tree with ovate, pointed leaflets; when these drop, usually in the dry season, masses of bright gold flower clusters appear on almost every branch. This tree drops leaves in fall/winter.

Cocoplum. Easy care shrub that is used often as ornamental or a hedge; it produces edible fruit. The mature fruits are 1 to 2 inches in length and ovoid or globular. The thin skin of the fruit varies from pinkish white, to red, to purplish black. The white, cottony pulp adheres to the single large ridged seed and is somewhat insipid in taste. The cocoplum is generally stewed with sugar after the skins have been removed. It can also be used for jelly and jam, and the seeds can be roasted as nuts.
The plant is highly tolerant of salt, so it is often planted to stabilize beach edges and prevent erosion.

Cordia sebestena - Scarlet (Orange) Geiger tree. Showy small tree with bright scarlet flowers followed by white edible fruit. According to the legend, the tree was named in memory of John Geiger a Key West 19th century pilot and wrecker. Flowers appear scattered over the tree, most of warm season. Popular landscape tree, however it is cold sensitive and won't tolerate any frost; other than that, it is easy to grow and undemanding.

Monkey Ear, Ear Pod Tree, Elephant Ear Tree. Large feathery shade tree, very fast growing. The legume pod is curled up and looks like an ear. The pods of this tree are used extensively as decoration and for crafts.

Coral tree. Bright dark pink flowers in late winter - spring. Can be trimmed as compact shrub or used for bonsai. Great for locations with poor soil and limited irrigation, very easy to grow. Great butterfly and hummingbird attractor!
Seeds are poisonous, but young leaves and flowers may be cooked and safely eaten.

See article about this plant: Coral Bean - Hummingbird Delight.

Fire Bush, full size variety. Grows into a small tree. Small, tubular red-orange flowers. Pruning inhibits the blooms, which appear at the ends of the branches. One of the best butterfly attractors.

Peregrina is an evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy leaves and clusters of star shaped bright scarlet flowers about 1 in across that are borne in multi-flowered terminal clusters almost all year round. Compacta is a smaller, more compact cultivar. Peregrina is tolerant of a wide variety of soils as long as they are well drained. Blooms on the current year's growth so it can be pruned at any time of the year.

Pink Peregrina - rare variety with baby pink flowers. A spectacular shrub in bloom most of the year. Makes a good potted plant but can also be used in a small garden and as border plant. It handles pruning well and can be kept to shrub size, trained to a tree form or used in espalier. Drought tolerant. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Queen Crape Myrtle, Queens flower, Pride of India. Gorgeous flowering tree. The flowers are are pink, purple or purplish - pink. Has many medicinal uses.

Dwarf variety of Southern magnolia. The large, white flowers are perfect and fragrant. Leaves are fluffy and brown teddy-bear-like underneath. Cold hardy magnolia, very compact grower.

The flowers carry a very strong vanilla scent that can sometimes be noticed several hundred yards away! You will be rewarded by the attractive white delicately fragrant flowers. Fresh off the tree, the flavor of leaves is unique and fun to use. If you have a Florida Sweet Bay, your cooking will have flavors folks outside Florida can never hope to duplicate. Florida Bay Laurel likes moist, acid soils. If you use Bay Laurel in your landscape, be sure plenty of water is available. If you have a moist spot on your land, plant this tree! No bugs or other pests.
See Article about this tree: A Native Virgin - Sweetbay Vanilla Magnolia

Iris Regina. This variety was discovered in Brazil near the ocean in shady sandy soil, introduced by Sid Gardino, and named after his wife, Regina.
The plant is salt tolerant. Plants mature to flowering size from seed in less than a year. Cold hardy only to about 30F.

Native American Persimmon. Smaller, 2-3" fruit, astringent, doesn't need cold to bloom, eaten soft.
A plum-like berry that is green before ripening, turning orange to black when ripe, 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter. Cold hardy.
Astringent cultivars have water-soluble tannins in the flesh of the fruit at maturity (harvest) and do not normally lose their astringency until soft and ripe.
Learn more: Growing Persimmon trees.

Royal poinciana - one of the most popular tropical trees covered with bright red orchid-like flowers from late winter through early summer. A must for any tropical garden, this tree however requires space since it spreads its branches 30-40 ft wide or more.
"The Royal Poinciana is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)
Watch video about this tree.

Royal poinciana - one of the most popular tropical trees covered with bright red orchid-like flowers from late winter through early summer. A must for any tropical garden, this tree however requires space since it spreads its branches 30-40 ft wide or more.
"The Royal Poinciana is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the USA, and probably among the top 10 on this planet. In full bloom, it is like a regal elephant caparisoned in red and yellow brilliance." (Larry M. Schokman, The Kampong, National Tropical Botanic Garden)
Watch video about this tree.

Sambucus canadensis (nigra) - Elderberry, American Elder (Kir Royale). Elderberry is covered with large umbels of clustered white flowers from June to July, followed by a profusion of dark purple berry clusters in late summer. The fruit is prized by birds and makers of wine and jellies, alike.
Feather-like compound leaves grace this shrub, and provide outstanding cover and nesting sites for songbirds. It is also a host plant for numerous species of small moths, another reason nesting birds love this shrub.
Native to eastern North America, Elderberry is at home on streambanks or ponds, and is often seen along rural roadsides. While it prefers moist areas, it is quite tolerant of a wide range of soils in full to partial sun.
Typically growing up to 10 feet tall, it can be pruned to control spreading.
Elderberry flowers are self-fertile and only one plant is needed for bountiful fruiting.
One of the best ways to use elderberries is to make them into a syrup or cordial, to make delicious fruity drinks and cocktails (such as this Elderberry Kir Royale). You can also leave the berries to infuse their flavor into spirits. Elderberry gin is particularly tasty.
See Article about Elderberry.

Silver trumpet tree, blooms in winter with bright yellow flowers that cover the tree completely, before new leaves appear. Hardy and easy to grow.

Dwarf Golden Tabebuia. Small tree, good for container culture. Late winter to spring the leafless tree is covered with bright yellow flowers. Perfect for small yard or patio. Very cold hardy plant, at least to 26F for a few hours

Dwarf Pink Tabebuia. Nice small landscape with beautiful bright pink flowers with yellow throat, covering the tree before new leaves appear. Winter bloomer. Very cold hardy plant, cold hardy at least to 26F for a few hours

Kings mantle - perfect ever-blooming hedge. Bushy dense fast growing shrub. Blue flowers resembling morning glory. Several of the best-known Thunbergia species are climbers, but this native of tropical Africa is a sprawling shrub, very useful in mixed beds or as a low hedge. It has attractive, small, dark green leaves and tubular flowers which in the most common form are rich purple with a yellow throat. Responds well to regular pruning and can be shaped into a very bushy shrub, though this inhibits blooming. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil but will bloom in partial shade.