Our Favorite Florida Native Plants

Florida’s climate is notoriously hot and humid much of the year, but the subtropical/tropical climate in the Sunshine State makes it ideal for cultivating some truly gorgeous plants. Florida native plants are well-adapted to the region’s climate and soil conditions, so they can typically thrive without extensive irrigation or fertilization efforts. Even better, Florida native plants support and nurture the biodiversity there, including essential pollinators vital to our state’s plant and food production.

What types of green plants should you add to your Florida native landscape? Here are some favorites:

• Beautyberry: The American beautyberry plant has vibrant clusters of purple berries that are an essential food source for many bird species. These perennial shrubs can grow to 9 feet tall.
• Eastern Red Columbine: These perennials grow up to 2 feet tall and feature drooping, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from mid-spring to early summer. The plants can have flowers of red, yellow, orange, and multi-colors, and unique heads formed with star-shaped petals on the back and rounded petals in front.
• Black-Eyed Susans: These wildflowers are recognizable by their brightly colored petals surrounding contrasting dark centers. They need minimal care and provide flowers for weeks at a time – especially in August when they bloom radiantly in both cultivated gardens and open fields.
• Yellow Jessamine: This plant showcases yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that give off a sweet aroma. The foliage is green year-round on stems that can climb over 20 feet up fences or trellises. They grow very densely, so they make wonderful walls or barriers, but their sap can cause skin irritation, so it is best to enjoy them from a short distance away.
• Button Sage: The closely clustered blooms of button sage are characterized by a strong fragrance and whitish-lavender tones. The nectar attracts a wide array of butterfly species, making these plants a fantastic choice for pollinator-friendly gardens.
• Firebush: Scarlet firebush plants grow clusters of long tubular flowers during the summer months and berries in the autumn. These Florida native plants grow rapidly and are useful for drawing in butterflies and hummingbirds.
• Powderpuff Mimosas: This popular ground cover spreads quickly and establishes a deep root system ideal for erosion control and drought tolerance. Their puffy, round blooms thrive from the spring until fall. One interesting feature of these plants is that their bright green fern-like leaves fold up when they’re touched.
• Coral Honeysuckle: These vines use long tubular flowers full of pollen to attract pollinators. Their semi-evergreen, glossy leaves climb easily up fences or walls; and when flowers are not in bloom, bright red berries populate amongst them.
• Oakleaf Hydrangeas: Pyramid-shaped flower clusters bloom in the late spring and summer, slowly changing from bright white to pink or purple as they grow. Their leaves are large, slightly fuzzy, and shaped like oak leaves. The deciduous shrubs may grow up to 8 feet tall and showcase large fuzzy leaves that resemble oak leaves.

Indoor Plants for a Thriving Landscape

The Florida native plants listed above are ideal for home landscaping projects. But if you are responsible for decorating your commercial space with green plants and trees, different plant varieties may be more appropriate. Who can you turn to for advice on interior landscapes to enhance your business?

At Tropex, we identify the plants and trees that will most effectively and beautifully enhance your business environment. Whether you need a large living wall behind your registration desk, a barrier wall of green plants to muffle chatter in a restaurant, or potted plants to line the entrance to your offices – our horticulturalists are here to help.

Remember, plant leasing services provide the ultimate in flexibility. They allow you to display the perfect plants for your brand, event, or ongoing workplace setting while reserving the ability to change your mind (and your plants) whenever you want. We design, install, and maintain your plants—all you have to do is call Tropex and relax!