Giant leather fern ( Acrostichum danaeifolium): Grows 6-12 feet tall and works well in the landscape as a background planting, specimen plant, or even a hedge large, glossy fronds that grow in a clump, reaching up tall and cascading outward from the center.Swamp fern ( Telmatoblechnum serrulatum): Grows 2-3 feet tall and occurs naturally near swamps and wetlands wide fronds with leathery, glossy leaves.Southern shield fern ( Thelypteris kunthii): Grows 1-3 feet tall and works well as a ground cover soft and feathery fronds with sawtooth-patterned leaves.John | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0įerns come in all shapes, sizes, and textures, and Florida’s native ferns don’t disappoint in variety! Whether you’re looking for a ground cover, a large plant to use as a backdrop for your garden, a potted porch plant, or just an interesting specimen plant, you can find a Florida native fern to fit the bill. Coral honeysuckle ( Lonicera sempervirens) Soil needs: Prefers fast-draining sandy soils but can do well in any soil type as long as it has sufficient drainageĩ. Sunlight needs: Full sun or partial shade.Growth habit: Flower (North and Central Florida) or tall shrub/small tree (South Florida).Even though pets should stay away from it, wildlife like hummingbirds and butterflies love coral bean’s flowers! Wherever you are, coral bean’s skinny, bright red blooms look like seed pods that grow on tall stalks and make a striking addition to any landscape.īeware that coral bean produces poisonous seeds, so once again it isn’t the best choice for a pet-friendly landscape. In the rest of the state, it usually doesn’t get larger than a tall flower. Mature size: 2-3 feet tall and up to 3 feet wideĮverglades National Park | Flickr | public domainĬoral bean loves the hot South Florida climate, and it can grow into a tall shrub or small ornamental tree there.Soil needs: Tolerates most soils as long as they drain well.Sunlight needs: Grows well in any light conditions, from full sun to full shade.Growth habit: Low-growing clumps or ground cover.Never plant coonties where pets or small children might get into them. Warning: All parts of coontie plants are toxic if ingested, and eating even a few seeds could be fatal. You might use a group planting of coonties to border a garden or provide ground cover. They have a softer texture than other cycads and no sharp edges. So you can feel very special if you have one of these in your yard!Ĭoonties have feathery leaves like palm fronds, and they grow low to the ground. Coontie plants are native to South Florida, and they’re the only native cycad in North America. The coontie is a cycad, which is a group of plants that have been on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs. Leonora (Ellie) Enking | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 Mature size: Depends on the species up to 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide.Foliage: Most Florida native species are deciduous.Hardiness zones: 5a-9b (varies depending on the species).Maybe you can mix up your landscape a little this spring with one of Florida’s intriguing native azaleas. viscosum): White or pale pink tubular, trumpet-shaped blooms found on moist streambanks and swamp edges alabamense): Pure white blooms with yellow blotches found in a few counties of the North Central Panhandle austrinum): Yellow, gold, tangerine, or apricot blooms found in areas of the Panhandle canescens): Variations of white to deep pink blooms that resemble the non-native azaleas Found in the Panhandle and North Central Florida Though they’re less common in landscapes, Florida has a few of its own beautiful native azalea species that can set your home apart from the sea of pink and white flowers. The azalea species you’re probably most familiar with is Rhododendron indicum, which is native to Japan. American beautyberry ( Callicarpa americana)īelieve it or not, when we talk about Florida native azaleas, that does not include the extremely common white or pink azaleas that line nearly every home in North and Central Florida.
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