Almost everyone is familiar with the adage that advises what to do when in Rome. Similarly, mimicking the landscape plant choices of Florida natives can prevent the loss of plants as well as a regrettable loss of investment. Anyone who has lived in Florida for a number of years can legitimately claim to know the best landscape plants for the area. A Florida birth certificate does not make a person an authority on landscape plants as surely as losing a croton in a cold snap.
Choosing a Versatile Plant
A wax myrtle is one of the most compatible plants that you can add to your landscape. Suitable to use as a shrub, you can let it grow into a small tree as well. Its appearance in your yard adds an element of charm with its inconspicuous flowers and gray, waxy fruit that contrasts with its evergreen leaves.
A delightful aroma that is similar to bayberry emanates from its fruit and leaves, lovely in the humidity of south Florida. Drought tolerant and native to Florida, it can tolerate periodic flooding when unusually heavy rains arrive. To make it even more appealing to home owners planning a nice landscape, it does two things that are especially important to residents of south Florida: it is a natural insect repellent, and it attracts birds.
Featuring Spiciness
Spicewood is a shrubby tree that has tinges of burgundy on its leaves when the growth is new. Its white flowers are insignificant, but they accent a hedge beautifully. A native of Florida that thrives in partial shade or full sun and prefers moist soil, it is also moderately drought tolerant.
A member of the myrtle family, Spicewood has small leaves that are light green and glossy, and you can detect a spicy fragrance when you are near it. The pleasant fragrance accompanies the presence of inconspicuous white flowers in the spring and summer. Small fruits form and start with a green color that changes to orange and red, progresses through yellow and ends with black. Spicewood provides a shelter and a food source for many species of birds while it accents your landscape plan.
Accenting a Flowering Shrub
With clusters of showy clumps of 10 or 12 flowers, the Locust berry is an attractive addition to your landscape. Ideal for south Florida, the shrub may grow to a height of 15 feet. Growing slowly and having moderate nutritional requirements, it prefers soils that are enriched with organic content but can tolerate the poor soils that abound in Florida.
Highly resistant to drought, the Florida native does not need supplemental water to produce flowers that turn from white to pink and then to dark red. Flowering season lasts all year, with the peak lasting through spring and summer. Locust berry provides cover for birds and is a larval host as well as a nectar plant for butterflies. The edible fruit that it produces is a reddish-brown berry.
R & R Sprinkler & Landscape
931 SE 11th Avenue
Cape Coral, FL 33990
(239) 772-2607
