garden for florida – go native!
An important part of Florida-Friendly gardening is using native plants whenever possible. Although the technical definition can get tricky, native plants are generally considered to be those that occur naturally in a given area. Why go native?
- Native plants are well-adapted to the conditions of the area. Here in Tampa Bay, that often means they tolerate drought and high heat, but also can stand some short-term chilly conditions and the moisture of the wet season.
- Native plants are an important part of the ecosystem. Native animals depend on them for survival. In coastal areas, native plants such as sea oats help secure the dunes and protect the coastline from erosion.
- Native plants are generally easy to grow and maintain. Because they belong here, native plants need little help once established. They don’t need water during the dry season, or fertilizers that can pollute our water sources.
Which native plants should you try? That depends on exactly where you live and the kinds of growing conditions you encounter. A great tool for locating the right native plants for your yard is the Florida Friendly Plant Database, which allows you to search by region, plant type, and other factors.
Other good resources for learning about native plants include The Guide for Real Florida Gardeners and the Florida Native Plant Society, which has Pinellas and Suncoast chapters.
Once you’ve determined the kinds of native plants you want for your gardens, the most difficult part can be locating them. Your best bet is to try a local nursery that belongs to the Association of Florida Native Nurseries. Here are some local places to check out:
- Wilcox Nursery (Largo) – Hands down, my favorite native plant nursery in the Bay area. The selection is huge, the plants are healthy, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly.
- Twigs & Leaves (St. Petersburg) – A great selection, and a convenient location right off I-275 near downtown St. Pete.
- Hollie’s Farm & Garden (Lutz) – A gorgeous nursery with a small selection of natives. Ask the friendly staff to point you in the right direction.
- Treemart (Tampa) – You might have to ask for help finding the natives, but they’re there! This is a good place for native trees, too.
Native plants are essential to keeping Florida’s ecocystem healthy in an ever-changing world. I focus on native plants in my gardens, and find that it makes gardening in Florida’s tricky climate a lot more rewarding. Give it a try – go native!
Cammie Donaldson
9 months ago
Hi Jill, thanks for the great post on native plants and links for your reader. I’m delighted to learn that Tampans have such a great blog, Sticks of Fire, to follow. One more reason your readers might want to plant natives: wildlife. There’s nothing like native plants to bring in birds, butterflies, and other watchable wildlife. Native plant society members were recently treated to a great talk by Professor Doug Tallamy of the University of Delaware, who explained how the co-evolution of our plants with insects and other creatures makes them quantitatively superior to other plants for the lively landscape. Tallamy is a lot of fun and you can hear a fun, informative short talk he gave recently on NPR:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200905225
Aimee
9 months ago
Thanks for the tip on Wilcox nursery. We headed over there today after reading this and were delighted. They have a great selection! We also found a really wonderful little park with a beautiful waterfront pavilion less than half a mile away, John Bonner nature park.
Grant
9 months ago
Environmental Equities in Hudson has an incredible selection of FL natives, including very hard to find items. I drive up there every couple of years and stock up.
http://www.sptimes.com/News/121100/news_pf/Pasco/She_s_no_native_but_k.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/21/news_pf/Pasco/Mother_Nature_s_garde.shtml
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