Small to medium tree often with somewhat scruffy form. Retain in a natural setting if present.

This is a wetland plant, but it will do well once established in a moist garden setting. Moist wildflower gardens. Easily grown along streams.

Wildflower garden.

Although drought-tolerant, this shrub/small tree may benefit from a few deep, thorough soakings during extremely dry periods. When young, it tends to be multi-trunked, so if a tree form is desired, pruning is required. Very briefly deciduous. Although the range extends further north, it is best used in landscaping where temperatures do not drop below 20 degrees F. Good for barrier shrub and as wildlife thicket, also nice as specimen.

The silvery undersides of the leaves are striking. Erroneously listed as a host for palamedes swallowtail butterflies. Palamedes swallowtails only feed on native members of the genus Persea. Specimen plant in moist areas. Rain gardens and bioswales. Wetland tree. In wetlands, it forms clonal thickets making it useful for wetland restoration.

Water gardens and pond edges.  Moist wildflower gardens.

This is a small clonal oak that can be used in a thicket as a screen.

Rarely grown.  This tree occurs predominantly in the coastal plain (withoutliers) from eastern Alabama north to southern New Jersey. Shade tree for moist sites. Forest tree.

Small wildflower in moist areas.

It is difficult to know the native range of this plant in Florida as it has been widely planted on roadsides across much of the state at least since the 1700s. Cultivated flower beds, roadside wildflower plantings, wildflower garden. Typically grown as an annual though some plants may persist for several years.

Groundcover or border plant in shady areas.

This species and other members of the Lauraceae are being attacked by a serious, fatal disease. Do not plant this plant unless you are absolutely sure that it is not infected! If you have this plant in your landscape, retain it to supply larval food for the spicebush swallowtail and other butterflies.

Retain if present in natural setting. Can be grown in a wildflower garden.

Wildflower garden. Mass plantings.

Predominantly a Florida plant, but it has also been recorded in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas. The species name "tomentosa" refers to the dense, matted (tomentose) hairs on the leaves. Aphids are often a "problem" with milkweed plants -- they are a natural preditor on Asclepias, but we don't like them. Wildflower garden, dry wildflower meadow

Sawgrass is a sedge, not a grass. It was this plant that Marjory Stoneman Douglas referred to in her seminal work: "The Everglades: River of Grass." A second species (C. mariscoides) occurs in a limited area in north Florida.  Its uses and culture are similar. Typically used in wetland restoration. Also useful for planting in brackish settings where an emergent aquatic is desired. Spreads rapidly to cover large areas.

Often grows with ink berry and palmettos. Beautiful early spring-blooming shrub. Grow at edge of wooded areas or as a specimen.

The genus name honors the English botanist William Vernon, who did fieldwork in North America. Back of a moist wildflower garden. Can also use on the edges of natural or created wetlands and streams.

The range includes all of peninsular Florida and the southern parts of Georgia, and Alabama. Best used as a wildflower as it has a relatively short lifespan.

Multiple species are native to Florida.  Most are attractive and many are easy to grow.  This is a catch-all for species not listed individually.  Please choose those that are appropriate for your area. Wildflower garden. All the species listed should grow well in garden settings. They are all grown for their showy flowers (most are yellow, though we do have one with small dark red ray flowers).

Three species occur in Florida. Please plant your local variety. Wildflower garden where it is very showy in late summer/early fall.