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

Wildflower in moist garden. Forms colonies.

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

Blooms all year. Recruits readily in the garden from seed. Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gardens.

Night blooming, fragrant.

Based on the BONAP range map, this species is a "near endemic" -- it occurs only in the panhandle and a 3 counties in southern Alabama. At this time, the Florida Plant Atlas shows two outlying collections.  One (Alachua County) appears to have been removed by the herbarium that "has" the specimen, the other (St. Lucie County) is a 1980 literature citation with apparently no specimen.   Neither is shown on our map. Bog gardens, sunny areas with moist soil.  Only likely to be noticed when blooming.

Endemic to Florida. Wildflower garden,

Endemic to western peninsular Florida from Tampa south to Charlotte County. Wildflower garden.

While generally a swamp plant, this tree can grow in uplands.  Stems root readily and most of the stems stuck in a moist substrate will survive without any further care. Is often used in stream bank restoration. Casual lanscapes, moist areas, rain gardens or bioswales. This tree can be attractive most of the year due to its fairly fine leaves. It is at its best for a brief period in early spring when it blooms (yellow) and then sets masses of white fruit at a time when little else is blooming. Will tolerate root disturbance and flooding.

Fall foliage color is yellow. While used extensively as a street tree in the north, this fast growing species is relatively weak. Specimen tree. Frequently used as a street tree as tolerant of root disturbance. Fall color is yellow.

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.

For best results, use species naturally found in your area Wildflower garden. Most species bloom best if in light shade or sun, though it does depend on species.

Moist wildflower garden, especially acidic gardens oriented toward sphagnum, pitcher plants, and similar bog species.

Shade tree. Forest tree.

Information on salt tolerance comes from northern nurseries and likely relates to tolerance of salt used for de-icing or roadways.  The extent to which it would apply to Florida is unknown. Good hedge plant. Rose garden. Rear of a wildflower garden.

Requires a reliable cold period to persist. In most of Florida it can be treated as an annual in gardens. Listed as Endangered by the State of Florida.  While this is a common garden plant in the north, its range barely reaches Florida, and it is rare and exists only in a highly specific habitate in the wild. Works well in almost any garden with mixed wildflower species. North of Florida, this species is sometimes planted as single-species 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.

Bahama ladder brake hybridizes with the non-native and invasive China brake (P. vittata) forming Delchamps' ladder brake (P. x delchampsii). Bahama ladder break is threatened with extinction due to this hybridization. Because of this, we do not recommend planting Bahama ladder break -- if we plant it and there is any China brake around, we exacerbate the problem. When you find this plant in nature, please enjoy it there. Listed as threatened by the state of Florida. Grows in clumps. Unusual in that it thrives in high light, but needs moist soil.

Grow on a fence, trellis, or arbor. In informal settings, allow to twine around tree or shrub stems. Interesting bell-shaped flowers and whorled white sprays of fruit.