If you live in Central Florida, you know how much the landscape can change with the seasons – bright sunshine one day, heavy rain the next, and a whole lot of good ol' fashioned Florida humidity in between.
The good news? Your yard doesn’t have to be as unpredictable as the weather. The secret to a lush, thriving, low-effort Florida landscape lies in one word: native.
Florida native plants have evolved for centuries to survive the region’s heat, humidity, sandy soil, and sporadic rain. They’re not just beautiful, they’re built for Florida living. By designing your landscape with native plants, you can enjoy a stunning, resilient yard that requires far less water, fertilizer, and maintenance.
This guide highlights the best Florida native plants for low-maintenance landscapes in Greater Orlando, broken down by how they perform best – whether you need sun-lovers for open spaces, hardy options for high-traffic zones, or color and life for shady corners.
If you’ve ever spent your weekends trimming, watering, and fertilizing a yard that still refuses to cooperate, native plants might be your new best friend.
These species naturally thrive in Florida’s conditions. Ultimately, that means they need less effort from you to stay healthy and beautiful. Translation? You’ll spend less time maintaining your yard and more time enjoying it.
The benefits of these guys are big:
Less water: Florida natives are drought-tolerant once established and can handle both dry spells and rainy seasons.
Fewer chemicals: They resist local pests and diseases, meaning you can reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
Wildlife support: Natives provide food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and butterflies.
Low maintenance: Forget constant trimming and replanting, natives tend to stay happy with minimal pruning or intervention.
Whether you’re designing from scratch or updating your existing landscape, natives make your outdoor space more sustainable. And, of course, far more Florida (which, for us, is usually the goal).
Florida’s environment is, undoubtedly, unique.
In Greater Orlando alone (depending on where you look), you can find sandy soils, clay pockets, wet lowlands, and high, dry ridges.
Add in our heavy summer rains and year-round sunshine, and it’s easy to see why choosing adaptable plants is key.
Native plants have already solved these problems for you. They’re naturally adjusted to:
By incorporating native tropical plants into your design, you get the lush, tropical aesthetic many homeowners want, without the endless watering or constant replacements.
At Ground Source, we see this all the time. Homeowners who replace just a few high-maintenance ornamentals with hardy native shrubs or grasses often notice an immediate difference in both appearance and upkeep.
Florida sunshine can be relentless, but many native plants absolutely thrive under those Sunshine State rays. These are just a few of the species that are perfect for front yards, driveways, or open spaces that bake all day. (Some of these are even great for mass planting!)
This wildflower is one of the toughest – and most colorful – plants you can add. Its red-and-yellow blooms appear nearly year-round and attract pollinators like butterflies. It’s drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, and practically thrives on neglect.
Florida’s only native cycad, Coontie looks like a miniature palm and adds a lush, tropical texture. It tolerates full sun or partial shade, needs little water, and works beautifully as a low border plant or foundation shrub.
A quintessential Florida plant, of course, the Saw Palmetto is a hardy evergreen with fan-shaped fronds that tolerate heat, drought, and sandy soil. Silver-leaf varieties are particularly striking in modern landscapes.
Every fall, Muhly Grass puts on a real head-turnin' show – its pink, feathery plumes create a cloudlike effect in the landscape. It’s perfect for mass plantings or naturalized beds and thrives in full sun with minimal water.
An easy Orlando favorite, Beautyberry produces bright purple berries in late summer that attract birds and bring vivid color to any sunny landscape. It’s low-maintenance and adaptable to both dry and moist soil.
Sure, we're technically in the Sunshine State, but not every corner of your yard gets full sun. For spots shaded by large oaks or palms (how very Florida of them), these native plants bring texture and life without requiring constant attention.
Vibrant red-orange tubular flowers make Firebush a standout choice for shady or partly sunny areas. It’s a pollinator magnet, bringing in hummingbirds and butterflies while handling everything from sandy to loamy soils.
Sorry, you can’t brew with it, but Wild Coffee’s glossy leaves and red berries make it a stunning shrub for filtered light. It’s evergreen, shade-tolerant, and great for adding dense green foliage under trees.
This versatile native can grow as a shrub or small tree. It offers fragrant white flowers, red berries, and smooth bark – plus it adapts to sun or shade and attracts birds all year.
For soft, lush groundcover in the shade, ferns can’t be beat. The Southern Shield Fern loves moist, shaded soil and adds beautiful texture to shady beds or woodland-inspired landscapes.
This unique native shrub features striking red tubular flowers followed by bright seed pods. It’s drought-tolerant, shade-hardy, and adds a tropical flair to any low-maintenance garden.
Areas near walkways, driveways, or pool decks need durable plants that can handle wear, compacted soil, and minimal care. These tough natives hold their own.
This low-growing groundcover features delicate, pink, powder-puff blooms and can even handle light foot traffic. It’s a great alternative to grass in small areas or between pavers.
Perfect for sandy, dry soil, Beach Sunflower provides bright yellow flowers and fills in quickly. It’s salt-tolerant, drought-resistant, and ideal for sunny slopes or open beds.
Looking for an alternative to turfgrass? Perennial Peanut forms a dense mat of green foliage with cheerful yellow flowers. It’s hardy, low-growing, and needs almost no mowing.
A sprawling native often found on dunes, Railroad Vine has thick leaves and purple-pink flowers that thrive in sun and sand. It’s excellent for erosion control on slopes or problem areas.
Native plants and pollinators go hand-in-hand. If you want your landscape to buzz with life (and help local ecosystems in the process), plant some of these species.
Essential for monarch butterflies, Milkweed’s orange blooms attract a range of pollinators. It’s hardy, heat-tolerant, and thrives in well-drained soil.
This cheerful, bright-yellow wildflower brings color and pollinators to any sunny bed. It’s drought-tolerant and reseeds easily for continuous blooms year after year.
A native vine with trumpet-shaped red flowers that hummingbirds can’t resist. It’s ideal for trellises, fences, or mailbox posts and blooms nearly year-round in Central Florida.
(Yes, again!) It deserves another mention for being one of the most reliable pollinator magnets in full-sun landscapes.
Tall spikes of purple flowers make Blazing Star perfect for borders or butterfly gardens. It handles drought well and adds striking vertical interest.
Got spots in your yard that stay soggy after rain? Of course you do, you live in Florida. Instead of fighting nature, plant natives that love moisture.
This pond-edge plant thrives in standing water and offers striking purple flower spikes that attract butterflies. It’s perfect for rain gardens or the edges of retention ponds.
A classic choice for Florida water gardens, this iris provides blue-to-purple blooms and can tolerate standing water or consistently damp soil.
This tall, clumping grass provides habitat for wildlife and adds movement and structure to wet areas. It’s a favorite for naturalistic or lakefront landscapes.
Florida’s native canna is a showstopper with bright yellow blooms and large tropical leaves. It’s perfect for areas with heavy rain or runoff.
Similar to its dry-soil cousin, this milkweed thrives in wet conditions while supporting butterflies and bees.
By designing with these plants, you can turn problematic spots into eye-catching features that support local ecosystems.
The key to a low-maintenance landscape isn’t just choosing the right plants – it’s how you design and combine them. When planning your Florida-native landscape, consider how each plant’s sunlight, soil, and moisture preferences work together.
Here are just a few design strategies our Ground Source landscape team uses every day:
Working with a professional designer ensures your plant placement, irrigation, and soil preparation align perfectly with your property’s unique conditions. Whether you’re building new or renovating an existing landscape, starting with a smart design sets the foundation for lasting success.
At Ground Source, we’ve helped hundreds of Central Florida homeowners create sustainable landscapes that thrive naturally. Our team specializes in landscape design and installation in Greater Orlando, from plant selection and grading to irrigation and maintenance.
Whether you want to cut down on watering, attract pollinators, or simply build a yard that looks great with minimal effort, we’ll help you choose and install native plants that fit your vision and your lifestyle.
Your yard should work with Florida’s environment – not against it.
Contact Ground Source today to schedule your landscape design consultation and discover how Florida native plants can transform your property into a low-maintenance paradise.
Image Sources | Simpson's Stopper, Coontie, Muhly Grass, Mimosa, Perennial Peanut, Rudbeckia, Blanket Flower, Milkweed