If you could plant something in your yard called Fakahatchee Grass, why wouldn’t you?
Not all native Florida plants are as much fun to say, but there are lots of other great reasons to add these sturdy, drought-tolerant, and pretty plants to your landscape.
For one thing, Pink Muhly Grass is pink. Pink grass!
So, what are the best native plants for Central Florida?
Why use native plants? Lots of reasons:
Here’s a look at some of the best native plants for Central Florida:
There are several types of Muhly Grass but the real show stopper is Pink Muhly, which explodes in spectacular soft, fuzzy pink flowers in the fall that glow in the sunlight.
A fairy princess plant like this must be fussy, right? Nope.
Known for its extreme drought tolerance, growing Muhly Grass is easy and requires little maintenance or upkeep.
Plant several together, spaced at least 2 feet apart, for a real show. The lighting should be as bright and sunny as you can find in your garden, to maximize this beauty’s glow.
Love butterflies? Then you’ll love milkweed. It’s a butterfly magnet.
Florida is home to more than 20 species of milkweed, and almost all of them are native Florida plants.
Milkweed is actually the required host plant for caterpillars of the monarch butterfly, so it plays a critical role in the monarch’s life cycle.
Native milkweeds are crucial to other important pollinators, too, including bumble bees.
Help a butterfly — plant some milkweed.
Funny name, cool native Florida plant.
These primitive plants were common during the dinosaur age, which is a fun and impressive fact to share at your backyard parties.
It looks like a small fern, about one to three feet tall. It has stiff, glossy, featherlike leaves attached to a thick, short, underground stem.
Drought hardy, cold hardy, rare butterfly food — the Coontie is a keeper.
What’s up with all these cool native Florida plant names?
This native’s tall, green, grass-like foliage rises upright to form clumps between 4 and 6 feet tall and wide, offering great texture to your landscape. The leaves have small, sharp teeth along their edges.
It works well as an accent plant or plant it as a border.
Bonus: there are both regular and dwarf varieties. If you're short on space, the dwarf Fakahatchee only grows to two to three feet tall.
Need a great privacy hedge? Check out Southern Wax Myrtle, a multi-trunked evergreen shrub that grows 6-12 feet tall.
It’s great for screens and hedges.
This flowering vine is easy to grow, rewarding you with big stunning three- to five-inch flowers in shades of lavender or purple, with a wavy fringe.
Happy in very dry conditions, it’s the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly, so it’s a must have for your butterfly garden.
Are there native trees to plant in Central Florida?
Yup, Seagrape can be grown as a shrub or tree, depending on its planting site and pruning.
Here we go with another fun name. This coastal plant grows grapes by the sea, producing clusters of red, grape-like fruits. They’re not actually grapes, but feel free to munch them. They do taste grapey.
Its flowers are small and cream-colored, blooming in long clusters. They usually bloom from spring to early summer.
Like most natives, it’s not fussy, growing in full sun or partial shade. It’s drought tolerant once established.
But it’s sensitive to frost and freeze, and will benefit from protection when temperatures drop.
Another native tree to grow in Central Florida, this appealing viburnum wins for flexibility — it can be grown either as a 20-foot tree or as a shrub, if you choose a dwarf variety. The smaller version makes a great hedge.
Masses of small white flowers appear in the spring, attracting butterflies, and its fall fruit attracts birds and other wildlife. It's also a favorite nesting site for cardinals and other songbirds.
It’s easy to Google “native Florida plants” for a long list of options.
But before you invest in a bunch of native landscaping, check with a local landscape designer.
Not every plant on these lists will thrive in your yard, or even in Central Florida.
Ground Source Landscape Designer Eric Frisch tells us that Black-eyed Susan and redbud don’t do well this far south.
If you’re looking for sturdy, dependable native trees for Central Florida, just look around, he says.
You’ll notice Slash Pines along highways, in parks, on commercial properties, and gracing golf courses, Frisch says, and the majestic Southern Live Oak flourishes as street trees in nearly every community around here.
There’s a lot to love about native plants, from their easy care to the help they offer wildlife.
Plus, you can’t beat their names, right? Fakahatchee grass. Seagrape. Coontie.
And who doesn’t want drifts of Muhly Grass — it’s pink grass!
Convinced? Let us help.
We’re landscape experts, but our skills don’t stop there. We’re with you every step of the way as you plan your perfect outdoor space.
Sod, irrigation, landscape design: Let us transform your yard from an embarrassing eyesore to a place you spend every spare minute.
Are you ready to enjoy the vibrant, impressive yard you've always wanted? Request a quote today! We’ll help you review your options and then transform your property.
Image Source: Muhly Grass, Milkweed, Coontie, Fakahatchee Grass, Wax Myrtle, Passion Flower, Seagrape, Walters Viburnum