Acer rubrum

Red Maple is a native deciduous tree that can grow 40’-70’ tall and 30’-50’ wide. They grow best in full sun to partial shade and moist, well-draining, slightly acidic soils. They can tolerate both short dry periods and very wet soil once established. In spring, they produce showy pink to red blooms that attract pollinators, which are followed by seeds that feel local birds and small mammals.

Morus hybr. ‘Tice’

Tice Mulberry is a non-native, Florida-friendly deciduous fruit tree that grows to be 15’-60’ tall, depending on the pruning methods used to maintain it. They grow best in full sun to light shade with rich, well-draining loamy soil, though they are highly adaptable to poor soil conditions. While the Tice Mulberry fruits seasonally, they fruit profusely during their season, producing many large, black, delicious berries that are edible for humans and local wildlife.

Quercus virginiana

Live Oak is a magnificent, slow-growing evergreen oak native to the southeastern United States from Virginia to Texas that can live for centuries. This iconic tree typically grows 40’-60’ tall but spreads dramatically wider, with massive horizontal and arching branches forming a broad, rounded canopy that can extend 100’ or more. The thick, leathery leaves are dark green and elliptical, often draped with Spanish moss in its native range. It produces inconspicuous flowers followed by acorns that provide critical food for squirrels, deer, and numerous bird species. Extremely durable and salt-tolerant, it thrives in sandy coastal soils and can withstand hurricanes, making it a symbol of the Old South and an excellent choice for large landscapes, parks, and street plantings in zones 8-10.

Passiflora edulis “Purple Possum”

Purple Passionvine is a Florida-friendly, evergreen, perennial, showy passion variety known for it’s fruit, unlike other passion varieties that are known for serving as host plants. While the fruit and the flowers are the stars of the show, Purple Possum also serves as a host plant for Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary caterpillars, so you can use this plant to feed yourself, and your local butterflies! Grow in full sun with rich, well-draining sandy soil for the best blooms and fruit. The vines and fruit get heavy as they grow, so provide a sturdy trellis, arbor, tree, or fence to support them.

Morus nigra

Florida-friendly, dwarf variety. The Everbearing Mulberry is a low-maintenance, self-fertile, edible black mulberry. Perennial shrub or small tree. They do well in full sun, with moist, but well-drained soil. Use an organic, slow release fertilizer. They bloom year-round and fruit Spring through Summer. Also works well as a potted plant!

Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat is a non-native, Florida-friendly, evergreen fruiting tree that grows 15’-25’ tall. They grow best in full sun to partial shade, with average, well-draining sandy, clay, or loamy soil. Their flowers are highly attractive to butterflies and other pollinators, and their apricot-like fruit can be enjoyed by humans and wildlife alike.

Fragaria virginiana

Wild Strawberry is a native North American strawberry species that grows naturally in Florida's cooler, higher elevation areas and shaded woodlands. This low-growing perennial produces small, intensely flavorful berries that are much smaller than commercial strawberries but pack more concentrated taste. It's an important native plant that provides food for wildlife and for people. Does well in a hanging basket, pot, or shady garden beds.

Zanthoxylum fagara

Wild Lime is a native evergreen shrub or small tree native to southern Florida and the Florida Keys that grows up to 23 feet tall with a spreading, often multi-trunked form. This member of the citrus family features compound leaves with distinctly winged leaf stems and 7-11 rounded leaflets that emit a strong lime fragrance when crushed. The trunk and branches are armed with sharp spines, and it produces small, greenish-yellow flowers in dense clusters followed by brown seed capsules containing black seeds. Thriving in hammocks and woodland edges, it serves as a larval host plant for giant swallowtail butterflies and provides cover and food for various wildlife species. With its dense, thorny foliage, it makes an excellent natural barrier or privacy screen for central and south Florida landscapes.

Phyla nodiflora

One of our favorite native plant “lawn alternatives,” Frogfruit is a low growing, perennial evergeen groundcover that grows in full sun to partial shade and in dry to moist soils. Frogfruit is highly salt-tolerant, fast growing, mow-able and lightly walk-able. It’s also an important host plant to the Phaon Crescent, White Peacock and Common Buckeye butterflies and is a nectar source pollinators including hummingbirds.

Passiflora incarnata

Maypop Passionvine is a Florida native passionvine that is evergreen, perennial and showy. It’s planted both as a medicinal plant for people and as a host plant for the Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies.

Zamia integrifolia

Coontie is perfect for a dry sunny or shady spot in the garden. It is extremely hardy and drought tolerant and is successful in harsh conditions like highway medians. It generally stays under three feet tall and 3 feet wide and has a tropical Florida feel. Coontie is an ancient plant and is Florida’s only living cycad. It is the important host plant for the Atala butterfly.

Myrcianthes fragrans ‘Compacta’

Dwarf Simpson Stopper grows to 4’ and creates a nice low hedge or border planting. Cream puff blooms and vibrant red berries add color and texture to any landscape. Drought tolerant once established, these small shrubs work well in non-irrigated landscapes. Of course, they don’t mind irrigation either!

Sambucus canadensis

Elderberry is a fast-growing native shrub that offers beauty, food, and unmatched wildlife value. This versatile plant thrives in moist soils and adapts easily to sun or partial shade, reaching 6-20 feet to create a lush, pollinator-friendly hedge or specimen plant. In early summer, you'll enjoy massive clusters of fragrant white flowers that attract butterflies, followed by nutrient-rich dark purple berries perfect for homemade syrups and jams. As a cornerstone of the native wildlife garden, Elderberry is a favorite for songbirds and beneficial insects alike.

Pinus palustris

Native, evergreen, long-needle pine tree, can grow to be 125’ tall. Native to Florida sandhills, this tree does best in full sun with well-drained sandy soils. Very drought tolerant once established. Younger trees will grow slowly while they establish a healthy root system, with growth picking up after the first 5-7 years. While Longleaf Pines can make a lovely addition to a landscape, in their natural habitat, they are part of an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem, supporting deer, wild turkeys, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, due to the frequent natural fires that provide rich undergrowth which provides food and shelter for many different species.

Juniperus virginiana silicoa

Red Cedar is an evergreen shade tree that is also excellent for a privacy screen or buffer planting. It’s long-lived, it can grow to approximately 30’ over many years, is adaptable to dry and moist soils and does well in full sun to light shade. It can be used as a coastal plant as it is salt tolerant. Red Cedars are an important nesting and food source for birds.

Viburnum obovatum

Walter's Viburnum is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the southeastern United States that can reach up to 20’ tall but is commonly pruned as a hedge or screen. This densely branched species features fine-textured foliage and produces masses of small, fragrant white flower clusters in early spring, giving it its nickname "Florida snow," that attract butterflies and other pollinators. In fall, it develops dark blue berries that provide food for birds and wildlife. Thriving in zones 7-10, it adapts to various soil types and light conditions from full sun to partial shade, making it an excellent choice for native landscaping, wildlife gardens, and as a Florida-friendly alternative to boxwood hedges.

Sizing of cultivars:

‘Withlacoochee’ - 12’-15’

‘Select’ - 6’-8’

‘Densa’ - 4’-5’

‘Snow Fury’ - 5’-10’

Ilex vomitoria 'Schillings Dwarf'

Dwarf Yaupon Holly is a super hardy and adaptable small shrub that makes a great low growing border or mass planting. It’s easily prunable and it’s full height is 3-4 ft. It does well in full sun to partial shade with dry to moist (well-drained) soils.The dwarf plants are male and produce a flower but no berries, however they help to pollinate female upright Yaupon Hollies and the Yaupon Holly cultivars like Weeping Yaupon Holly.

Ilex cassine

Dahoon Holly is a native, evergreen tree, with heights ranging from 20-30ft and it grows best in full sun to partial shade with moist, clay, loamy, or sandy soils. While they are moderately drought tolerant, they may need irrigation in dry, sandy conditions. Moderately salt-spray tolerant. Their foliage is dark green, with clumps of white flowers in spring that are replaced by red berries in fall and winter that provide food for birds and small mammals.

Ilex vomitoria ‘Pendula’

Weeping Yaupon Holly is a graceful cultivar of the native yaupon holly that grows 15-25 feet tall with distinctive drooping, pendulous branches that create an elegant weeping form. This evergreen cultivar features the same small, leathery dark green leaves as the species and produces inconspicuous flowers followed by bright red berries on female plants that attract birds. The cascading branches give it a unique architectural quality, making it an excellent focal point or specimen tree for large landscapes. Like its parent species, it's extremely drought and salt-tolerant, adaptable to various soil conditions, and requires minimal maintenance once established.