Suriana maritima

Bay Cedar is a slower growing, native, evergreen coastal shrub that is naturally found on sand dunes and beaches. This hurricane resistant shrub can weather storm surges, and is salt spray and drought tolerant! The Bay Cedar is excellent for erosion control of dunes and beaches. Small yellow flowers bloom year round and attract pollinators, and it is a host plant for certain hairstreak butterflies.

Averrhoa carambola

Carambola or Star Fruit is a non-native, Florida-friendly, small evergreen fruit tree that grows to be 22’-33’ tall and 20’-25’ wide. They grow best in full sun to partial shade and moist, well-draining soil. They have soft-green leaves and yellow, star-shaped fruit that have a delightful sweet-tart taste.

Acacia choriophylla

Native evergreen tree, ranging from 15-25ft. Cinnecords have dark green foliage and fragrant yellow pom-pom flowers that attract pollinators and people alike. They are fast-growing and salt-tolerant, growing in full sun with well-drained sandy soils. In addition to attracting pollinators, Cinnecords also provide habitat and seeds for birds.

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.

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!

Conocarpus erectus

The Green Buttonwood is an evergreen, coastal, native small tree or large shrub that can reach 20' and has vibrant green leaves and small brown berries that look like wood buttons. This buttonwood is considered the 4th type of mangrove and really thrives in coastal conditions, and can take salt water inundation and salty soils. The Buttonwood also has high wind tolerance making it a great windscreen on coastal properties.

Guaiacum sanctum

The “Wood of Life” tree has a rich ethnobotanical history due to its dense wood and spectacular flowers. For best growth, plant in full sun to partial shade, with well-drained soil. This small tree is slow growing but worth the wait. Rich blue blooms lead to orange fruits which Catbirds adore. Its drought tolerance, hurricane resistance and ability to take salt spray make this tree a great choice for coastal landscapes.

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.

Cordia sebestena

Orange Geiger is a small, native, coastal, evergreen, flowering tree that likes full sun to light shade and well-drained soils. Orange Geiger is drought, wind and salt tolerant with large dark green leaves and showy orange flowers almost all year that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Coccoloba uvifera 

A tropical-looking and unique native plant, Sea Grape grows to 10-30 ft tall and can be trimmed. Grow in full sun as a large shrub for screening and privacy or as a large sculptural tree in semi-shade. The leaves of Sea Grape are lightly deciduous and interesting with seasonal changes in color. The fruit grows in beautiful clusters and is enjoyed by both birds and people.

Coccoloba uvifera x diversifolia

Sea Plum is a naturally occurring hybrid between Sea Grape and Pigeon Plum that combines the best traits of both native Florida parents. This evergreen shrub typically grows 6’-12’ tall and 4’-6’ wide, though it has the potential to reach larger sizes given its parentage. It features attractive foliage that blends characteristics of both parents and produces fruit on female plants that birds readily consume. Exceptionally hardy and low-maintenance, it thrives in full sun to light shade with well-draining sandy soils and demonstrates excellent tolerance to wind, salt spray, and drought conditions. This versatile hybrid works well as a specimen plant or screening hedge and is particularly valuable for beachfront landscapes in zones 9-11.

Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus

Silver Buttonwood is a unique coastal native shrub or small tree that can reach 20' and has soft silvery leaves and small brown berries that look like wood buttons. While it thrives in coastal landscapes, taking salt inundation and salty soils like a champ, it can be planted inland as well. Silver Buttonwood can be used as a specimen tree, part of a natural privacy screen or pruned into hedge.

Magnolia virginiana

Sweetbay Magnolia is a native, evergreen flowering tree with beautiful, soft-green pointed foliage and heavily fragrant, ivory flowers that are significantly smaller than the large blooms of the Southern Magnolia. They grow to be 15’-30’ tall, and do well in full sun to partial shade and moist to wet sandy, loamy, and clay-heavy soil. Sweetbay Magnolias also serve as a larval host for the Sweetbay Silk Moth, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and the Spicebush Swallowtail, and the seeds feed local songbirds.

Acacia farnesiana

Sweet Acacia is a native, pollinator-attracting, small tree or large shrub. It’s fragrant, golden-yellow puffball flowers bloom in winter and spring. It's highly drought-tolerant once established, making it ideal for water-wise landscapes, and attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

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.

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.

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.