Best Florida Flowers for Your Landscaping

Florida residents find themselves having to live life a little differently than most. We prepare for hurricanes, enjoy hot days year round, and even may have to share our property with an alligator or two. Those who move to Florida from other regions will learn quickly that even our landscaping choices are different than we are used to -between sandy soils, scorching sunlight and seasonal droughts, we need Florida flowers that can stand up to our climate while still providing beauty to our lawns and gardens.

Periodically, the professionals at Big Earth Landscape Supply like to share some of our favorite local varieties of Florida flowers to help out those looking to upgrade their landscaping. Use this list to add color and interest to your home’s curb appeal.

Hardy Florida Flowers

• Coreopsis: Also known as pot of gold, coreopsis presents pink, orange, red, and yellow flowers that are drought-tolerant and low-maintenance plant. They can withstand full sun, and grow well in our sandy soil.
• Gerbera Daisies: These colorful and cheerful flowers are favorites of most gardeners. They grow up to 18 inches tall and 1-2 feet wide, and feature ray-like petals in a wide variety of colrs, from pale pastel yellow to bold orange, red and hot pink. Gerberas prefers rich moist soil and full sun to partial shade.
• Bolivian Sunset: This perennial is ideal for Florida winter snowbirds, as its red-orange flowers bloom from fall through the spring. Pant them in partial shade in well-draining and moist soil.
• Salvia: Annual salvia is known for its rich blue, white, or red flowers. The beautiful plant can reach up to two feet tall, and grows best when it is given 6-8 hours per day of direct sunlight in well-drained, and rich soil.
• Purslane: Low maintenance purslane loves our Sarasota area warm weather. Its striking foliage features white, orange, or rose-colored flowers, perfect for window boxes, hanging baskets, or as a groundcover.
• Canna: This easy to care plant loves the hot, humid conditions in the Tampa Bay area. The tropical bulbs have large leaves and ornamental stalks of red, yellow, orange, pink, or bi-colored flowers which bloom from mid to late summer.
• Shooting Star: If you have a bed to fill, this flowering shrub will be a great choice. Its star-shaped purple flowers and glossy green leaves grow on 4 foot wide bushes which are beautiful and sure to please, planted along walkways or with other shrubs in your beds.
• Coneflower:These flowering perennials offer a continuous Florida flowers all summer long. The plant is drought and heat resistant, and bloom in pink, red, white, yellow, and orange flowers on 3 foot tall stalks. The hardy coneflower prefers 6-8 hours of direct sun and well-drained, rich soil.
• Lamium: Also known as dead nettle, the lamium is best for areas of your landscaping which are semi-shaded. They are a fast-growing flower, and should be planted in the spring for best results.
• Zinnia: A favorite of many life-long Florida gardeners, the zinnia is low maintenance and colorful, coming in virtually every shade except blue.  Zinnias need 6-8 hours of sun, in rich, and well-drained soil. It is considered one of the best flowers to grow in this region.
• Firebush: The firebush is native to Florida, which explains its affinity for growing here. It is a tropical flowering shrub with  vibrant, tube-shaped orange and yellow-colored flowers. Preferring full sun or partial shade, the bush can grow up to 10 feet tall It can reach up to 8-10 feet tall.

Big Earth Landscape SupplyBig Earth Landscape SupplyBig Earth Landscape Supply can provide everything you need to prepare your flowerbeds for planting – from fertilizer to mulch. We also have beautiful decorative pottery and containers, pavers and edging – everything you need to create beautiful curb appeal.