If any of these sound familiar then you must have seen them in your neighbor’s landscape. These can add great appeal and attraction to your garden or lawn if you live in Florida. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of flowers, shrubs and trees found growing abundantly in Florida. 

Flowers of Florida

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black-eyed Susan is a salt and drought-tolerant flowering plant that is found growing in abundance in the coastal regions of Florida. The flowers range from vibrant yellow to orange with red petals. This flowering plant grows through the heat of summer even when most flowers get wilted. 

This plant requires full sun to grow and can tolerate most types of soils. This is a perennial plant and can grow to between 1 to 3 feet in height. 

Beach Sunflower (Helianthus deblis)

Beach Sunflower offers incredible groundcover for gardens in the coastal areas of the state. It flourishes in sandy soil and is high salt and drought tolerant. It is identified by its attractive bright yellow blooms that look similar to sunflowers. This is a perennial plant and attracts hordes of butterflies into gardens.

This plant requires full sun and can grow in sandy soil. The plant is short and grows only about 2 to 10 inches in height. 

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

Blanket flowers can easily tolerate heat, high salt levels and sandy soil so they can be grown almost anywhere in Florida. The plants grow in clusters that act as ideal groundcovers. The blooms are seen in bright colors, such as reddish purple, red, yellow and orange. 

This is a perennial plant and requires full sun to grow. It can grow in any type of soil which can drain well. The plan grows to about 12 to 18 inches in height. 

Milkweed (Asclepias)

Milkweed is found growing abundantly in Florida and is probably the most popular and widely available variety of the species. The plant produces bright colored flowers in the summer. It is popular for housing butterflies, especially the monarch butterflies. 

This plant requires full sun and flourishes in dry, sandy soil. This is a perennial plant and grows about 1 to 4 feet in height. 

Powderpuff Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa)

The Powderpuff Mimosa is incredible for groundcover, with its puff-shaped, soft pink flowers that grow from spring to fall. The plant spreads quicker than most and requires full sun or partial shade. 

It grows well in moist and sandy soils and grows to a height of about 3 to 4 inches only. 

Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea)

Scarlet Sage gets its name from the bright-red tubular flowers that bloom during spring and remain till fall. The flowers can also be pink or white instead. This plant is an attraction for butterflies and hummingbirds. 

This is a perennial plant which requires full sun or partial shade. It grows well in well-drained sandy, rocky or loam soil. The plant grows to about 1 to 4 feet in height.

Violets (Viola) 

Violets of several varieties grow in Florida, including the most popular blue violet, bog white violet or Walter’s violet. You will find different varieties of violets growing in different parts of the state. The flowers range from white, yellow to purple colors. 

This plant has some perennial varieties while some are annuals and require partial or full shade to flourish. This plant grows well in sandy soil or clay, depending on the specific species and is about 12 inches tall in full bloom. 

Shrubs of Florida

Azaleas (Rhododendron) 

Azaleas are renowned for being show-flowers, as they bear loads of bright pink, red or white colored spring blossoms. You will find the best species of Azalea growing in the north and central parts of Florida. 

These shrubs grow well in any well-draining soil and require partial shade. They grow to about 3 to 5 feet in height while some varieties reportedly grow up to 10 feet tall. 

Bahama Cassia (Cassia bahamansis) 

The Bahama Cassia has attractive compound leaves that are surrounded by tiny yellow flowers which are attractive to butterflies. This shrub blooms in fall and easily produces new seedlings on its own. 

This shrub requires partial shade and grows well in well-draining soils, such as loam, clay and sandy soils. This is an evergreen shrub and can grow between 3 to 9 feet in height. 

Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) 

Beautyberry, or American beautyberry, has beautiful pale lavender-pink flowers and flourishes in spring and summer seasons. The shrub also bears clusters of bright purple berries which attract birds and are ideal to add a dash of bright color to the shrub border or the hedge. 

This shrub grows in rich soils and requires full sun or partial shade to flourish. This is a deciduous type of shrub and can grow to around 3 to 8 feet in height. 

Coontie (Zamia integrifolia)

Coontie is actually a shrub-sized cycad and is identified by its palm frond-like feathery leaves. This shrub is mostly used to add a point of exotic colors to the garden or backyard. It grows better in the northern parts and coastal areas of Florida as it is salt-tolerant and can bear cold. 

The plant grows in full sun, partial shade and full shade and flourishes in any well-draining soil. The plant grows to a height of 3 feet on an average. 

Trees of Florida

Chickasaw Plum (Prunus augustifolia) 

Chickasaw Plum trees bear small white flowers that grow into tart plums that are edible, just before growing new leaves in spring. This tree is mostly used as a specimen tree in landscaping. 

The tree requires full sun and partial shade and grows well in sandy and clay soils. This is a deciduous tree and can grow between 6 to 12 feet with some varieties growing as big as 25 feet in height. 

Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) 

This is a multi-trunked tree and is used as an eye-catching specimen tree by most homeowners for their lawns and yards. This tree is also ideal to form a natural hedge around your property. 

This tree requires a full sun and can grow in mostly wet and well-draining soils. This is an evergreen tree and can grow to 30 to 45 feet in height. 

Florida Maple (Acer barbatum) 

Florida Maple is smaller than its northern counterpart and is significantly tolerant to heat. It offers expansive shade as it grows tall and wide with pleasant yellow and orange-colored leaves in the fall. 

This tree grows well with full sun or partial shade and flourishes in wet clay or sandy soils. This tree is quite tall and can grow around 20 to 30 feet with some achieving more than 60 feet in height. 

In Florida, we can find so many types of flowers, shrubs and trees, which remain an integral part of your landscape venture. The above is the list of 15 known flowers, trees and shrubs, which you can include in your gardens or lawns. Check with Eden for more.