Gardening in North Florida
by Mary Adams
Poppies are a north Florida favorite. Photo by Mary Adams
In the 1800s, American poet John Godfrey Saxe wrote a poem based on a Indian fable about six blind men and their first encounter with an elephant. Each of them touched a different part and declared what they thought it was. The person touching the squirming trunk thought it was a snake, the person touching the swinging tail thought it was a rope, and so forth. Each was partly correct, yet they were all wrong!
Gardening in north Florida is a lot like this poem. Despite what you might believe when you move here, it isn’t quite the whole elephant.
Oakleaf hydrangea in bloom. Photo by Mary Adams
Transplanted gardeners from “up north” see Spanish-moss-draped live oaks, palm trees, and heavenly blue skies even in winter. They have yet to learn how harsh a Florida summer can be! Folks from south Florida will soon learn that you can grow tropicals here, too, but regular freezes may turn them into annuals. Gardeners from other hot states don’t know the whole story either. Our combination of sandy soil, high humidity, torrential rainfall, summer nights that seldom dip below 70, and winter frost and freezes can be a revelation.
The majority of northern Florida — from approximately Marion County northward — is in zone 8B, where temperate and sub-tropical climates meet. Gardeners get the best of both worlds. Our winters are too cold for commercial citrus growing, and our summers are too hot and humid for apple orchards. But for backyard gardeners who only want a couple of trees, a few varieties of both will grow here. Recommended apple varieties are ‘Tropic Sweet’, ‘Anna’, and ‘Dorsett Golden’. Citrus varieties include kumquats, Meyer lemons, limequats, and a few varieties of oranges, including navel. Other edibles for north Florida gardens include muscadine grapes, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon, pecan, loquat, and figs.
Some varieties of daffodils will grow in north Florida. Photo by Mary Adams
Our ornamental plant choices seem endless. Florida natives include live oak, yaupon holly, anise, firebush, beautyberry, sweetshrub, oakleaf hydrangea, beach sunflower, coral honeysuckle vine, scarlet hibiscus, blackeyed Susan, and gaillardia. There are crape myrtles, loropetulums, plumbagos, rose-of-Sharon, French hydrangea, catwhiskers, crinums, firespike, poppies, cold-hardy bromeliads, and certain varieties of daffodils.
Plants like plumbago, firebush, firespike, and angel trumpet will die to the ground after freezes, but they should return every spring. Shell gingers rarely bloom in this part of the state, unless protected from the cold.
In my native Ohio, Queen Anne’s lace wildflowers usually grow to a height of 2 feet. In Florida, they can reach 6 feet and are great for butterfly gardens. Northern houseplants like spider plants and amaryllis are outdoor perennials here; spider plants can be used as a groundcover in partial shade. In the winter it’s not unusual to see 6-foot-tall poinsettia shrubs blooming until the first freeze. Columbines and delphiniums are winter annuals here, but periwinkle is a perennial!
Angel trumpet won’t tolerate freezes, but in zone 8B should return in the spring. Photo by Mary Adams
Now for the bad news. No matter where you are from, something you love will not grow here. Say goodbye to lilacs, tulips, peonies, and hostas. Sure, there might be complicated methods for forcing them, but why bother? There are countless other plants available. You just haven’t met your new favorites yet.
Are you from someplace that grows bearded iris? Hasta la vista, baby! Plant Louisiana iris instead; it’s just as beautiful. South Floridians say goodbye to sapodilla, papaya, and mango trees, plus some favorite palms, like fishtail. If you find yourself thinking: “I can’t believe no one is growing (fill in the blank) here” …stop and call your Extension Office, or talk to long-time residents. This will save you time, energy, and money.
Florida native scarlet hibiscus. Photo by Mary Adams
Ask questions first, plant second. Because we have mild winters, some plants go wild. For example, do not put Boston fern in the ground here. Look for grape-like nodules on the roots; these are the invasive variety. They will choke out not only all of your plants, but your neighbors’ plants as well.
Well, there you have it — the whole elephant. I have 100 different varieties of plants on my 1/3-acre lot; it’s a “one-of-everything” landscape. But inside my house you’ll find tulips, lilacs, and peonies — all silk flowers. I still miss them.
Mary Adams earned her degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida, Gainesville.
© 2007 Mary Adams. Originally published in Florida Gardening, Oct / Nov 2007. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.