Florida Fauna & Flora – Drought-tolerant Florida Landscaping
Florida’s traditional dry seasons are spring and fall. When choosing plants, shrubs, grasses and trees for landscaping, select drought-tolerant species that need less water and have a better chance of survival during drier months.
Annuals and perennials add color and brightness to your outdoor space. Plants such as aloe, lantana, butterfly milkweed, black-eyed susans, salvia, lavender, plumbago and spider lilies are good choices.
Low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscapes should include native Florida grasses and shrubs. Especially resistant to drought are native grasses such as cordgrass, lovegrass, crown grass and fakahatchee grass. Native shrubs including podocarpus, Texas sage, yucca, Indian hawthorn, bougainvillea, firebrush and lyonia may survive off rainwater alone.
Sabal palm, jelly palm, sago palm, date palms and saw palmettos are drought, heat and wind tolerant. Bottlebrush, live oak, pine, hollies, cypress, cedars and elms are drought-tolerant native trees.
Remember, before beginning any planting project, contact www.Sunshine811.com before you dig. Sunshine 811 is a free service that locates and marks underground utilities in your digging area. In Florida, it’s the law.
Source: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Read the full June 2022 SECO News online.
