Guide for Real Florida Gardeners, 2021

2021

PlantRealFlorida.org PUBLISHED BY FANN

NURSERY & LANDSCAPE

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Largo, Florida 33774

Honoring some of “The Little Things that Run the World”* Florida insects featured on cover, top to bottom: The ox beetle, Strategus species, spends most of its time composting and helping to aerate soil by digging holes.

You can pick up and gently examine this large but docile insect. Pictured: hornless female.

The sand wasp, Bembix species, makes a second appearance in the guide, a favorite of the editor and her husband, who enjoy watching these solitary wasps fly to and from their sandy dugouts, often carrying other, much larger insects.

Florida cicada, species unknown. These sun-loving, daytime singers are important wildlife food. They are not pests and do not emerge in huge numbers in Florida, as is the case in other states.

These are just three of many interesting insects that can inhabit a landscape that is alive. Make sure yours is.

Insects don’t need us but we do need them. So look, learn and strive to coexist. You’ll be healthier for it.

Features 4

Natives in the Neotropics

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Creeping sage

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Swamp twinflower

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Lovegrass

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Think Insect Inclusive

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Pennyroyal

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Blue porterweed

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Carolina jessamine

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Elephant’s foot

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Meeting the Native Plant Need

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A Devotion to Native Bees

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Oak Leaf Hydrangea

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Persimmon

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Green Thatch Palm

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About Wildflower Meadows

Resources

*this phrase borrowed from renowned biologist E.O. Wilson, widely considered the world’s leading expert on ants and the author of numerous books explaining our natural world.

Sweat bee on elephant’s foot flower.

Learn to choose plants for function in addition to appearance. Elephant's foot nourishes native bees like these with small nectar-providing flowers, opening fresh each day.

32 Florida Native Plant Society 35

Online Mail-Order Sources

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Ecological Services

35

Garden & Landscape Products

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Real FL Education/Advocacy

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Retail Nurseries

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Landscape Professionals

ABOUT THIS GUIDE: A little peek into the benefits and culture of native landscaping and resources available to help. Available free from FANN members & partners; and online: PlantRealFlorida.org or issuu.com/fannisonline ABOUT US: FANN is a business network of growers, retailers, landscape professionals & environmental services using native plants for sustainability.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This publication made possible with financial support from our advertisers, sponsors, and members, and the extraordinary generous contributions of photos and information from lovers of Real Florida.

PROUD NATIVE PLANT PARTNER WITH Florida Native Plant Society, Florida Wildflower Foundation and the Wildflower Seed & Plant Growers Association.

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

AMANDA MARTIN, GGROUNDED SOLUTIONS

About our cover: When you plant natives, you'll see all sorts of creatures foraging for food, raising babies, battling with one another, and disappearing only to return the next year. Share the joy with friends & neighbors.

Artwork by Spence Guerin.

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PUBLISHER: FANN, PO Box 972, Melbourne FL 32902 FANN provides advertising as submitted by its members and advertisers for informational purposes only, and shall not be held responsible for the results of any business conducted with member firms or advertisers. Acceptance of membership and advertising does not imply approval or endorsement.

Editor: Cameron Donaldson Layout by Luke Duran, Element L Design | www.elementldesign.com

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 3

Natives in the Neotropics

Bringing South Florida native into the Miami limelight Story and photos by Isabella A. Guttuso

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iami is the quintessential image of Florida for many around the world but also one of our state’s most altered landscapes, with only small traces of the pine rocklands and other ecosystems that once stretched from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay. Tropical plants have a strong hold on the modern cultural image of “The Magic City,” and native

plants have long been pushed aside. But as more and more Floridians become aware of the enormous stresses facing our unique ecosystems, native plants are being brought back for homeowners who want to make a difference in their own backyard.

That’s how it started for Mauricio Gonzalez and Natalia Manrique, husband and wife team and owners of FANN member NaMa

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Native Landscapes. Both fine artists by profession, the couple moved to Florida twenty years ago, and began camping in the Everglades, Ocala National Forest and every other corner of Florida over the years. With keen artists’ eyes, they fell in love with the details of our state’s ecosystems. Natalia recalled that the more time they spent in nature, the more minute details they noticed. Mauricio

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

plants

Three years ago, Natalia and Mauricio bought the house they live in now, and began slowly working to evolve their own yard from the repetitive blocks of traditional landscaping. It didn’t take very long or many changes to see a transformation before their eyes. The first sign of change was the appearance of butterflies. Then they noticed birds – warblers. “When we were camping, we’d hear them but not really see them. In my backyard, I hear and am able to see them up close. We quickly realized if you want to see something in your yard, put in the right plant and they will come.”

Soon, friends were asking the couple if they could make their yard look like theirs.

“We fell in love with native Florida ecosystems and wanted to try and replicate that for ourselves,” Mauricio said, “what we didn’t expect was that our friends would then want their yards to look like ours.” And so, NaMa (the first two letters of Natalia and Mauricio’s first names) began to take shape. The couple now stays busy with a steady flow of native landscaping projects.

As we walked through their front yard, discussing the striking contrast between the sea grape’s large leaves and the blue hue of sea lavender, the sound of a yard maintenance crew’s equipment a block over traveled through the air. Maintenance, Natalia and Mauricio both agreed, was one of the biggest hurdles. Natives were hardy, but sometimes required different types of maintenance, especially during establishment.

Natalia explained that they quickly realized that most landscape maintenance companies were unfamiliar with native plants and didn’t know how to properly care for them.

Mauricio added: “Whoever maintains the landscape must also be an artist,” and said that NaMa had picked up the maintenance for many of their clients so that the native plant benefits would not be lost. They encourage their clients to take a closer look at We’re standing on what was once pine rockland, yet you don’t what’s happening in their yards, not only see pines anywhere. There’s one I’ve seen two blocks away and right after installation, but over time as the plants mature into their natural form. our daughter calls it the ‘camping tree’—because she recognizes Shakti Radhakishun is one such client, the pine as the tree we see when we go camping.” —Mauricio Gonzalez waiting for years to redesign her yard because she couldn’t find designers who were said that everytime they returned to Miami, native plants installed at house after house passionate about using native plants while they felt like they were coming back to a after house. It didn’t take long for them to re- also creating a functional, “Miami nice” desert. And they were seeing the same non- alize that something was wrong with that. (neat) yard. “I’ve been interested in natives for

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GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 5

Natives in the Neotropics

ten years, since we moved here and learned this was the best way to do our part in being responsible homeowners. I tried to imagine in my head how it would come together, but we lost steam and nothing happened for many years. A homeowner who allowed us to come see their native yard recommended NaMa, and expressed how they were artists who had educated themselves to do this sort of work. Our values aligned and it was perfect. The passion that they have for this work is undeniable,” Shakti explained and then pointed to her yard, saying “and this is the result.”

After a tour of the front yards and wild-

flower and native grass beds, the group was eager to highlight the greatest source of pride for the homeowners and designers alike.

Standing tall across the back fence were four young South Florida slash pines (Pinus elliottii var. densa), planted in a bed of pine straw and surrounded by groundcovers native to the pine rockland ecosystem that once inhabited the ground we were standing on. As Shakti talked about her favorite parts of their little piece of pine rockland, we all sensed and chatted excitedly about the potential for more Miami landscapes to connect back to the region’s unique ecosystems.

6 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

Above, right: the happy homeowners, Shakti Radhakishun and Raul Dias, in their pineland garden, with South Florida slash pines and other natives of the pine rockland ecosytem.

In the background at left are the designers, Natalia Manrique and Mauricio Gonzalez.

This story and photos sponsored by the Native Plant Horticulture Foundation. See pages 20-21.

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Below: native groundcovers line the front entryway to Shakti and Raul’s home: blue porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis), Elliott’s lovegrass (Eragrostis elliottii) and golden beach creeper (Ernodea littoralis). The texture and form of natives like muhlygrass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa) and spiderlily (Hymenocallis latifolia) close to the foundation, and bay cedar (Suriana maritima) in containers at the door, complement the architecture of the building.

Right, a peek into some details of the pineland garden. Notice the local rocks placed to remind us of where we really are. Clockwise from upper right: saw palmetto, Serenoa repens, muhlygrass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, pineland heliotrope, Euploca polyphylla aka Heliotropium polyphylum in yellow form, Walter’s groundcherry, Physalis walteri, more muhlygrass with tickseed, Coreopsis leavenworthii, behind it, saw palmettos and in the back middle, American beautyberry, Callicarpa americana.

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GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 7

William Gabrenya

DPI Reg #47228926

Peg Urban

Native Plants to use Now:

Groundcovers

Swamp twinflower

Creeping sage

Dyschoriste humistrata

Salvia misella

Deciduous perennial for zones 8B-10A

Winter dormant perennial for zones 9A-11

Swamp twinflower is a moderately fast-growing, somewhat sprawling, flowering herb 6-10" high with attractive, fine-textured foliage and small lavender colored flowers in spring and summer. It thrives in partly sunny, sandy soils with a little moisture, and survives in shady drier areas. A native of the floodplain forest edge, it can take a lot of wet as long as it drains. It’s a great choice for perking up tight spaces (such as that shown). The small flowers attract small native bees and the plant is a host for the common buckeye butterfly. This plant can spread, but is easily contained. A good container plant, it cascades beautifully from a hanging basket. It loses its leaves in the winter, so consider that if you’re trying to replace sod.

Relatively fast growing, creeping sage does well in bright shade, will outcompete weeds, can be mowed and tolerates light foot traffic.

The light green foliage can help brighten up otherwise dark shady areas, such as the narrow sideyard shown here. It’s easy to walk through and requires little maintenance, even in tight spaces. While it spreads readily, it is very easily contained. Generally 6-8" high, if it gets too tall, clip it down once or twice a month during the summer. The blue flowers are tiny but abundant, bloom mostly in the spring and summer, and cassius blue butterflies seem to really like them. Creeping sage prefers moist soils but readily adapts to dry shade. It tolerates sunny spots but will be stressed in hot weather.

MAPLE STREET NATIVES

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FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Native Plants to use Now:

Groundcovers

Lovegrass Eragrostis spp.

Winter dormant, Zones 8-11 FANN members generally offer two native species of lovegrass, a perennial bunchgrass: purple lovegrass, Eragrostis spectabilis, shown in flower here, and silver lovegrass, E. elliottii, which tends to have more silvery blue-green foliage and casts a pale yellow-green haze

when in flower. Both make excellent borders and are wonderful when mixed in wildflower beds as shown in this garden designed by Springer Environmental Services. Lovegrasses average 12-18" in height and spread, and need full sun to light shade and sandy soil.

Generally, lovegrass blooms in the fall but may bloom off and on, particularly in the southern part of the state. The abundant small seeds are important food for seed-eating birds. Plants will move around in your landscape, but are easily spotted and controlled.

Many misidentified and non-native lovegrasses are also available.

To purchase Florida native lovegrass, buy from a source that knows their plants.

JANET BOWERS

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GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 11

THINK INSECT INCLUSIVE, M When is an insect a pest?

A pest is an organism that spreads disease, causes destruction or presents you with an unacceptable nuisance. Use this definition to decide which insects to control, to maintain your yard’s ecosystem. Consider an insect like the black swallowtail butterfly, often regarded as a pest in its dill and fennel-munching caterpillar stage. If you want butterflies, you have to have caterpillars. Is having a caterpillar consume a few herbs worth having a beautiful butterfly? Real Florida gardeners vote yes. Adopting an “insect inclusive” frame of mind allows for an acceptable level of damage or nuisance, often superficial and temporary, to support insects that provide us with benefits.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and your yard Don’t react and reach for the spray. Instead, adopt IPM, the informed, preventative, effective and ecologically minded approach to managing pests. IPM is a mindset backed by continuous education. Study and understand your natural environment and learn to apply different techniques and tools to control problems—choosing the safest methods first. An example is the recommended control for Sri Lankan weevils, a now common non-native pest that feeds on the leaves of many plants.

The yard control for adult weevils: vigorously shaking a branch over an open, inverted umbrella, then dumping the collected weevils into a container of soapy water. Your goal is not to eradicate pests completely, but to create resiliency in your landscape and prevent pest

MARY KEIM

any of us are unfamiliar with and uncomfortable around insects and think of them as pests. But our lives depend on the ecological services they provide: pollination, seed dispersal, breaking down waste and dead organisms, feeding other creatures and controlling pests. By continuously learning and choosing to behave differently, we can coexist with and support insects, creating a healthy landscape and life for all of us.

Planting native trees and shrubs that attract birds results in free pest control. Birds like this white-eyed vireo sitting in a native wax myrtle shrub, consume thousands of insects, especially when feeding their babies. This bird might visit your yard if you offer dense shrubbery where it can hide.

issues before they start, instead of living in a cycle of treating problems. With IPM, you can better protect your plants and your health.

What you plant, makes a difference Plant selection matters. Native plants are your go-to for improving the diversity of your yard’s ecosystem. Choose plants that support birds ( who eat lots of insects) and pollinators (many of whom will predate on other insects). Ask about plants that might be resistant, or more resistant, to current “pest trends.”Find out which pests like to inhabit the plants you want. Minimize monocultures – instead of a single species hedge, plant a mixed species hedge and fool those pests. It won’t be all good, all the time. Insect foes as well as friends will happily populate your native plants. You can’t eradicate the foes. But with proper care, monitoring and identification, you can foster an ecological balance that limits overall pest pressure on your landscape. You’ll encourage friends, or “beneficial” insects, that predate on the pests.

Amanda Rose Newton is a board certified entomologist, beekeeper, instructor of biology, botany and horticulture at Eastern Florida State College, an FNGLA certified horticulture professional, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in science education. Somehow, she manages to find time to volunteer and support the use of native plants. Thanks, Amanda Rose!

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Care One of the easiest ways to limit pest pressure instantly in the landscape is to establish strong, healthy plants from the beginning.

Buy from reputable growers with extensive knowledge of the plants. Examine the plant’s overall form and roots in the pot.

Choose the right plant for the right place.

Ask your nursery for guidance on placing your plant to meet light, soil and drainage needs. Ask about spacing your plants, watering to establishment and beyond, and how and whether to prune. Pests, whether insects or fungi, are short-lived opportunists, looking for an easy target. Crowded plants make it easy for pests to spread quickly and a decrease in air flow is ideal for fungal growth.

Over-watering, common with automatic sprinkler systems, can result in pests like fungus and mites. Over-fertilizing stresses and weakens plants, inviting disease and pests like aphids and scale. Finally, accept that some plants, including native plants, are naturally more attractive to certain pests, and plan for attacks.

Monitoring Familiarize yourself with your yard. Routinely walk around and look at your plants.

Make it a pleasant regular ritual that con-

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

NOT EXCLUSIVE nects you with nature (think coffee or wine walk). Carefully observing your landscape over time gives you an understanding of what is not normal. You will know whether a plant is overwhelmed with pests or if the sprinklers are hitting it over and over and need to be adjusted. Keeping an eye out for irregularities allows you to act quickly before a small problem becomes a big problem. You may be able to simply pick off pests or increase airflow by pruning back vegetation.

Include enough healthy foliage cover, with trees and shrubs, for beneficial insects to rest during the heat of the day. Include flowering plants to feed them. This diversity will help to naturally reduce the number of pests visiting your part of the neighborhood. Piles of leaf litter and dropped fruit may attract pests but will also be teeming with insects that decompose the pile and turn it into healthy soil, feeding the plants.

Healthy plants are less susceptible to pest pressure. If you have a non-native plant that is repeatedly attracting pests, such as the over-used Shefflera arboricola ‘Trinette,’ which attracts spider mites, replace it with a hardy native.

Treat yourself to a garden journal or simply keep a file on your favorite device, detailing your monitoring efforts. The next time you have a problem, you may be able to refer to your records to consider what to do next.

The more familiar you become with your yard’s ecosystem, the easier it will be to think “insect inclusive.”

Identification Know your plants and your insects and be sure your landscape service does too.

Choose plants that provide nectar and seeds, needed by butterflies, bees, and beemimicking flies. Providing food sources for these “good guys” will help keep pest numbers to a reasonable level. Many insects that feed on nectar as adults, like the syrphid fly, will feast on aphids (a major pest) in their juvenile form. Learning to identify insects in their larval (immature) and adult forms is very helpful, and interesting. Understanding the lifecycles of these important visitors to the garden helps you recognize good from bad and keep tabs on who is taking up residency in your yard. This is arguably the most

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

BY AMANDA ROSE NEWTON

important step you can take in treating plant problems early and correctly. Don’t choose a solution until you’re sure of the problem.

Protect your health, your pocketbook and your plants by learning a few of the common visitors to your native yard.

Learning to identify an insect or other organisms by the damage left behind is another way to provide optimal treatment.

Holes in leaves are from insects with chew-

ing mouthparts, such as caterpillars or beetles. Grasshoppers leave holes when young but will graduate to completely defoliating smaller plants. Beetles are picky when it comes to the tough veins found in leaves and will leave behind a skeletonized pattern.

Piercing-sucking insects produce honeydew, which will attract black sooty mold in our humid climate. If you have mold, chances are you have aphids, scale or mealybugs.

Gulf fritillary butterfly in larval form on its host plant, corkystem passionflower, Passiflora suberosa. If you want butterflies, you have to put up with caterpillars that eat your plants. The plants will survive.

Consider yourself very lucky if, on your windows, walls, doors or plants, you find this magical spiral—eggs of the green lacewing, predator of aphids, scale, whiteflies and other pesty insects.

A beneficial non-native ladybug larva, the mealybug destroyer, here under a seagrape leaf. This predator looks much like its prey, the mealybug, and is a good example of why correct identification is so important.

A scoliid wasp on native palafoxia, Palafoxia feayi.

These wasps predate on scarab beetles, some of which can be garden pests.

Ladybug larva surrounded by other insects to eat.

Be patient, local native ladybugs will find your plants.

Crab spiders are common in healthy Florida yards.

They prey on mosquitoes, whiteflies and many other small flying insects.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE; STEPHANIE BOVEE CC BY-NC 2.0; BOB PETERSON; JUDY GALLAGHER; DENISE CRAWLEY; BOB PETERSON

The following online resources may be helpful: www.Bugguide.net

University of Florida Insect ID Lab

Learn more about IPM (integrated pest management), plant problems and treatment options from your UF/IFAS county extension service. Often, you can bring samples to your county extension and get diagnostics and advice from the Master Gardeners. Choose the safest methods first and opt not to use pesticides whenever possible.

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FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Native Plants to use Now:

Groundcovers

Pennyroyal

Blue porterweed

Piloblephis rigida

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis

Short lived (3-4 years) perennial flowering mint Fragrant, blooms late winter & early spring 8-12+" high, 18+" spread, sprawling habit Full sun, well drained sandy soils Zones 8-10

Perennial wildflower, blooms off and on spring-fall 6-12+" high, flower stalks may reach to 24," spread of 36+" Full sun, moist, well drained sandy soils Zones 8b-11m coastal Cold sensitive, severely damaged in freezes

Despite their small size, pennyroyal flowers are very attractive to many pollinators including this queen butterfly.

Native blue porterweed has a spreading to trailing habit, not upright.

Flower stalks produce tiny medium-light blue flowers that are very attractive to butterflies.

PEG URBAN

MARY KEIM (CROPPED)

Nick Freeman, owner of Wacca Pilatka, a native landscape company, tends beds of native pennyroyal (foreground right) and blue porterweed (behind the pennyroyal), in Native Park, Jacksonville. In front and to the left of Nick is common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, not yet widely available from FANN growers.

ISABELLA GUTTUSO

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FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Native Plants to use Now:

Groundcovers

Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens

Excellent replacement for Chinese wisteria Hiking in pineywoods or hammocks in late winter or early spring, you might see bright spots of yellow up in the trees, and that would be the flowers of the Carolina jessamine (not jasmine) vine. In the landscape, unless you tame it, this twining, multistemmed, aggressive evergreen vine will spread across your ground, up your trees and out of control. But as shown here, it can be

REBEKAH D. WALLACE UGA

Twining, climbing, multistemmed, flowering evergreen vine Very bright yellow blooms in late winter, early spring Full sun to part shade Prefers well drained, acid soil but adapts to a variety of soil conditions Moderately long-lived Reported to be fragrant or "pleasant smelling" Close-up of flower. The trumpet shaped blossoms are 1-1 1⁄2" long.

nicely trained and trimmed. Use it to conceal chain-link fencing and dress up mailboxes, arbors, trellises and gazebos. Try combining Carolina jessamine with another native vine, coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens — and send us a photo to share.

Carolina jessamine attracts hummingbirds and bees of all kinds. There are numerous, contradictory published reports about

the toxicity of this plant. All parts are poisonous, so do not use it if children, pets or livestock might consume it. Wildlife are not likely to be harmed – deer avoid it. Both entomologists and beekeepers have advised FANN that as long as there are abundant, diverse nectar sources in an area, bees are unlikely to overdose on and be harmed by Carolina jessamine.

Carolina jessamine, tamed and trimmed.

Keep it controlled and you’ll enjoy this troublefree vine.

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GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 17

make your yard stand out from the turf crowd

Plant Natives Celebrate Florida’s Beauty Titusville Water Conserva琀on Program (321) 567-3865 18 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Perennial Winter dormant Zones 8-11 Light-part shade Average sandy soils

Elephantopus elatus A wildflower grows under foot, unnoticed and underappreciated.

Story and photos

by Amanda Martin, Grounded Solutions

E

lephant’s foot’s tiny, insignificant flowers pack a big punch by providing tasty nectar in each bloom and those drab leaves can be a valuable food source to herbivores. One indicator of tastiness are the dense hairs covering the leaves, stems and flower parts—to keep tiny mouths from getting too close. Warning labels appear in the literature for human foragers because Elephantopus leaves are cytotoxic, meaning they are poisonous to living cells. Research has been done going back to 1969 regarding the chemicals elephantin and elephantopin contained in the leaves, and their tumor inhibiting characteristics.

Studies in 2017 explored developing anticancer agents from these chemicals. Perhaps animals see these leaves in a whole different light as they assist in spreading Elephantopus seeds throughout the southeastern U.S. It wasn’t until I took these macro shots that I fully appreciated the density, intricacy and symmetry of each bloom stalk. Ele-

phant’s foot prefers to put all its energy into producing nectar rather than showy color.

Color can be attractive, but nectar is a sure bet when it comes to pollination. Nectar dries up quickly, so Elephant’s foot rations its booty by opening a select few flowers each day and continues to provide sweet drinks for over a month.

Perhaps it’s time to rethink our view of this species. A moment of appreciation for Elephantopus’s enduring tenacity and dynamic gifts may just land her a home in your Florida native garden. Leave the seed-heads until they just begin to turn brown, trim at the base and share a dried bouquet with friends. This is a good one to replant, re-seed and begin to restore the cycle of native plant life.

Typical basal rosette leaf arrangement that gives Elephant’s foot its name, with two-foot tall bloom stalks. This plant was a first year seedling in dry, shady conditions with heavy oak leaf mulch.

Plant a few together or mixed with other flowers.

Amanda is an ecologically minded horticulturist operating a native focused landscape consultation & design company, Grounded Solutions, in Orlando.

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GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 19

75% of America’s native plants are not being grown commercially.

This supply problem is a major obstacle to restoring ecosystem function to our landscapes.

America needs more native plants and ecological landscape services. How will this happen? By working on the demand and the supply problem at the same time. By transforming existing horticulture and landscape businesses and recruiting new ones. By providing more education, information and showcase native landscape examples for industry professionals. By helping students, emerging professionals and career switchers find their path to enter the native plant industry. By partnering with the many great native plant organizations that understand and value the power of native plants, and work every day to bring that message to the public. We can do this, with your help.

MEETING THE NATIVE PLANT NEED What if every community had native landscape services like Wacca Pilatka?

Nick Freeman is a physician’s assistant in Jacksonville, Florida, doing shift work in urgent care, often working a few days straight and then devoting the rest of his week to native plants and sustainable landscaping. He’s an active board member with his local native plant society and runs a native plant landscape business, Wacca Pilatka, which he formed after asking himself if he was doing everything he could to protect wild Florida. Passionate about the benefits of native landscaping, Nick seeks every opportunity to educate the public, even setting up at local farmer’s markets to talk with people about how they can fit more native plants into their lives. He wants to grow his business and expand its positive impact on the community.

Our Latest Initiatives Native Plant Industry Journalism To highlight opportunities and inspire new recruits, we launched a new initiative to engage diverse perspectives, including that of younger people, in telling stories of native plants, native landscaping, and the people and businesses that make it all happen. Our first photojournalist, Isabella Guttuso, began working remotely in the middle of the pandemic. Some of her work appears on these pages and elsewhere in this publication (see story, page 4).

Professional Development and Education

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ISABELLA GUTTUSO

Native plant horticulture and landscaping are in the early stages of development. Professionals have just begun to grow and use a fraction of America’s native plant species. At the same time, many pioneering native plant growers are at or past retirement age. Now is the time to capture their knowledge and experience to help advance the next generation. We engaged an online education specialist to help these busy professionals share their expertise online and unveil some of the mysteries of the native plant industry.

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

OUR MISSION: making sustainable communities possible by expanding the supply of native plants and the professionals who grow and use them.

LEARN MORE:

NATIVEPLANTHORT.ORG

ISABELLA GUTTUSO

Isabella “Izzy’ Guttuso, our intrepid native plant journalist, on the job, collecting photos and stories to promote the wonder and business of native plants.

What if every community had retail native plant outlets like The Nectary?

Birds must feed their growing babies hundreds of caterpillars every day.

These caterpillars need local native host plants.

Without native plants, landscapes are barren food deserts for wildlife.

By planting native, we can support more life in our landscapes.

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

Mitzy Sosa, newly minted straight-A biology graduate and our online education specialist, coaxes native plant growers onto Zoom and uses podcasts to reveal their tips and tricks.

JULIE FAULK

Who would guess that a former used car lot would be an ideal spot for a retail native plant nursery?

Kathryn Adeney (left) and Michelle Sylvester (right) did, and launched The Nectary in Lakeland, Florida, after being overwhelmed at local farmer’s markets by customers eager to buy native plants.

Both environmental scientists by training, the women had been personally frustrated by the difficulty and time required to obtain native plants for their own landscapes. They committed to offering an urban outlet so that box store plants would not be the only choice for sustainably-minded citizens living in town.

The nursery is becoming a beloved and critical community resource, providing products every bit as life sustaining as groceries and gas.

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 21

One Woman’s Devotion to

Native Bees Female sweat bee, Agapostemon splendens, on Stokes aster, Stokesia laevis. This species’ beautiful metallic green color makes it easy to see on flowers.

L

Laura Zurro’s life took a detour the day she bought a macro lens for her camera. A lifelong nature lover and photographer, her initial interest was photographing butterflies. But she soon shifted to bees, and in a big way. Laura, aka “@Ecogeekmama” online, is, in her own words, “obsessed with native bees.” She spends hours nearly every day watching and photographing the bees and their behaviors, researching and documenting what she’s seen, and sharing it via her Florida Native Bees Facebook group and other social media.

When not behind the camera or computer, Laura is outdoors in her yard or a nearby natural area, showing neighbors and passersby the bees they never saw before. Florida is home to over 300 native bee species.

Just six years ago, Laura and her husband bought an ordinary suburban Florida home.

There’s a small nature preserve nearby, and the neighborhood is old enough to have some mature native trees, but otherwise it is the typical desert of sodgrass lawns with mostly non-native landscape plants. The house was surrounded by sod. Laura and her husband loved exotic tropical plants and hoped to fill their new yard with them. But they soon realized how very sandy and well drained their yard was, and how much water was needed

to keep the plants going. Wrapping up the coconut palm in cold weather seemed really crazy. Then they met a native plant enthusiast who introduced them to “Real Florida.” They began learning about local ecology. Laura started noticing bees and thinking, “What do I need to plant to feed these bees?”

The Zurro’s yard is not a native landscape.

There’s still a lot of grass, infrequently mowed, not irrigated, barely surviving with all sorts of other plants, including natives in the ground and in pots. The average person would look at this yard and conclude that “landscaping” is needed. But when you look at the landscape with Laura, what you’ll see are all the bees. They’re everywhere, once you start to look. Laura has documented 36 bee species in the yard, most of which nest there. The bees use plants in the sun and in the shade under an oak tree, and open sandy spots in the ground. Their ground nests remain undisturbed by lawn equipment. They’re safe in a yard that is never treated with pesticides.

Laura estimates that on most days, she spends 5-6 hours a day looking for and watching bees in her yard. Because different bees have different habits, and males and females do different things, Laura comes out super early in the morning, again in the midday and again in the late afternoon. She is in-

22 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

LAURA ZURRO

tensely interested in recording native bee habits and especially their plant preferences, if any, something which doesn’t seem to be well documented. Laura says that normally she doesn't sit still for very long, but in her yard, she is perfectly happy to focus in the most awkward position for 20 minutes or more, waiting to get the perfect bee photo.

She’d love to say that she spends a lot of time gardening, but really she just loves watching the insects. She’ll stand, walk around or crawl on the ground, as needed.

In addition to her important documentation, Laura takes every opportunity to gently educate others. A neighbor who had no idea there were bees in his swale, saw them after Laura first made him focus on the tiny flowers and then the bees which were even tinier.

Then he began to see the different kinds of bees in his yard. Once people see the bees, Laura shows them where they nest and explains the importance of not disturbing that area and not using pesticides. She’s been able to convince a few people to mow around some flowering plants or leave flowering plants alone until well after bloom time. Often when she’s out photographing in her yard, people will stop and ask about what she’s doing, and that’s an opportunity to share a little information on the bees’ behalf—and ours.

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

SGUERIN

Show Your Native Plant Pride

Male longhorn bee, Melissodes species, sleeping for the night on a plant stem. Look closely and you’ll see he’s hanging from his mandibles (jaws).

LAURA ZURRO

LAURA ZURRO

Laura Zurro aka @ecogeekmama

Agapostemon bee emerging from her ground nest. This is a fairly common species that can thrive in your landscape if you leave a few small bare spots of sand and don’t use pesticides.

Show your native plant pride and spark an educational conversation with a cute t-shirt or garden sign. FANN sells these and more online. The sassy Bee tee is back as well! Proceeds support our Plant Real Florida education campaign.

SGUERIN

Visit PlantRealFlorida.org and click on the STORE tab in the main navigation menu.

Or call our office, 321-271-4885.

Laura photographing bees in snow squarestem aka salt and pepper, Melanthera nivea, a robust, bushy native wildflower, very attractive to all types of pollinators. Use this plant in a wilder setting or plan to tame it with a bit of pruning now and then.

Learn more about native bees: Facebook.com: Florida Native Bees Florida Native Bees - iNaturalist Xerces.org The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America’s Bees, Joseph S. Wilson www.PlantRealFlorida.org

Bee Basics: An Introduction to Native Bees, Beatriz Moisset and Stephen Buchman, free online download from the USDA Our Native Bees: North America’s Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them, Paige Embry

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 23

24 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Native Plants to use Now:

Shrubs

Oak Leaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia Large deciduous shrub 4-8'+ high and wide Erect-round, multi-stemmed with open crown In Florida, partial to almost full shade, morning sun only.

Rich, well-drained, moist but not wet, more acid soils Zones 5-9a

Looking for a beautiful, colorful shrub to plant under the shade of your trees? Oakleaf hydrangea might fit the bill if you live inland from Central Florida north and either don’t have or don’t mind deer and rabbits munching on your landscape. This large shrub is excellent as a specimen under trees or at the corner of your home, as a background plant for large shrub beds or massed at the back of a woodland garden.

In late spring, you’ll start seeing creamy white flowers in large showy clusters about 4" wide and a foot long. The flowers will gradually turn pinkish and then rusty brown as winter approaches. Below the showy white sterile flowers are clusters of fertile flowers reported to attract small bees. The tiny seeds may feed wildlife. The leaves are big, coarse-textured, distinctively shaped and turn red to purple in the fall before they drop in the winter. The exfoliating bark on older stems is also attractive.

ISABELLA GUTTUSO

Fall color, loses leaves in winter

Oakleaf Hydrangea in bloom, with bluestem or dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor, in foreground bottom left.

University of Florida campus in Gainesville.

“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to those who take care of us.”

Robin Wall Kimmerer, scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss – both great reads.

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 25

Recommendations for the Real Florida Gardener’s Bookshelf Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies, Jaret Daniels, Adventure Publications, 2021.

Native Plants for Florida Gardens, Stacey Matrazzo and Nancy Bissett, Pineapple Press, 2020.

A Step-by-Step Guide to a Florida Native Yard, Ginny Stibolt & Marjorie Shropshire, University Press of Florida, 2018.

Native Florida Plans for Shady Landscapes, Craig Huegel, University Press of Florida, 2015.

Native Wildflowers and Other Groundcovers for Florida Landscapes, Craig Huegel, University Press of Florida, 2012.

Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife, Craig Huegel, University Press of Florida, 2010.

Natural Florida Landscaping, using native plants for a beautiful, life-supporting, and environmentally sensitive landscape, Dan Walton and Laurel Schiller, Pineapple Press, 2007.

Florida’s Best Native Landscape Plants, 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals, Gil Nelson, University Press of Florida, 2003.

If you shop Amazon, please use this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-4333010

26 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Native Plants to use Now:

Trees

Persimmon Diospyros virginiana Deciduous tree with edible fruit 30-60' high but often smaller, 15-25' spread Erect, straight trunked, oval form Full sun to part shade, moist-dry poor soils MARY KEIM

Relatively fast growing Zones 4-10b

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

Above: The persimmon hosts luna moths and other creatures including this Wittfeld’s forester moth (in its caterpillar stage).

Left: Want to enjoy a spot of fall color?

The persimmon provides.

SCOTT ZONA

The American persimmon is a restorative choice for our wilder and rural landscapes, where the abundant fruit drop won’t upset tidy city folk. It can be used as a specimen tree along roadsides, fence lines, and in parks and golf courses, providing fall color in the foliage and fruit. Mature trees have a distinctive, brownish gray blocky bark that gives it a real “tree character.” In the Florida wilds, persimmons vary widely in size and form, often spindly or more open and smaller in stature. This long-lived tree was cultivated by Native Americans for its fruit and very hard, close-grained wood – our American ebony. Found throughout Florida except for the Keys, it’s remarkably adaptable in moist or dry situations and tolerant of very poor soil. Male and female trees are required to produce fruit, which is delicious once ripe, but you’ll compete with many smaller mammals to get it. Do not be concerned with leaf spots or tent caterpillars if they appear, and they probably will now and then. The tree will look a little raggedy for a while, but will survive. And so will a lot of birds that feed those tent caterpillars to their babies.

MARY KEIM

Fruit is astringent until ripe in the fall, and will persist on the tree after all the leaves drop.

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 27

DPI Reg #47230131

Tues–Sat, 9–5 Sunday, 11–4 Closed Monday

Volusia’s growing source for native plants 1232 Canal St. New Smyrna Beach 386-428-7298

lindleysgardencenter.com

28 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Native Plants to use Now:

Palms

Florida’s Green Thatch Palm Thrinax radiata 15-30' high Full sun to light shade Well drained coastal soils Tolerant of salt spray & wind Zones 10-11 Cover and food for birds

ISABELLA GUTTUSO

Our slender, graceful native thatch palm is an excellent replacement for undesirable queen and Washingtonia palms. Although its native range is limited to parts of Collier, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, it is being used on the coasts from Brevard and Pinellas counties southward. This tropical palm is cold tolerant to 28o, very resilient to tropical winds, tolerant of salt wind and some (not standing) salt water. This moderate to slow growing palm attracts pollinators and birds. Flowering may occur throughout the year.

Above: Thatch palm has big shiny fronds and long flower stalks that produce beautiful white bead-like fruits.

MARY KEIM

Left: Thatch palm is a host plant for the non-native monk skipper, Asbolis capucinus, pictured here on native pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata.

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 29

About Wildflower Meadows M

aybe you’re intrigued by the idea of a field of native wildflowers replacing your boring lawn. Who wouldn’t want to look out their window and see what we see here?

This is a planted meadow ecosystem. It’s beautiful, diverse in species, changes through the seasons, and provides great support for pollinators. It has been carefully planned and is being carefully maintained.

Successful planted meadows, over time, become largely self-sustaining with appropriate seasonal maintenance. This does not happen, however, without a good deal of informed planning, attention to detail before and during planting, and ongoing diligent maintenance until the desired wildflowers and grasses are (mostly) in control. We’re talking years, people. When a wildflower meadow planting fails, it’s often a weedy, disheartening mess – typically the result of poor plant selection, inadequate site preparation and inadequate ongoing maintenance to eliminate weeds. Weeds don’t just look bad, they take over and reduce diversity and thus the beauty and function of the meadow.

Natural meadow ecosystems are mostly composed of many different wildflowers and grasses with a few trees and shrubs here and there. The grasses tend to dominate. They help protect the meadow from weed invasion and enhance pollinator and wildlife habitat. In a planted meadow, you may be able to tip the scales a bit by pro-actively planting more wildflowers initially, but be sure to include native grasses.

Plants in featured meadow Grasses Eragrostis spectabilis, purple lovegrass Sporobolus junceus, pineywoods dropseed Tripsacum floridanum, Florida gamagrass

Wildflowers Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly milkweed Carphephorus corymbosus, Florida paintbrush Chrysopsis mariana, Maryland goldenaster Conoclinium coelestrinum, blue mistflower Coreopsis lanceolata, lance-leaved coreopsis Coreopsis leavenworthii, Leavenworth’s Coreopsis Echinacea purpurea, Purple Coneflower

Eryngium yuccifolium, Rattlesnake Master Helianthus carnosus, Lakeside Sunflower Helianthus radula, Rayless Sunflower Liatris chapmanii, Chapman’s Blazing Star Liatris gracilis, Graceful Blazing Star Liatris spicata, Dense Blazing Star Linearia canadensis, Blue Toadflax (naturally occurring)

Phoebanthus grandiflorus, Florida False Sunflower Pityopsis graminifolia, Silkgrass or Silk-leaved Aster Rudbeckia hirta, Blackeyed Susan Scutellaria integrifolia, Helmet Skullcap

Native wildflower meadow in Clermont, Florida, designed and managed by FANN member My Florida Meadow, Ocoee.

Photographed at 18 months of development, it is the result of expert planning and maintenance. This large meadow in a rural area was funded in part through a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant for agricultural landowners seeking to implement conservation practices. If you own agricultural or nonindustrial forest land, check with your regional Florida NRCS office for possible financial and technical assistance to plant native— www.nrcs.usda.gov and USDA NRCS on most social media.

30 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

MY FLORIDA MEADOW

Recommended Meadow Reading “Meadows for home landscapes: more than just wildflowers,” by Craig Huegel, The Palmetto, Vol 36: No 1, 2020, pp. 4-7, Florida Native Plant Society.

“Planting a Wildflower Meadow,” by Craig Huegel, The Palmetto, Vol 36: No 2, 2020, pp. 4-7 & 15, Florida Native Plant Society.

Conservation Cover (327) for Pollinators, Florida Installation Guide, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and USDA NRCS, February 2015. IMPORTANT EXCEPTION to the information provided: if using plants, planting can be done in the summer to take advantage of the rainy season.

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 31

FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY CHAPTERS | DIRECTORY

Local Chapters Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS)

Preserving, conserving and restoring Florida’s native plants The Florida Native Plant Society is the state network for native plant enthusiasts including gardeners, scientists, professional conservationists and many of our FANN members. Chapters around the state offer education programs, field trips and events where you can meet new friends and neighbors who share your environmental values. Be sure to check out the society’s YouTube channel for great online education resources. Join FNPS and expand our native plant movement.

FNPS.ORG

Z Designates that this chapter sponsors this publication. Thank you, Florida native plant partners!

Alachua

Escambia

Marion

Polk

Paynes Prairie Chapter FNPS

Longleaf Pine Chapter FNPS Z

Marion Big Scrub Chapter FNPS

Heartland Chapter FNPS

ZZ

Phone 863-393-4647 Email emurawski@kleinfelder.com Web heartland.fnpschapters.org

Email markelliott1955@gmail.com Web paynesprairie.fnpschapters.org

Bay Sweetbay Chapter FNPS Phone 850-234-6453 Email jsmallman2@gmail.com Web sweetbay.fnpschapters.org

Brevard Conradina Chapter FNPS ZZ Email carol.hebert@gmail.com Web conradina.fnpschapters.org

Sea Rocket Chapter FNPS Z Phone 321-277-5741 Email searocketfnps@gmail.com Web searocket.fnpschapters.org

Broward Broward Chapter FNPS Phone 954-661-6289 Email browardchapterfnps@gmail.com Web broward.fnpschapters.org

Charlotte Mangrove Chapter FNPS Z Web mangrove.fnpschapters.org

Phone 850-619-0201 Email fnps.longleaf.pine@gmail.com Web longleafpine.fnpschapters.org

Hernando Hernando Chapter FNPS Z

Phone 941-704-4325, 941-773-8643 Email srepens@gmail.com Web serenoa.fnpschapters.org

Hillsborough

Miami-Dade

Seminole

Suncoast Chapter FNPS Z

Dade Chapter FNPS Z

Cuplet Fern Chapter FNPS

Phone 305-985-3677 Email dadefnps@gmail.com Web dade.fnpschapters.org

Phone 352-658-3677 Email CupletFern@gmail.com Web cupletfern.fnpschapters.org

Indian River

Orange

St Johns

Eugenia Chapter FNPS Z

Tarflower Chapter FNPS ZZ

Sea Oats Chapter FNPS

Phone 352-219-5381 Email Tarflower.FNPS@gmail.com Web tarflower.fnpschapters.org

Phone 904-461-9629 Email seaoats.fnps@gmail.com Web seaoats.fnpschapters.org

Lake

Osceola

Sumter

Lake Beautyberry Chapter FNPS

Pine Lily Chapter FNPS

The Villages Chapter FNPS ZZ

Phone 813-478-1183 Email Suncoastchapterfnps@gmail.com Web www.Suncoast.fnpschapters.org

Phone 772-567-1565 Email jfavril1@comcast.net Web ircnativeplants.org

Email lakebeautyberry@gmail.com Web lakebeautyberry.fnpschapters.org

Passionflower Chapter FNPS Z

Lee Coccoloba Chapter FNPS ZZ

Collier

Phone 239-273-8945 Email coccoloba@fnps.org Web www.fnpscoccoloba.org

Naples Chapter FNPS Z

Leon

Ixia Chapter FNPS Z

Email Ixiapresident@yahoo.com Web ixia.fnpschapters.org

Serenoa Chapter FNPS ZZZ

Email martincountychapter@fnps.org Web martincounty.fnpschapters.org

Citrus Chapter FNPS

Duval

Sarasota

Martin County Chapter FNPS

Citrus

Email naplesnativeplants@fnps.org Web fnpsnaples.org

Martin

Phone 813-340-2719, 352-583-2384 Email hcfnps@gmail.com Web hcfnps.org

Email passionflower.fnps@gmail.com Web passionflower.fnpschapters.org

Phone 352-631-8444 Email citrusNPS@gmail.com Web citrus.fnpschapters.org

Phone 941-321-1556 Email marionbigscrubfnps@gmail.com Web marionbigscrub.fnpschapters.org

Magnolia Chapter FNPS Z

Palm Beach Email palmbeach@fnpschapters.org Web palmbeach.fnpschapters.org

Pasco Nature Coast Chapter FNPS

Volusia

ZZ

Pawpaw Chapter FNPS ZZ

Phone 813-435-8143 Email naturecoastfnps@gmail.com Web www.pasconativeplants.org

Manatee

Pinellas Chapter FNPS ZZ

32 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS 2019-2020

Sparkleberry Chapter FNPS Phone 386-364-9309 Email csullivan12@windstream.net Web sparkleberry.fnpschapters.org/

Pinellas

Phone 941-704-4325, 941-773-8643 Email srepens@gmail.com Web serenoa.fnpschapters.org

Suwannee

Palm Beach County Chapter FNPS ZZ

Email magnoliafnps@gmail.com Web magnolia.fnpschapters.org

Serenoa Chapter FNPS ZZZ

Phone 352-674-8385 Email fnpsthevillages@gmail.com Web thevillages.fnpschapters.org

Web pinelily.fnpschapters.org

Phone 386-690-1797 Email pawpaw@fnps.org Web pawpaw.fnpschapters.org

Wakulla

Email info@pinellasnativeplants.org Web pinellasnativeplants.org

Sarracenia Chapter FNPS ZZ Phone 850-926-2264 Email sarracenia.nps@gmail.com Web sarracenia.fnpschapters.org

FANN/Florida Association of Native Nurseries

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 33

REAL FLORIDA GARDNERS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES | DIRECTORY

GREEN IMAGES NURSERY Silver Saw Palmetto • Grasses & Wildflowers CALL FOR APPOINTMENT

Garden Design Green sustainability pioneers David Drylie, Owner 1333 Taylor Creek Rd, Christmas FL 407-568-1333 or Jim 407-579-6887 GreenImage@aol.com

Do you wish your local garden center sold more native plants? landscape service knew how care for your native plants?

Connect them with FANN. We provide professionals with native know-how, networks and sources.

Is your business in the horticulture or landscape industry?

Get into native plants now.

BECOME A FANN. We’re the future.

www.FANN.org 34 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Ecological Services E1. ecolo-G % Environmental consulting, ecological research.

Phone 561-399-1549, 772-678-6045 Email ecologinc@bellsouth.net Location Martin County

E2. Green Isle Gardens %% e i Habitat restoration, native plant education and plant rescues.

Phone 407-948-8980 Email gignatives@gmail.com Web greenislegardens.com Location 11303 Hwy 33, Groveland FL

E3. Lake and Wetland Management e i Serving homeowner associations and municipalities statewide.

Phone 855-888-5253, 561-303-1013 Email admin@lakeandwetland.com Web www.lakeandwetland.com Location Office in Boca Raton

% trophies assigned for each decade of FANN membership

Garden & Landscape Products

Online Native Plants for Mail-Order

+ landscape – also provides landscape design, install or maintenance services

E8. Fresh Mulch-Weed Recede eiy

Florida Native Wildflowers e i

E4. Mesozoic Landscapes %%% Native habitat landscape restoration consulting & planning.

Phone 561-967-2630 Email moyroud@prodigy.net Location 7667 Park Lane RD, Lake Worth

E5. Pro Native Consulting Compliance, native plant education & sales.

Phone 786-488-3101, 786-488-3101 Email info@pronativeconsulting.com Web www.pronative.com Location Miami

E6. Sandhill % e i Exotic control, compliance & maintenance for communities.

Phone 863-494-9737 Email chrisholly@sandhillgrowers.com Web sandhillgrowers.com Location 5980 SE C.R. 760, Arcadia

Biodegradable mulch bags. Nothing to throw away.

Phone 904-699-0046 Email info@weedrecede.com Web freshmulch.com Location 6655 Blanding Blvd, Jacksonville

E9. Natural Treasures Farm & Nursery % e

Green Isle Gardens %% e i Contact us about shipping.

Phone 407-948-8980 Email gignatives@gmail.com Web greenislegardens.com

Green Seasons Nursery %%%

Pots, Mulch, Garden Decor, Fertilizers Phone 352-225-1381 Email naturaltreasuresfn@gmail.com Web find us on Facebook Location 10870 SE 25th Ave, Trenton FL

We ship coastal & upland shrubs & wildflowers. Order online or call.

Phone 941-776-1605 Email Seaoater@gmail.com Web greenseasonsnursery.com/retailnursery

E10. Rockledge Gardens e i y w

Mail-Order Natives %% e i

Pots, soils, mulch & various hardgoods.

Phone 321-636-7662 Email info@rockledgegardens.com Web rockledgegardens.com/ Location 2153 U.S. Hwy #1, Rockledge

E11. Sweet Bay Nursery %% e i

Bird, bee, bat houses. Gifts, planters, furniture. Eco-friendly mulch, soil, fertilizer, Pond design and installation for individuals sprays. & communities.

Phone 941-776-0501 Phone 941-500-2218 Email sweetbaynursery@gmail.com Email stockingsavvy@gmail.com Web sweetbaynursery.com Web stockingsavvy.com Location 10824 Erie Rd, Parrish FL Location Sarasota

E7. Stocking Savvy e i y

We ship pesticide-free, Florida ecotype seeds & small plants.

Web floridanativewildflowers.com

We ship. Order online. Extensive selection.

Phone 850-973-7371 Email mailordernatives@gmail.com Web mailordernatives.com

Whitwam Organics e i y Shipping native and Florida-friendly.

Phone 813-803-0024 Email info@whitwamorganics.com Web whitwamorganics.com

Real Florida Education & Advocacy City of Titusville Water Conservation Program Water conservation education and outreach.

Phone 321-567-3865 Email maureen.phillips@titusville.com Web titusville.com/416/water-conservation Location 2836 Garden St, Titusville

Florida Wildflower Foundation eiy Restoring and enjoying Florida native wildflowers.

Phone 407-622-1606 Email info@flawildflowers.org Web flawildflowers.org

Kissimmee Valley Audubon Society e y Education & conservation of natural resources.

Email sgaspar@knights.ucf.edu Web kissimmeeaudubon.org Location Osceola County

People’s Alliance Supporting our Obligation to Posterity e Education on our constitutional obligation.

Email eas@pasop.org Web pasop.org

University of North Florida Botanical Garden Variety of educational gardens including some with native plants + public preserve.

Email rhonda.gracie@unf.edu Location 1 UNF Dr, Jacksonville

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 35

REAL FLORIDA GARDNERS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES | DIRECTORY

Products and Services

RETAIL NURSERIES & GARDEN CENTERS | DIRECTORY

Retail

% trophies assigned for each decade of FANN membership + landscape – also provides landscape design, install or maintenance services 1 estimated percent native

Nurseries and Garden Centers Your sources for Florida native plants Online Orders for Delivery/Pickup

Alachua

Citrus

Lake

R10. Urban Forestry %%% 1

R1. Beds for Butterflies 9 e i

Native plant seedlings by appointment only. Please call first.

Phone 352-466-3919, m 352-234-5768 Email urbanforestry@att.net Web urbanforestryservicesfl.com Location Micanopy

R18. Anson Nursery + landscape ei

R23. Green Isle Gardens %% 1 + landscape e i

Landscape nursery specializing in Florida native plants.

Phone 352-628-4554 Email plants@ansonnursery.net Web www.ansonnursery.net Location 5296 W Homosassa Trail, Lecanto

Huge selection native trees, shrubs, wildflowers & groundcovers.

Phone 407-948-8980 Email gignatives@gmail.com Web greenislegardens.com Location 11303 Hwy 33, Groveland

Curbside pickup in Deerfield Beach Phone 954-901-5880 Email info@bedsforbutterflies.com Web bedsforbutterflies.square.site

R2. Green Isle Gardens %% 1 ei Delivery in Greater Orlando region.

Phone 407-948-8980, 321-436-4932 mobile Email gignatives@gmail.com Web greenislegardens.com

R3. Green Spirit Gardens e i Delivery to Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe.

Phone 786-402-1531 Email greenspiritmiami@gmail.com Web greenspiritmiami.com

R4. Little Red Wagon Native Nursery 9 e i

Brevard R11. Maple Street Natives %%% 1 ei

Duval

150 pesticide-free Florida native species.

Partnered with NatScape.

Phone 321-223-6147 Email natscapefl@gmail.com Web maplestreetnatives.com Location 7619 Henry Ave, West Melbourne

R19. Native and Uncommon Plants 9 ei

R12. Native Butterfly Flowers 1 + Landscape e i

Pickup onsite in Tampa.

Phone 813-755-9579 Email info@butterflytampa.com Web littleredwagonnativenursery.com

Over 150 native species for butterflies, birds, and bees.

Phone 321-626-7386 Email nativebutterflyflowers@yahoo.com Web www.nativebutterflyflowers.com/ Location 82 SW Irwin Ave, West Melbourne

R5. Neph’s Natives 1 e i y

R13. Rockledge Gardens e i y w

Pickup or local delivery from Casselberry.

Phone 407-702-1000 Email nephsnatives@gmail.com Web nephsnatives.com

R6. Rockledge Gardens e i y w Pickup onsite or delivery in Brevard.

Phone 321-636-7662 Email info@rockledgegardens.com Web rockledgegardens.com/ Location 2153 U.S. Hwy #1, Rockledge

R7. Wacca Pilatka e i Pickup in Jacksonville.

Phone 904-859-4033 Email keepingfloridawild@gmail.com Web waccapilatka.com

R8. Whitwam Organics e i y Delivery or curbside pickup in Tampa.

Phone 813-803-0024 Email info@whitwamorganics.com Web whitwamorganics.com

R9. Wilcox Nursery and Landscape %% 7 e i y Pickup in Largo. Delivery to Tampa Bay & South Pasco.

Phone 727-595-2073, 727-235-5419 m Email nativeplants@wilcoxnursery.com Web wilcoxnursery.com

Full-service garden center expanding our native plant selection.

Phone 321-636-7662 Email info@rockledgegardens.com Web rockledgegardens.com/ Location 2153 U.S. Hwy #1, Rockledge

R14. Wild, Wet N Wacky Florida Native Plants 1 e

By appointment only. Call or email for plant availability.

Phone 904-388-9851 Email goingnativejax@gmail.com Web nativeanduncommonplants.com

Gilchrist By appointment only, please call. Extensive plant list.

Phone 352-225-1381 Email naturaltreasuresfn@gmail.com Web find us on Facebook Location 1002 SW 9th Ave, Trenton FL Moving July 2021 to 10870 SE 25th Ave

Hernando R21. Hickory Hill Native Nursery %%% 1 30+ years of native plants. Email for availability & where to find us in the community.

Phone 352-754-9701 Email rickmhhnn@bellsouth.net Location Brooksville FL

Broward

Hillsborough

R15. Alexander Landscaping %% ei

R22. Little Red Wagon Native Nursery 9 e i

R16. Beds for Butterflies 9 e i Plants, caterpillars & education. Find us at farmers markets.

Phone 954-901-5880 Email info@bedsforbutterflies.com Web bedsforbutterflies.square.site Location Deerfield Beach

36 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

R24. All Native Garden Center & Plant Nursery %% 9 + landscape e i 200+ native trees, shrubs, palms, wildflowers, butterfly plants...

Phone 239-939-9663, 239-770-4254 Email joaquin@nolawn.com Web nolawn.com Location 300 Center Rd, Fort Myers

R25. Good Roots Nursery e i

R20. Natural Treasures Farm & Nursery % 9 e

Pesticide-free native plants. Call, email or see our Facebook for hours.

Phone 321-417-2218 Email wildwetnwacky@gmail.com Location 1380 Dalbora Rd, Merritt Island

30+ years of experience; native plant specialists.

Phone 954-472-5039, 954-868-8187 m Email alexfarm@comcast.net Web www.alexfarm.com Location 910 S Flamingo Rd, Davie

Lee

Extensive selection of butterfly host & nectar plants.

Phone 813-755-9579 Email Info@ButterflyTampa.com Web littleredwagonnativenursery.com Location 4113 Henderson Blvd, Tampa

Native plants & great assortment of pottery.

Phone 239-949-7774 Email rebecca@goodrootsnursery.com Web goodrootsnursery.com Location 17660 Corkscrew Rd, Estero

R26. R. S. Walsh Landscaping In The Garden + landscape e i Variety of native palms, shrubs, wildflowers.

Phone 239-395-5859, 239-980-1205 Email jeremy@rswalsh.com Web rswalsh.com Location 3889 Sanibel-Captiva Rd, Sanibel

R27. Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Center, Native Landscapes & Garden Center %% 1 + landscape e i y 100-150 flowering, shrub & tree species.

Order online for local delivery.

Phone 239-472-1932 Email jevans@sccf.org Web sccf.org Location 1300 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel

Leon R28. Native Nurseries of Tallahassee %% 9 + landscape e i Native plants + nature gift shop + wild bird store serving the community since 1980.

Phone 850-386-8882 Email admin@nativenurseries.com Web nativenurseries.com Location 1661 Centerville Rd, Tallahassee

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

R29. McKeithen Growers %7 e By appointment only, must call first.

Larger trees & shrubs.

Phone 941-232-9377 Email eddie@mckeithen.net Web mckeithengrowers.com Location Myakka City

R30. Sweet Bay Nursery %% 1 ei Huge diversity of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, vines.

Phone 941-776-0501 Email sweetbaynursery@gmail.com Web sweetbaynursery.com Location 10824 Erie Rd, Parrish

Miami-Dade R31. Casey’s Corner Nursery & Landscaping % 1 + landscape Huge selection of natives. Please call first.

Phone 305-248-7284 Web find us on Facebook Location 31877 SW 197 Ave, Homestead

R32. Green Genes 1 Biologist. By appointment only, please call or email.

Phone 409-659-5693 Email dianelockwood24@gmail.com Location Homestead

Monroe R33. Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden 9 e Monthly native plant sale. Nonprofit with membership discounts.

Phone 305-296-1504 Email info@keywest.garden Web keywest.garden Location 5210 College Rd, Key West

Orange R34. Green Images Native Landscape Plants + landscape %%% 1 Decades of experience. Call first.

Phone 407-568-1333, 407-579-6887 Jim Email greenimage@aol.com Web www.greenimagesnursery.com Location 1333 Taylor Creek Rd, Christmas

Palm Beach R35. Amelia’s SmartyPlants e i Full service garden center with many native plants.

Phone 561-540-6296 Email marta@ameliscapes.com Web amelias-smartyplants.com Location 1515 N Dixie HWY, Lake Worth

R36. Indian Trails Native Nursery %%% 1 + landscape e i Please call first to confirm. Five acres, 60+ species trees, shrubs, flowering.

Phone 561-641-9488 Email injntrails@aol.com Web indiantrails.vpweb.com/ Location 6315 Park LN W, Lake Worth www.PlantRealFlorida.org

R37. Meadow Beauty Nursery %% 1 + landscape e Diversity of native plants since 1988.

Phone 561-601-9673 Email clwillow@comcast.net Web meadowbeautynursery.com Location 5782 Ranches RD, Lake Worth

Pasco R.38 Cindy Seifert Art Garden e Butterfly plants, tours & events.

Phone 352-588-3832 Email cindyseifertart@gmail.com Location 15300 Lake Iola Rd, Dade City

Pinellas R39. Six Oaks Wellness Apothecary e Wellness apothecary offering many natives.

Phone 727-501-1700 Email cvzinober@gmail.com Web sixoakswellness.com Location 607 1st Ave SW, Largo

R40. Twigs & Leaves % 1 + landscape e i Full service native plants + organic gardening supplies.

Phone 727-822-5400 Email twigsnleavessp@gmail.com Web twigsnleaves.com Location 610 27th St S, St Petersburg FL 33712

R41. Wilcox Nursery and Landscape %% 7 e i y Full service garden center. Order online for local delivery.

Phone 727-595-2073, 727-235-5419 m Email nativeplants@wilcoxnursery.com Web wilcoxnursery.com Location 12501 Indian Rocks Rd, Largo

Polk R42. The Nectary 1 e i Garden shop & huge diversity of native plants right downtown.

Phone 863-937-7879 Email thenectarylkld@gmail.com Web thenectarylkld.com Location 1047 E. Main St, Lakeland

The Natives 1 e i y Call for Thursday morning appointments.

Phone 863-422-6664 Email natives@gate.net Web thenatives.net Location Davenport FL

Saint Johns

Sumter

R44. Native Plant Consulting % 1 + landscape e i y

R49. Shady Oaks Gather All % e i

Pop up plant sales with great selections & great consulting.

Phone 904-671-2880 Email renee@nativeplantconsulting.com Web nativeplantconsulting.com Location St Augustine

R45. Southern Horticulture + landscape %% e i Native plants, organic fertilizers, alternative pest controls.

Phone 904-471-0440 Email soho@bellsouth.net Web southernhorticultureflorida.com Location 1690 A1A S, St Augustine

Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon only. Many varieties of native plants.

Phone 352-793-4253 Email shadyoaksgatherall@gmail.com Web shadyoaksgatherall.website Location 665 N US 301, Sumterville

R50. Wendel’s Farm & Nursery % Native plants, organic fertilizers & more.

By appointment only.

Phone 352-568-8277 Email wendelfm@yahoo.com Web find us on Facebook Location 2095 C.R. 416N, Lake Panasoffkee

Volusia

Sarasota

R51. Lindley’s Nursery + landscape ei

R46. Florida Native Plants Nursery & Landscaping %%% 9 + landscape e i

Ever-expanding selection of native plants & pottery.

Phone 386-428-7298 Email lindleysgarden@msn.com Web LindleysGardenCenter.com Location 1232 Canal St, New Smyrna Beach

Thurs-Sun only. All types of native plants.

Decades of experience.

Phone 941-322-1915 Email info@floridanativeplants.com Web floridanativeplants.com Location 730 Myakka Rd, Sarasota

R47. Stocking Savvy Native Harvest Nursery 1 e i y Aquatic pollinator plants, by appointment only.

Phone 941-500-2218 Email nativeharvestnursery@gmail.com Web stockingsavvy.com/ Location Sarasota

R52. Natural Beauty Native Florida Landscapes 1 + landscape Call or email to order. Delivery only.

Phone 727-504-4740 Email NaturalBeautyFlorida@gmail.com Location Ormond Beach

R53. The Arboretum % e

Seminole

Large selection of native plants + pine straw mulch.

Phone 386-673-7800 Email myarboretum@yahoo.com Web find us on Facebook Location 3065 W S.R. 40, Ormond Beach

R48. Neph’s Natives 1 e i y

Walton

By appointment, please call or email.

Phone 407-702-1000 Email nephsnatives@gmail.com Web nephsnatives.com Location Casselberry

Are you a retail nursery or garden center selling more native plants?

Join at FANN.org and be listed here.

R54. 7 Pines Native Plant Nursery 1e Thurs-Sat. Native plants, ecotype wildflower seeds & programs.

Phone 850-830-8996 Email Wildflowersmatter@7pinesranch.com Web facebook.com/7PinesNativePlantNursery Location 2365 County Hwy 192, Defuniak Springs

Putnam R43. Chiappini Farm Native Nursery %% 1 e 170+ pesticide free, native species.

Weekdays only, self serve.

Phone 352-475-5413 Email dchiapin@atlantic.net Web chiappinifarm.com Location 150 Chiappini Farm Rd, Hawthorne

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 37

RETAIL NURSERIES & GARDEN CENTERS | DIRECTORY

Manatee

Design, Install and Maintenance professionals

% trophies assigned for each decade of FANN membership

L6. Green Thumb e i

L17. R. S. Walsh Landscaping, Inc. In The Garden ei

Alachua L1. Landscape Design Associates e Landscape architect. Design/install.

Phone 352-210-5765 Email smarcks@landscapeda.com Web landscapeda.com Location 25110 NW 182nd Ave, High Springs

L2. Zamia Design Landscape Architecture % e Landscape architect. Design/install.

Coordinate maintenance.

Phone 352-373-8220 Email lteague@zamiadesign.com Web zamiadesign.com Location Gainesville

Native & Florida-friendly design/install, maintenance & education.

Phone 954-558-6359 m Email greenthumb.go.native@gmail.com Web greenthumbinc.com Location Fort Lauderdale

Citrus L7. Anson Nursery e Native & Florida-friendly consulting & design/install.

Phone 352-628-4554 Email accounting@ansonnursery.net Web https://www.ansonnursery.net Location 5296 W Homosassa Trail, Lecanto

Collier

Brevard

L8. Everglades Native Designs e

L3. Change of Greenery e i

Consulting and design/install for most of SW Florida.

Phone 239-300-8115 Email ERYKSJ@gmail.com Web www.evergladesnativedesigns.com Location Naples

Native & edible landscape consulting and design/install.

Phone 321-536-0655 Email changeofgreeneryfl@gmail.com Web changeofgreenery.org Location Melbourne

L4. Native Butterfly Flowers e i Native design/install & maintenance for butterflies & more.

Phone 321-626-7386 Email nativebutterflyflowers@yahoo.com Web nativebutterflyflowers.com Location 82 SW Irwin Ave, West Melbourne

Duval L9. Wacca Pilatka ei Native landscape consulting, design/install, education.

Phone 904-859-4033 Email keepingfloridawild@gmail.com Web www.waccapilatka.com Location Jacksonville

Broward

Hillsborough

L5. DIY Native Landscape

L10. Dweller’s Place ei

Native landscape consulting service.

Phone 305-506-7327 Email thisisrr@gmail.com Location Fort Lauderdale

North of Jacksonville

38 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021

Indian River L12. Native Butterfly Flowers ei Landscape design/install & maintenance for butterflies & more.

Phone 321-626-7386 Email nativebutterflyflowers@yahoo.com Web nativebutterflyflowers.com Location West Melbourne but we service Vero

Lake L13. Green Isle Gardens %% ei Consulting, design/install, education, restoration & maintenance.

Phone 407-948-8980 Email gignatives@gmail.com Web greenislegardens.com Location 11303 S.R. 33, Groveland

L15. All Native Garden Center & Plant Nursery %% ei

Design • Build

OFFICE (904) 491-8684 | CELL (904) 887-8266 EMAIL loper.1993@att.net | www.rnlnursery.com

Native landscape consulting, design, install & maintenance.

Phone 813-659-0370 Fax: 813-659-1985 Email info@springerenvironmental.com Web springerenvironmental.com Location 5926 US Hwy 92 W, Plant City

Lee

95740 Arbor Ln, Fernandina Beach

ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSIBLE LANDSCAPES

L11. Springer Environmental Services % ei

Consulting, design/install, education, maintenance & more.

Phone 407-627-0811 Email inquiries@mydragonflygardens.com Web mydragonflygardens.com/fann Location Minneola

Native landscape consulting, design/install, education.

Phone 727-667-9293 Email info@dwellersplace.com Web dwellersplace.com Location Oldsmar

Reflections of Nature Design Center

+ landscape – also provides landscape design, install or maintenance services

L14. My Dragonfly Gardens ei

DPI #47227455

LANDSCAPING DESIGN, INSTALL, MAINTENANCE | DIRECTORY

Landscaping

Native & Florida-friendly landscape design/install & maintenance.

Phone 239-395-5859 Email jeremy@rswalsh.com Web rswalsh.com Location 3889 Sanibel-Captiva Rd, Sanibel

Leon L18. Green Acres Landscape Management e i Design/install, maintenance, clean-ups, exotic removal.

Phone 850-900-5843 Email ashleyjordan@greenacrestally.com Web greenacrestally.com Location Tallahassee

L19. Native Nurseries of Tallahassee %% e i Ecological consulting, design/install & education.

Phone 850-386-8882 Email admin@nativenurseries.com Web nativenurseries.com Location 1661 Centerville Rd, Tallahassee

Miami-Dade L20. Bryce Donner Designs i Native landscape design. Coordinate install.

Phone 786-371-8833 Email bryce@brycedonner.com Web brycedonner.com Location Miami

L21. Casey’s Corner Nursery & Landscaping % e Design/install for Miami-Dade & Monroe Counties.

Phone 305-248-7284 Email candythepig@bellsouth.net Web find us on Facebook Location Homestead

Native landscape design/install & maintenance.

Phone 239-939-9663 Email joaquin@nolawn.com Web nolawn.com Location 300 Center Rd, Fort Myers

L22. Green Spirit Gardens e i

L16. Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Native Landscapes & Garden Center %% eiy

L23. NaMa Native Landscapes e i

Consulting, design/install for Broward, Miami-Dade & Monroe.

Phone 786-402-1531 Email greenspiritmiami@gmail.com Web greenspiritmiami.com Location Hialeah

Native landscape consulting, design/ install, education & maintenance.

Phone 239-472-1932 Email jevans@sccf.org Web sccf.org Location 1300 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel

Ecological design/install & maintenance.

Phone 305-713-3596 Email namanatives@gmail.com Web namaprojects.com Location Miami

Tierra Buena Project i Consulting, design/install for Broward, Regenerative pollinator habitats.

Phone 917-776-1183 Email tierrabuenaproject@gmail.com

FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries

L24. Reflections of Nature Landscape Nursery %% e i Design/install Phone 904-887-8266 Email rnlnursery@comcast.net Web rnlnursery.com Location 95740 Arbor Ln, Fernandina Beach

Orange L25. Grounded Solutions e i y Ecological landscape consulting & design.

Coordinate install.

Phone 352-219-5381 Email groundedsolution@gmail.com Web groundedsol.com Location Orlando

L26. My Florida Meadow Co. i Ecological design/install & management.

Meadow specialists.

Phone 321-287-0255 Email andreaiengland@gmail.com Web myfloridameadow.com Location Ocoee

Palm Beach L27. Garden Couture e i Florida-friendly landscape design/ install and maintenance.

Phone 561-662-1114 Email shawna@gardencouture.net Location Palm Beach

L28. General Landscaping Corporation Landscape architect. Design/install, pref. east of I-95.

Phone 561 994-3755 Email generalland@bellsouth.net Location Boca Raton

L29. Lopez Group i High-end garden design/install & maintenance.

Phone 561-687-0770, 561-514-8813 Email office@lopezgroupinc.com Web LopezGroupofPalmBeach.com Location 5612 S Dixie Hwy, STE 101, West Palm Beach

L30. Lorax Designs % Native landscape design. Coordinate install.

Phone 954-592-2980 Email LXDesigns13@gmail.com Location 7713 Park Lane RD, Lake Worth

L31. Meadow Beauty Nurs. %% e Native landscape design/install.

Coordinate maintenance.

Phone 561-601-9673 Email clwillow@comcast.net Web meadowbeautynursery.com Location 5782 Ranches Rd, Lake Worth

L32. Neglected Plants i Restoration consulting and maintenance.

Phone 561-767-6554 Email neglectedplants18@gmail.com Location Lake Worth www.PlantRealFlorida.org

L42. Wise Hands e i

L48. Florida Native Gardens e i

Pinellas

Consulting, design/install, maintenance, plant ID, education.

Phone 727-275-0521 Email grow@thewisehands.com Location Gulfport

L34. About Native Yards e

Saint Johns

Consulting, design/install and maintenance.

Phone 941-587-3086 Email floridanativegardens@gmail.com Web floridanativegardens.com Location Sarasota

L33. Quiet Man Landscape Phone 561-289-7524 Email pdanaher17@gmail.com Location Boca Raton

Garden & landscape installation and maintenance.

Phone 727 307-4557 Email aboutnativeyards@gmail.com Web find us on facebook Location Palm Harbor

L35. Detail Divas, Landscape Gardeners % Landscape maintenance incl. trimming, pruning, weeding, monitoring.

Phone 727-510-7067, 727-455-6910 m Email 2DetailDivas@gmail.com Location Clearwater

L36. Green Energy Landscaping e Design/install & maintenance incl. trimming/pruning & weeding.

Phone 727-643-9693 E: mike.greenenergy.landscaping@gmail.com Web greenenergylandscaping.com Location 495 Alternate 19, #401, Palm Harbor

L37. Hort and Soul e i Native & Florida-friendly design.

Coordinate install.

Phone 727 599-3244 Email nicole.hortandsoul@gmail.com Web find us on Facebook Location Palm Harbor

L38. Informed Landscape Design Landscape architect. Design/install.

Phone 813-331-5808 Email kurasdesign@gmail.com Web wilcoxnursery.com Location St. Petersburg

L39. Stonehut Stoneshovel Designs e i Garden & landscape consulting, design/install.

Phone 205-901-8600 Email arnoldrutkis@gmail.com Web stoneshovel.com Location St. Petersburg

L43. Find Your Inner Dirt %

L49. Florida Native Plants Nursery & Landscaping %%% e i

Consulting, coaching, native landscape design evaluation.

Phone 904-615-3952 Email jziebell22@gmail.com Web findyourinnerdirt.com Location St. Augustine

Consulting, design/install, education, restoration & management.

Phone 941-322-1915 Email info@floridanativeplants.com Web www.floridanativeplants.com Location 730 Myakka Rd, Sarasota

L44. The Elegant Garden e i

Volusia

Landscape architect. Consulting, design & coordination of installations.

Phone 904-616-7575 Email Kelly@theElegantGarden.com Web theelegantgarden.com Location St John’s

L45. Native Plant Consulting % eiy Consulting, design/install, garden angel maintenance.

Phone 904-671-2880 Email renee@nativeplantconsulting.com Web nativeplantconsulting.com Location St. Augustine

L46. Southern Horticulture %% ei Native & Florida-friendly consulting, design/install Phone 904-471-0440 Email soho@bellsouth.net Web southernhorticultureflorida.com Location 1690 A1A S, St Augustine

L50. Exotic Design Landscape Services e i Florida-friendly design/install & maintenance.

Phone 407-468-9800 Email info@exoticdesignlandscaping.com Web exoticdesignslandscaping.com Location New Smyrna Beach

L51. Lindley’s Nursery + landscape ei Native & Florida-friendly design/install from our extensive nursery selection.

Phone 386-428-7298 Email lindleysgarden@msn.com Web LindleysGardenCenter.com Location 1232 Canal St, New Smyrna Beach

L52. Natural Beauty Native Florida Landscapes

Sarasota

Native landscape design, install and maintenance.

Phone 727-504-4740 Email NaturalBeautyFlorida@gmail.com Location Ormond Beach

L47. Bloomin’ Crazy e

L53. RJ Landscape Contractors

Consulting, design/install, local interior/exterior plant & garden care.

Phone 941-536-6687 Email iambloomincrazy@gmail.com Web find us on Facebook Location Sarasota

Design/install, irrigation, maintenance.

Phone 386-767-3008 Email office@rjlandscapecontractors.com Location Port Orange

L40. Twigs & Leaves % e i Consulting, design/install, maintenance & shoreline restoration.

Phone 727-822-5400 Email twigsnleavessp@gmail.com Web twigsnleaves.com Location 610 27th St S, St Petersburg

L41. Wilcox Nursery and Landscape %% e i y Consulting, design/install, coordinate maintenance & restoration.

Phone 727-219-9549 Email Wilcox12501@gmail.com Web wilcoxnursery.com Location 12501 Indian Rocks Rd, Largo

GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS | SUMMER 2021 | 39

LANDSCAPING DESIGN, INSTALL, MAINTENANCE | DIRECTORY

Nassau

FANN PO BOX 972 MELBOURNE FL 32902-0972

www.PlantRealFlorida.org

Because what you plant, matters.

Spending more time outdoors?

Plant a healthy landscape!

These young girls safely enjoy their reading time in a yard full of Florida native flowers—Sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa) and beach daisy/dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis), easy adaptable groundcovers that can be used in many parts of Florida.

More native groundcovers inside! Use this guide to find nurseries and professionals who can help you plant Real Florida.

Improve your health and well-being with native landscaping. Eliminate harmful pesticides and fertilizers so that you, your pets, and wild creatures can safely enjoy your yard. Doing so protects your community water supply and the health of fish and other creatures in nearby waterbodies. Trying to grow herbs and veggies? Native plants attract the pollinators your food plants need. Watching butterflies, birds and bees go about their daily routines helps you relax, reconnect with nature and experience daily joy. The benefits go on and on. What you plant, matters. Choose natives to protect and restore the ecosystems that sustain all of us.