Gardener's Corner

GARDENER'S

CORNER Trees for North Florida

By Chris Dailey, Horticulture Manager

Here are some of my favorite trees you can find and plant in north Florida. As native trees, these species are important to our area and support local wildlife. These and many other native trees will soon be planted in our newly-renovated parking lot. You should plant them too!

Southern Magnolia

(Magnolia grandiflora)

Grandiflora is one of my favorite Latin plant names. It translates to “big flower” and few trees have bigger flowers than the southern magnolia.

Massive white fragrant flowers adorn this stately tree in the spring. Even without flowers, the tree is quite magnificent with leaves that are bright and glossy on the top side and fuzzy and brown on the underside.

Bald Cypress

(Taxodium distichum)

This tree has a lot going for it. One of its most treasured features is foliage color. In the fall, the feathery leaves turn shades of gold and orange before they drop. And in the spring, the vibrant lime green leaves announce that winter is over.

Sand Live Oak

(Quercus geminata)

For smaller trees, it is hard to beat the utility and toughness of the sand live oak. Oak species are extremely valuable to our insect population, especially insects that are eaten by songbirds. So, if you are into bird watching and want more songbirds in your yard, this is the tree for you. They would look great in your own yard too, so why not give them a try?

Swamp Chestnut Oak

(Quercus michauxii)

Autumn coloration also occurs with the swamp chestnut oak at the onset of seasonal change. The large leaves with unusual wavy smoothtoothed edges fade to shades of red in late fall and early winter. The attractive, flaky bark on the trunk is another unique and desirable characteristic of this tree.