Celebrate Old-Time Shrubs for a Classic Central Florida Landscape

The following shrubs are a few old-time favorites that offer the true look of a central Florida landscape.  These easy-to-grow shrubs bloom in the fall and during mild winters. They offer nectar to butterflies, native bees, and/or hummingbirds who will happily visit your yard at a time of the year that other plants may have finished blooming. Best yet, they are all evergreen shrubs that provide winter interest. Those with dense foliage provide cover for birds.  They are not native species but fit beautifully in a natural landscape combined with native plants.

Let’s learn about some of these shrubs:

Turk's Cap red flowering
Turk’s cap in bloom

Dwarf Red Turks Cap: Best in part shade, this shrub offers beautiful bright red blooms.  Drought tolerant once established, this shrub grows 5-6’ tall and wide.

Dwarf Powderpuff and Panama Rose:  Both thrive in sun or part shade. As large shrubs, both can be trained in as tree forms, pruned to shape, or left unpruned.  Both can attract native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Both are drought tolerant once established.

Banana shrub flowers in bloom
Banana shrub

Banana Shrub: This old-time favorite offers beautiful cream-colored spring flowers with sought-after banana fragrance. Can grow in sun or part shade to a size of 10-20 feet tall but can also be pruned to maintain in smaller size. It supplies nectar for bees, butterflies and possibly bats. It is drought tolerant once established.

Red Rocket Firecracker Plant: This small plant (Russelia sarmentosa) is related to the more commonly known red firecracker (Russelia equisetiformis) but is more shrub-like and not aggressive in spreading to other areas!  Hummingbirds love this plant. Best in sun or part shade.  Drought tolerant once established. For a well-behaved firecracker plant, be sure to purchase the R. sarmentosa.

Pink and white cameilla blooms
Camellia blooms

Camellias are truly associated with the classic Florida landscape. Given the right high canopy shade or semi-shade conditions, they are not difficult to grow. Camellias can tolerate a surprising amount of bright light, especially the sasanqua varieties. The blooms in the photo are grown in a yard with sandy soil that has been mulched (not touching the trunk) for many years with pine straw and oak leaves. They are spaced about 10 feet apart and receive supplemental irrigation only during dry periods. In this yard, as long as they show new healthy growth and bloom as desired, they are not fertilized.

Texas sage
Texas sage flower

Texas Sage: One last old-time shrub to consider, the silvery gray-green foliage on this medium-sized shrub contrasts with other shades of green foliage in the landscape. Small lilac-colored blossoms bloom summer -fall, attracting pollinators. It can lose leaves during cold temperatures but will reappear.  This sweet plant needs full sun and well-drained alkaline soil.

NOTE: It may be difficult to locate these plants for purchase. Check with local nurseries to see if they can be found for you; you’ll be glad you did.  Happy Gardening!

For more information, contact UF/IFAS Extension Polk County at (863) 519-1041 or visit us online at http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/polk. The Plant Clinic is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm to answer your gardening and landscaping questions. Give us a call or email us at polkmg@ifas.ufl.edu.

If you are not in Polk County, Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Clinic.

The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a volunteer-driven program that benefits UF/IFAS Extension and the citizens of Florida. The program extends the vision of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, all the while protecting and sustaining natural resources and environmental systems, enhancing the development of human resources, and improving the quality of human life through the development of knowledge in agricultural, human and natural resources and making that knowledge accessible.

This article was written by Master Gardener Volunteer Molly Griner under supervision of the Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator and Residential Horticulture Extension Agent Anne Yasalonis.

An Equal Opportunity Institution.

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Posted: February 4, 2025


Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Bees, Butterflies, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Gardening, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Plants, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Pollinators, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


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