loquat tree

Also known as the Japanese plum, the loquat is a small evergreen tree with a dense, rounded, dark green canopy.  It is a well-behaved little shade tree that grows moderately fast and reaches only 25 – 30 feet in shade with a 30 – 35 foot spread, but is often no taller than 15 feet…

false nettle

False Nettle is a clumping perennial that grows 2-3 ft. in height, but can grow to 4 – 5 feet in the south. It is native to Canada and grows throughout Eastern, central and Southwestern states in the United States and up into Eastern Canada. It has tiny greenish flowers that are in small, head-like…

buddleia (butterfly bush)

Buddleia – or “Butterfly Bush” – attracts hummingbirds and many different kinds of butterflies. Fragrant pink-purple flowers in conical clusters appear on and off all year (more during warmer weather) at the tips of arching branches. With regular trimming, it will reward you with its showy year-round flowers and butterfly-attracting qualities. By Michael West –…

beautyberry

You’ve seen beautyberry if you’ve taken a summer walk in any of the parks around Pinellas or Hillsborough counties that have wild plants, or botanical gardens showcasing native plants: a shrub with fuzzy, light green leaves and clusters of bright magenta berries like living jewels. If you rub the crushed leaves on your skin, it’ll…

golden canna

The Latin name for this pretty plant is Canna flaccida. ‘Flaccid canna’? Really? Imagine going through the world being called flaccid. Poor canna. No wonder it’s a little less showy than its cultivar relatives. It has an inferiority complex. By Peter A. Mansfeld, CC BY 3.0, Link As it happens, though, wild golden canna is…

canna lily

You’ve seen cannas around gardens in Florida, even if you don’t know it. They’re the giant orchid-looking things with great big colorful leaves and seed pods that look like fuzzy duck heads. They take some work to look their best and they prefer to stand alone, but they’re worth it. Probably. Cannas are heat-loving perennials…

candlestick senna

The first thing sustainability-minded people usually say about candlestick plant is, “Yay, it’s a host plant for sulphur butterflies to lay their eggs” (of which we in FL are blessed with species ranging from the tiniest sulphur species, the size of a fingernail, to a giant floating flower the size of a tiger swallowtail.) But…