Shanin's Garden Photos and Journal


	Florida Native Species:
		American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) - Can take sun to shade. High drought tolerance. Attractive purple fruits attract many birds. Fast-growing from 4 - 7 feet. This plant was already in my backyard. I wasn't sure what it was and luckily I thought twice before yanking it. Provides nice color in fall when everything else is dying or going dormant. My plant has grown so much since I have moved in. I've been told they do better in the sun than in shade, but mine gets only a little sun.
		American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) - Full sun to partial shade. A herbaceous perennial that dies back in winter and grows quickly in spring to 8-12 feet. It sometimes falls over and large branches can just break off under their own weight. This is a volunteer (that's what I like to call my nice weeds) in my backyard and it is not a bad-looking plant.
		Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - Full sun and fairly dry, well-drained soil. A favorite garden plant, as it attracts many butterflies, including the Monarch. Its flowers may be yellow or red, flowering from June to September. Will spread by seed. Late to appear in spring, and the foliage disappears after flowering. I think I have some coming back from last summer, but its too early to tell.
		Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) � Shade to part-shade. Require moist, not saturated soil and will tolerate dry conditions for only a short time. This herbaceous perennial has brilliant scarlet blooms in late summer and is a favorite of hummingbirds. An individual stalk of Cardinal Flower continues to blossom for several weeks. Florida threatened plant. Grows to 3 feet. Just planted three in early June 2002.
		Carolina Yellow Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) - Full fun to partial shade. Fragrant yellow flowers starting late winter. Plants are very poisonous. This vine is one of the first plants to bloom in my backyard in Spring, right before the azaleas. These vines tend to get bushier at the top and you will see them covering the tops of fences.
		Catchfly/Fringed Pink (Silene polypetala) - Prefers full shade to partial shade. Soil should be moist. Native from Georgia to North Florida. This endangered perennial is found in mature hardwood forests on river bluffs, small stream terraces, and moist slopes. A showy, delicate, mat-forming plant growing up to 6 inches tall. It flowers from March to mid-May; however, may go dormant rapidly. I hope my plant has only just gone dormant since planting this Spring, 2002, and will come back next year.
		Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamonea) - Prefers shade and moist acidic soil. Found in woodlands and around wetlands. Moderate growth from 3 - 5 feet. I have acid soil but its not always moist. My three cinnamon ferns have not done as well as I would like. Since planting in Spring of 2001, I have not seen the characteristic bronze fronds that give them their cinnamon name.
		Common Blue Violet (Violaspp.)- Shade to part shade groundcover. Naturalizes in woodland setting. Purple blooms. Spreads by seed pretty rapidly. Plant grows to 4 - 6 inches. Many might consider these weeds if they get into your lawn, but in my woodsy backyard, I just love 'em. They are even spreading to the sunnier parts in my yard just fine.
		Coral/Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) - Sun to part shade. Prefers moist fertile soils. Orange-red bloom in spring that are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds (I have seen a hummingbird feed on mine last summer). Can become an aggressive vine, so keep restricted to the trellis. I cut my honeysuckle back this spring because it had become very top-heavy and scraggly due to caterpillar usage. This plant has not done well for screening the view of the AC unit; therefore, I planted some confederate jasmine alongside on the trellis. We'll see how well they do together.
		Florida Anise (Illicium floridanum) - Part shade. Showy purple-red flowers in spring and summer. Fragrant leaves with dark brown bark. Grows to 10 - 15 feet. I think this is a very attractive plant with its dark bark and bright green leaves. It has done well in my backyard despite the fact that it probably gets too much sun and tends to droop in the afternoon. The flowers are very stinky, but you can only smell them from really up close and the fragrant leaves make up for it. I highly recommend this bush for any shady Northwest Florida yards.
		Florida Azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) - Part shade, but needs a little sun for best blooming. Acid loving. If needed, apply acid fertilizer right after blooming in early spring. This endangered native azalea is deciduous and the sometimes-fragrant yellow blooms will appear before the leaves. Grows to 6 feet. I did not have any blooms this year (2002) after one year being in the ground.
		Florida Leucothoe/Hobblebush (Agarista populifolia) - Part shade. Fragrant white flowers that bloom in spring, attracting butterflies and bees. Fast-growing up to 12 feet. This is a small, bushy tree with a weeping-willow-like form. I have seen it nicely growing alongside a house/building. Mine has not grown very much in the past year, but it is in the deep shade. The bell-shaped flowers are very cute; however, I haven't noticed their fragrance.
		Golden Groundsel (Senicio aurens) - Evergreen groundcover for shade. Found in swamps and meadows. Tall yellow flowers in March. Plant grows to 6 inches. I did get some tall clusters of yellow, daisy-like flowers this spring that were quite enjoyable.
		Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) - Part shade to shade. A wildflower that grows in moist woodland areas throughout Georgia and North Florida. Flowers from March to June. If the dead flowers are pinched off, the plant's flowering season becomes longer. I only have a couple planted, but hope that they will spread by seed. There is a waiting list for Indian Pinks at the local Native Nursery. These guys really put on a show in the woods around Wakulla Springs.
		Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum tenerum) - Shade loving, but can handle dappled sun. Soft delicate leaves. This endangered native prefers moist sites. Needs lime, as it prefers to grown on limestone in the wild. Grows to 2 feet. This is got to be my favorite fern. I planted it above a pocket of lime and in the shade. They did well the first year, but have declined this spring (2002). I have seen them do really well around artificial ponds and fountains, since they seem to like it slightly wet. I have seen them while canoeing growing right out of limerock alongside the riverbank.
		Oak-leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) - Rich acid soil, high moisture, part-shade to shade. Best to keep out of the hot afternoon sun. Large dramatic white flowers and intense fall color. Grows up to 5 - 6 feet. I just love Oak-leaf hydrangeas! However, the ones I planted in my yard did not do so well, due to them getting too much afternoon sun. I have since given one away and moved the other to a shady spot in the back corner of the yard. It has done better since, but no blooms yet in one year of being planted.
		Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) - Sun to part shade. Prefers moist to wet soil. Deciduous tree with showy fall color. As the name suggests the leaves are sweet-smelling when torn. Fast growers up to 80 feet. This tree, of course, was already in my yard and is a full grown adult. I do not recommend planting them in an area where you will like to walk barefoot as they drop sharp seed balls that hurt to step on. These trees are also quite prolific (had saplings all over the yard and in my pots) as you will see them growing alongside roads and in ditches. The leaves are a pretty shape, like a maple but with 5 points, which makes this tree nice to look up at while laying in a hammock. :)
		Sweet Osmanthus/Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) - Sun to part shade. Very fragrant small white flowers in Spring. Prized for its wonderful fragrance. Slow-grower up to 15 - 30 feet. I highly recommend this bush over any of the other sweet-smellers! It seems to bloom several times a year for me. I have one in the front and one in the back. The one I planted in the back must like the location because it has grown leaps and bounds in little over a year. They do attract whiteflies so beware, but so far it has avoided other types of pests (except for a batch of caterpillars which I let have their fill 'cuz it definitely didn't hurt the plant).
		Trillium (Trillium underwoodii) - Shade loving rare woodland wild flower. Maroon bloom appears in January. Plant is dormant summer and fall and dies back in winter, but should reappear in January. My two trilliums did come up this January but died back quickly before I got to enjoy them. I've seen a ton of these trilliums while hiking in a state park here in the Panhandle and they were wonderful.
		Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) - Sun to shade. Reddish fall color. Considered a weed as they can be an aggressive spreading vine. These were in my yard when I weed-killed and have since come back. I have allowed them to come back as they provide excellent ground and fence cover. In the wild, they can be mistaken for poison ivy, but remember that these guys have 5 leaves per group while poison ivy always has three.
		Water Oak (Quercus nigra) - Sun to part shade. Semi-deciduous tree in winter. Prefers wet to most soil. Often found with sweetgum in the wild. Its acorns are food for many animals (especially squirrels, argh!). It seeds aggressively and you will find its saplings all over the yard and in your potted plants. Grows to 60 feet. This tree came with the yard and is a full grown adult. I would not recommend planting a water oak in a manicured yard. But its a nice tree for cover and the birds love to hang out in its branches in late afternoon.
		White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) - Full sun to light shade. Prefers acidic sandy soil but will tolerate clay. Perennial wildflower with white pea-shaped flowers in spring. Black to brown inflated pods dangle from charcoal stems in fall. Grows 3 - 5 feet. I think these plants enjoy a more open sunnier area to live than what I have in my backyard, but they are not doing too bad. I have not seen any flowers yet this spring.
		Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) - Filtered sunlight to shade. Prefers rich, moist woodlands. A perennial wildflower with clusters of pale violet-blue flowers April to May. Individual plants will form large clumps under favorable conditions and will self-sow to form natural drifts in shady areas. Grows to 8-12 inches. Mine bloomed in early spring when hardly anything else was blooming and it was beautiful. I highly recommend this perennial for any woodland setting.
		Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) - Tolerates either direct sun or full shade, but does best in partial shade. Perennial found in dry, rocky woods and clearings. Its red and yellow flowers, coming late spring to early summer, attract hummingbirds. Grows 2-3 feet. I recently planted one in the shade/dappled sun this spring (2002). I hope it does well.
		Wood Fern (Thelypteris kuntihii D. normalis) - Shade to part shade. Deciduous - will die back in winter. Prefers evenly moist soil. Spreads quickly in favorable conditions. Grows to 3 - 4 feet. I fertilize these and all my ferns with fish emulsion about once a month during the summer. These ferns have a delicate look and I would recommend them over the Boston/sword fern for North Florida yards if you have a shady, somewhat moist area. Sword ferns can become invasive and have a harsher look to 'em.

	*All photos on this page were taken from a web source and are not my own; therefore, they may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.


	Florida Natives: American Beautyberry, American Pokeweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Cardinal Flower, Carolina Yellow Jasmine, Catchfly/Fringed Pink, Cinnamon Fern, Common Blue Violet, Coral Honeysuckle, Florida Anise, Florida Azalea, Florida Leucothoe/Hobblebush, Golden Groundsel, Indian Pink, Maidenhair Fern, Oak-leaf Hydrangea, Sweetgum, Sweet Osmanthus/Tea Olive, Trillium, Virginia Creeper, Water Oak, White Wild Indigo, Wild Blue Phlox, Wild Columbine, Wood Fern Non-natives: Amaryllis, Angelonia, Bearded Iris, Dwarf Azalea, Flame Creeper Azalea, Confederate Jasmine, 'George Taber' Azalea, 'Hinodegiri' Azalea, Hydrangeas, Japanese Camellia, Moonflower, 'Mrs. G.G. Gerbing' Azalea, Plumleaf Azalea,Persian Shield, Plumbago, Rain Lily, Shishi Gashira, Violet Woodsorrel Exotic Invasives and Non-desirables: Arrowleaf Elephantear, Small-leaf Spiderwort, English Ivy, Spider Plant
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Florida Native Species:

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