What Types of Soil Do Native Plants in Central Florida Need to Thrive?

Manta flowers are a great choice for any Florida garden, as they can tolerate heat, sandy soils, and high salt levels. These flowers form a sprawling mound that can act as a ground cover, with blooms in vibrant summer colors such as orange, yellow, red and reddish violet. This plant is especially suitable for North Florida and the coasts, as it is resistant to cold and salt. These trees are native to all of Florida, but are best suited to the southern parts of the state.

The densely clustered flowers of the salvia botonera plant, known for their strong fragrances and whitish and lavender tones, are found along coastal areas and pine forests from western Florida to the Keys. The plant grows well in full sunlight and is perfect for habitat gardens or areas that need native plant cover. Gardeners and landscapers often have to decide which native plants are best suited for their yard, garden, or landscape. Fencing is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Florida and parts of Central America, but it has been naturalized in other parts of the United States such as Southern California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.

Wild ginger is commonly used in gardens as ground cover along paths or walkways, where it does not prevent other plants from forming part of the landscape. The staghorn sumac is a small shrub that grows well in coastal areas of Florida and is often used as a ground cover in sandy locations and other types of soil that contain a lot of organic matter. Dubbed the “Sunshine State”, Florida has a humid subtropical climate in the north and central sections, along with a tropical climate in most of the south. Firebush is resistant to hurricane winds after years and years of adapting to life in Florida.

It can grow up to 12 feet tall when planted in Florida's warm climate and works effectively as a ground cover under large trees near bodies of water. Native plants are more resilient than non-native species, so they can better tolerate sandy soil and hot, humid summers here in Central Florida. You can watch them grow naturally in green spaces all over Florida, or you can find them planted in the patios of Florida homes. When selecting native plants for your garden or landscape, it's important to consider what type of soil they need to thrive.