Low-maintenance landscape plants for south Florida

Common name
Scientific name

Growth rate

Light

Salt tolerance

Comments

Purple allamanda ¨

Allamanda blanchetii

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Moderate

Full sun

None

Evergreen, vining shrub with purple, tubular flowers. Attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Also known as Allamanda violacea.

Dutchman’s pipe, calico flower ¨

Aristolochia elegans

Fast

Partial  to full shade

Low

Evergreen vine with heart-shaped, tri-lobed, glossy light green leaves and unusual, 3” white/purple, upside-down heart-shaped flowers. Caution: The related A. littoralis is considered a FLEPPC Category II invasive in north and central Florida.

Bougainvillea ¨

Bougainvillea spp.

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Moderate

Full sun

None

Very showy, thorny vine-like shrub with best bloom during dry season. Numerous cultivars available in a striking array of colors, magenta being the most common.  Some with variegated foliage. Best effect as a vine but can be trained as a shrub. Caterpillars occasional pest. Requires freely draining soil. Do not over-fertilize.

Beach bean

Canavalia maritima

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Fast

Full sun

High

Attractive purple flowers. Excellent ground cover for beach-front locations, although it can grow into surrounding shrubs or over fences.

Pineland snowberry ©

Chiococca alba

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Moderate

Full sun

Low

Native vining shrub with glossy green, elliptical to lanceolate leaves and tiny white flowers. Also known as C. pinetorum.

Glory bower vine, bleeding heart

Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Moderate

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Interesting vine with weak- stemmed habit, 4" oval green leaves, and spectacular sprays of white bracts tipped with red flowers. Flowers in shade.

Violet trumpet vine

Clytostoma callistegioides

Fast

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Robust, evergreen, woody vine with bright glossy green leaves and 3” lavender to purple, trumpet-shaped flowers, followed by large, prickly seed pods. Needs lots of room; best to grow on fence or pergola. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Garlic vine ¨

Cydista aequinoctialis

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Moderate

Full sun

Low

Attractive, trumpet-shaped flowers in lavender, pink and white—spring through fall. Prefers well-drained soil. Takes hard pruning after flowering.

Hyacinth bean, lablab bean

Dolichos lablab

Moderate

Full sun

Low

Short-lived, perennial, twining vine with leaflets in threes and showy, bright purple flowers and pods. Grown for food in Asia and Africa; mature beans must be cooked in two changes of water to remove toxins. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lingaro

Elaeagnus philippensis
(Link is to related species)

Moderate

Full sun

High

Shrubby, evergreen vine with attractive light green foliage, the underside a reddish brown. Small, fragrant, white flowers followed by edible fruit. Grows well on poor/calcareous soils. Caution: E. pungens, is FLEPPC Category II invasive.

Chinese hat plant

Holmskioldia sanguinea  

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Fast

Full sun to partial shade

Moderate

Unique flowers are main interest of this scrambling shrub/vine: each is a narrow, orange-scarlet tube backed by a broad, circular calyx, appearing in dense terminal clusters through summer and fall. Leaves oval and slightly serrated. Rampant growth can be contained by pruning after flowering. Old canes can be removed. Loses leaves during drought.

Night blooming cereus ¨

Hylocereus undatus

Moderate

Full sun to partial shade

High

Epiphytic, vining cactus with outstanding, scented, night- blooming flowers. Requires sturdy tree or strong pergola for support. Produces edible fruit.

Primrose jasmine

Jasminum mesnyi

Fast

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Rambling, open, evergreen, shrub with long, arching stems that will climb if given support. Without support, grows as fountain-like mound. Fragrant, yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. Caution: J. dichotomum and J. fluminense are FLEPPC Category I.

Downy jasmine

Jasminum multiflorum

Fast

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Evergreen, branching vine that can be trained as a shrub. Stems and leaves covered with downy pubescence—giving plant grayish-green appearance. Small, white, star-shaped flowers in clusters—year-round. Caution: J. sambac is FLEPPC Category II.

Pink allamanda, mandevilla ¨

Mandevilla splendens

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Moderate

Full sun

Moderate

Evergreen, twisting climber. Lustrous green leaves are wide and elliptical to rectangular, and 8” long. From end of spring to beginning of summer, bears deep reddish-pink flowers with yellow centers.

Tropical wisteria

Millettia reticulata

Fast

Full sun

Moderate

Very attractive, rose-pink to blue, pea-like flowers in terminal panicles during summer. Prefers freely draining soil. Mites and whiteflies possible pests.

Monstera ¨

Monstera deliciosa

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Slow

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Slow-growing vine or shrub with huge, broad, glossy, perforated and deeply cut leaves and woody stems with aerial roots. Mature plants bear thick, cream spathes followed by sweet-smelling, cone-like, edible fruit.

Passionflowers ¨

Passiflora spp.

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Fast

Full sun to partial shade

None

Twining vines with glossy, bright green, 3-lobed leaves and large bluish-purple, blue, white, or red flowers, and flavorsome, egg-sized, deep orange fruit. Host for numerous butterfly larvae. Passiflora incarnata is native to Florida. Caution: P. biflora and P. foetida are FLEPPC Category II invasives.

Wild allamanda ©

Pentalinon lutea

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Fast

Full sun to partial shade

Moderate

Native fast growing, twining vine—to 50’ in length. Lustrous, elliptical leaves with lighter colored midribs. Blooms year-round. Blossoms bright yellow, bell-shaped. Also known as Urechites lutea.

Giant philodendron ¨

Philodendron giganteum

Moderate

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Tall, climbing vine with rope-like stems and long aerial roots. Leaves to 3’, arrow-shaped, leathery, deep green.

Burle Marx philodendron ¨

Philodendron imbe

Moderate

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Tall, climbing vine with rope-like, purplish-red stems and large, arrow-shaped, leathery leaves that unfurl pink and bronze and turn to deep olive green. Variegated forms exist.

Flame vine

Pyrostegia venusta

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Moderate

Full sun

Low

Grown for spectacular, mainly winter/spring terminal panicles of bright orange flowers. Should be severely cut back after flowering. Scales can be a pest.

Mistletoe cactus

Rhipsalis baccifera

Slow

Light to full shade

None

Hanging epiphytic cactus with stems to 6’ long. Bears flowers and ‘berries’.

Mexican flame vine

Senecio confusus

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Fast

Full sun

Low

Woody, tropical, evergreen vine with thick, arrowhead-shaped, serrated leaves. In summer, covered with brilliant, orange to red, daisy-like flowers. Compact growth habit. Attracts butterflies.

Cup of gold, chalice vine

Solandra maxima

Fast

Full sun to partial shade

High

Heavy, woody, evergreen vine with ropelike stems that branch frequently and root at nodes. Large, shiny leaves and large, yellow to golden, chalice-like flowers, 6-10” long, flaring open to 4-7”; fragrant at night; reminiscent of coconut. Blooms best in winter dry season. Requires sturdy support. Loses leaves during drought.

Jade vine ¨

Strongylodon macrobotrys

Moderate

Full sun to partial shade

Low

Evergreen, twining vine with thick, woody stems, tri-lobed leaves. In spring and summer, produces spectacular aquamarine, claw- shaped flowers in huge hanging clusters to 5’ long. Grows best when roots in shade and foliage in sun.

Cape honeysuckle

Tecomaria capensis

Fast

Full sun to light shade

High

Sprawling, rampant, evergreen, sometimes vine-like shrub. Compound leaves with 5-7 toothed, diamond-shaped leaflets. Clusters of brilliant red-orange to scarlet, tubular flowers. Can be pruned to shrub, trained to espalier, or grown as vine or ground-cover. Requires well-drained soil.

Yellow star jasmine

Trachelospermum asiaticum

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Moderate

Partial to deep shade

High

Durable, low-growing, viney groundcover with slender stems that form dense, tangled mats. Small, glossy green leaves and small yellow flowers with spicy, jasmine- like fragrance. Not a true jasmine.