The Best Flowers to Grow in Florida: The Ultimate List for Colorful Landscapes

The Sunshine State is well-known for its phenomenal beaches, legendary theme parks, and fascinating wildlife, but there’s another aspect of the great state of Florida that stands out (especially if you love landscape)–the diverse plant life.

While the climate here can be harsh, there are many flowers that grow well in Florida, including Florida flowering shrubs. If you want to enhance your Tampa Bay area property, incorporating some of these beautiful and versatile plants can transform your landscape into your dream backyard paradise.

The Best Florida-Friendly Landscaping Plants

We could lean on our 25 years of experience landscaping in the Tampa Bay area to give you a list of our favorite Florida-friendly plants (spoiler alert: we will), but it’s important to first understand how to choose and care for the best plants for your property.

How to Choose Flowering Shrubs in Florida

When landscaping, it can be tempting to select flowers and shrubs based purely on their appearance. After all, you want your property to be a gorgeous haven where you are surrounded by beauty.

Unfortunately, not all that glitters in gold, and you need to consider characteristics beyond aesthetics when selecting plants for your landscape. You want your plants to look great, but they also need to be durable, healthy, long-lasting, and able to withstand Florida’s unique climate factors.

When selecting the best flowers to grow in Florida, don’t overlook the following factors.

• The heat can take its toll on plants, and not all varieties will thrive in Florida’s hot summers. You need to choose plants that can withstand the heat.
• Drought is exceptionally difficult for plants, and Florida is no stranger to prolonged dry spells. Plants with at least some degree of drought tolerance are best.
• The salty environment of Tampa Bay limits what plants will thrive. If you are anywhere near the coast, this is a factor to consider when populating your property.
• Storm season can change things in an instant. While no plant is 100% storm-proof, you can select Florida-friendly landscaping plants that will fare better than others.

Caring for Your Florida-Friendly Flowers

Landscaping is an investment. It can brighten your day, boost your curb appeal, and even increase your property value, making it one of the most profound changes you can make to your property.

As with most investments, the upfront cost of designing and installing stellar landscaping can be substantial. So, while choosing Florida-friendly plants is a great first step, caring for them is perhaps the most important part of helping them thrive.

We recommend working with an experienced landscaping company in Tampa Bay to develop a comprehensive maintenance plan and keep your plants as healthy and vibrant as possible. However, there are a few general care tips you should implement regardless of who you choose to work with.

Proper watering can work wonders for your plants, as can installing efficient drainage systems. Regular maintenance that includes any necessary trimming, pest and weed control, and fertilization is also key to success.

Remember, different plants require different care, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to landscaping in Tampa Bay!

Flowers That Grow Well in Florida

The moment you’ve been waiting for is finally here–it’s time to dive deep into the best flowers to grow in Florida. While we could talk about our favorite Florida plants for hours (and we will, if you ask nicely), we’re going to limit this list to a handful of Florida-friendly landscaping plants you should consider for your property.

Amaranth

This native Florida plant catches the eye with its vibrant purple and pink blossoms. It is a bright, bold plant that is easy to maintain, loves sunlight, and doesn’t require much water to remain healthy. It can thrive in a variety of soils, and can grow quite large–up to five feet tall. 

Bromeliads

If you’re looking for a hardy tropical plant that brings fun textures and stunning colors to your property, bromeliads should be high on your list. There are 16 native species of this Florida-friendly flower, and each one stands out thanks to its unique spiky flowers and colorful leaves.

In addition to being incredibly beautiful, these flowers are drought-tolerant and thrive in full sun.

Canna Lily

As gorgeous lilies that aren’t technically lilies, these Florida-friendly flowers are big, beautiful, and bursting with color. While there are easier plants to care for, the investment you put into caring for canna lilies will pay off big time in the form of stunning tropical blooms that explode in a variety of colors ranging from red and bronze to blue and burgundy.

It’s not just the flowers that steal the show, either. The deep green (and sometimes blue) foliage is divine. Canna lilies like the heat and do well in wet environments, and the effort it takes to keep them in top condition is worth it in our eyes.

Swamp Sunflower

This native flowering plant is a perennial that thrives in wet areas, making it a unique and useful flower to consider for your Florida landscape. It features narrow leaves that grow dark green, can be quite tall (up to eight feet!), and prefers sandy soil.

Because swamp sunflowers flourish in conditions that are not considered ideal for most Florida-friendly landscaping plants, they are a valuable addition to properties that want to spruce up their low, wet areas. 

Violet

If you’re looking for a native perennial that can add fun pops of vibrant color to your Tampa Bay landscape, you’ll find it in violets. With stunning shades of yellow, white, blue, and purple, these flowers grow well in partial shade or full sun.

With a little maintenance, violets will help elevate your landscape to another level of beauty. They grow low to the ground, making them ideal for plant beds or accents to other landscaping features. As an added treat, they love the cool season, meaning that they will thrive when other flowers might be dormant.

Flowering Shrubs in Florida You Should Plant

Remember how passionate we are about Florida-friendly flowers? Well, our feelings about Florida flowering shrubs can be summed up in one word–ditto.

We think flowering shrubs can totally transform a property for the better, especially when used in creative, functional ways. So, we won’t keep you waiting. Check out a few of our favorites below!

Beauty Berry

Flowering shrubs in Florida should serve multiple purposes for your property. They should be beautiful, of course, but if they also provide privacy, attract wildlife, or complement your other landscaping features, then they are truly exceptional.

Beauty berry is a wonderful example of a flowering shrub that looks phenomenal and attracts birds, bees, and other Florida bugs to your property. This makes them good for your curb appeal and for nature. We call that a win-win!

You can expect beauty berry shrubs to sport rich green leaves, bunches of showy fruit, and small flowers that range may be  pink, lavender, or white.

Firebush

Speaking of gorgeous shrubs that attract wildlife, the firebush is a flowering shrub that is native to Florida. It loves the warmth in Tampa Bay and grows well even in the summer. Much like beauty berry, firebush attracts a variety of wildlife, including butterflies, bees, and birds.

Capable of growing up to eight feet tall, firebush is easy to maintain and will reward your investment with orange-red flowers. 

Marlberry

With glossy foliage and soft, white flowers, marlberry is a Florida-friendly flowering shrub that adds a classic touch of beauty to your Tampa Bay landscape. It also produces berries, which give it a distinctive look and visual texture that truly stands out.

Marlberry is easy to maintain, smells fantastic, and can be used in a variety of ways to enhance your property. If you want a versatile Florida flowering shrub, don’t overlook this one!

Seagrape

Closing out our list of flowering shrubs in Florida is an all-time classic. Seagrape is a staple of coastal areas in Florida, and Tampa Bay is no exception. This tropical flowering shrub can be easily trained into whatever shape works best for your property. It is also incredibly easy to care for thanks to its status as a native Florida plant.

Seagrape has small flowers that bloom in long, creamy-white clusters, giving them a unique appearance that complements practically any landscape. With a high degree of salt tolerance, don’t be afraid to use these flowering shrubs on your coastal property.

Are you ready to explore Florida-friendly landscaping plants, including flowers and flowering shrubs? We thought you might be!

To learn more–including detailed options for your unique property–feel free to contact us. Our team of passionate landscaping experts will gladly guide you through all of your landscaping questions and curiosities.