ORLANDO, FL — Each year, a selection of Florida's best plants are hand-picked by a jury of distinguished horticulturists representing different facets of the state's diverse nursery and landscape industry. 2012 marks the 13th year of the program administered by the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA).
This year's seven selections are comprised of a native flowering ground cover; a distinctive cold-hardy palm; a wet-habitat tree; two flowering plant series ideal for Florida's climate; a frangrant flowering, culinary herb; and a fast-growing and tidy bamboo.
The following are designated as 2012 Florida Garden Select plants and are ideal additions to most Florida gardens and landscapes:
Beach Sunflower | Helianthus debilis
Zones: USDA zones 8 – 11
Typical Height and Spread: 12" – 24" tall
Classification: native ground cover
Landscape Use: ground cover, borders, mass planting, edging, wall cascade — best for coastal locations or for dryer inland sites
Characteristics: Beach sunflower is a native, creeping perennial that has attractive, small, sunflower-like flower heads throughout the year. It's leaves are sand-papery coarse and heart shaped. It thrives in full sun and is drought tolerant and very salt tolerant. As a quick grower, this plant fills an area quickly and adds charm with its petite blooms and is especially useful on banks and slopes on beach fronts and beach walkways. In North Florida this plant will die down in winter and regrow in Spring. Two subspecies occur naturally on beaches and dunes from southeast Texas to the east coast of Florida. A rugged beauty, this plant will perform well, once established, in areas not regularly irrigated.
Mule Palm | x butiagrus nabonnandii
Zones: USDA zones 8a – 11
Typical Height and Spread: 20' – 40'
Classification: palm tree Landscape Use: specimen, groupings, xeric garden, avenues
Characteristics: A hybrid palm created by crossing the Butia capitata and the Syagrus romanzoffiana, the mule palm adds a cold-hardy tropical flair and is well-suited for all areas of Florida, particularly for North Florida as it's cold-hardy. The fronds are characteristically curvaceous and have a lush, sturdy, green appearance. This palm is sterile thus the name 'Mule Palm' and exhibits hybrid vigor. It tolerates a range of soil types from clay to sand. As with most palms, good drainage is an important factor in it's ability to thrive. The palm will grow well in coastal areas and is salt water tolerate too. It adds great tropical flair to any landscape.
Pond Cypress | Taxodium ascendens
Zones: USDA zones 5 – 10
Typical Height and Spread: 30' – 50' tall, but can reach 70' – 80'
Classification: coniferous tree
Landscape Use: specimen, street tree, lake edge
Characteristics: Strikingly similar to bald cypress but more narrow and upright and with smaller cones and paler gray bark, pond cypress has bright green scale-like branchlets. The trunk is generally stout on the bottom even in younger trees and is thought to provide support and stability for its typically wet habitat. Pond cypress tend to produce fewer cypress knees than bald cypress. Cypress knees are woody projections above the water set by the roots of the tree. In the fall, the branchlets turn an attractive light pale brown before dropping. Pond cypress' small seeds are consumed by some birds and squirrels. Pond cypress is drought tolerant once established and is a handsome tree for large areas or pond areas where a native look is desired.
Sun Parasol Mandevilla | Mandevilla x 'Sun Parasol' series
SERIES INCLUDES PINK, CRIMSON, RED WITH WHITE STRIPES, BURGUNDY AND GIANT WHITE
Zones: USDA zones 10 – 11
Typical Height and Spread: 6' – 8' tall
Classification: tropical and cold-tender perennial, vine
Landscape Use: accent, container, color splash, on trellis as a climber, tropical garden
Characteristics: Bred for it's exceptional, velvety flowers which have a rich color and last longer than other Mandevilla, 'Sun Parasol,' once established, are undemanding and require minimal care. Some 'Sun Parasol' blooms top out at a whopping 6 inches! Best in full sun or partial shade, they exhibit excellent vigor, tolerate a variety of weather conditions, have long bloom cycles and disease resistance and are easy to grow.
Drift Roses | Rosa 'Drift' series
SERIES INCLUDES RED, LIGHT PINK, APRICOT, CORAL, PEACH, PINK AND WHITE
Zones: USDA zones 5 – 10
Typical Height and Spread: 18" 24" H X 2" – 3" W
Classification: miniature shrub
Landscape Use: mass planting, borders, perennial beds, small gardens, color accent, containers, ground cover
Characteristics: Answering the need for very small roses for ground covers and containers is the Rosa 'Drift' series. Their performance in hot weather makes them well-suited for Florida's conditions. They are self-cleaning, easy to grow, proficient bloomers that are good in masses and are both drought and disease tolerant once established in the landscape.
Rosemary (prostraus and upright varieties)| Rosemarinus officinalis
Zones: USDA zones 8 – 11
Typical Height and Spread: Up to 12"
Classification: short-lived perennial herb
Landscape Use: mainly containers, also as a border or in mass planting, hanging baskets, herb gardens
Characteristics: Ideal for both ornamental and culinary use, rosemary has very fragrant, edible leaves. It flowers profusely in full sun with a range in color from white and pink to the more common shades of bluish purple. Good air circulation is important for this plant's success. It tolerates salt spray and attracts bees and butterflies. It is native to the Mediterranean and therefore used frequently in it's regional dishes.
Slender Weaver's Bamboo | Bambusa textilis var. Gracilis
Zones: USDA zones 8 – 11
Typical Height and Spread: 20' – 30' tall. Culms grow to 1.3" thick.
Classification: ornamental grass/bamboo
Landscape Use: specimen, large hedge, screen, wind break
Characteristics: This fast-growing, graceful bamboo is a tight clumper with an upright growth habit and exposed lower culms. As it grows, gracilis produces many tightly spaced canes. It has a delicate appearance, yet superior wind and hurricane resistance. It can easily be groomed into a handsome hedge. The foliage remains full from top to bottom giving it a tidy appearance. It is easy to grow and maintain and requires little care once established. It has a small footprint even at maturity. This is a winner most notably for the home landscape.
For more details on gardening and home landscapes, visit www.floridagardening.org!
FNGLA is the nation's largest state nursery and landscape association and represents Florida's environmental horticulture industry, which in 2010 produced $15.35 billion in sales and directly employed nearly 205,000 Floridians.
For more information on FNGLA visit www.fngla.org or call 800-375-3642.
Source: Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association