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American beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Shrub Florida native Keep away from salt BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 4–6 ft
Clusters of bright purple berries in fall that birds strip by winter.
Crew tip: Cut it back hard in late winter to keep it full and berry-heavy.
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Asiatic jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum
Groundcover Moderate salt tolerance
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade, Shade
- Height
- Under 1 ft
A dense evergreen carpet that grows where grass won't, including under oaks.
Crew tip: Vigorous. Edge it regularly to keep it out of beds and lawns.
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Beach sunflower
Helianthus debilis
Groundcover Florida native High salt tolerance ButterfliesBirds
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 1–2 ft
A spreading groundcover covered in small yellow sunflowers. Great for hot strips along driveways.
Crew tip: Spreads fast in sun. Trim the edges to keep it out of paths.
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Blanket flower
Gaillardia pulchella
Flower Florida native High salt tolerance Butterflies
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 1–2 ft
Red-and-yellow daisies that bloom in pure sand and full sun.
Crew tip: Short-lived but reseeds itself. Let a few flowers go to seed.
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Blue porterweed (native)
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Flower Florida native Moderate salt tolerance Butterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 1–3 ft
Blue flower spikes that are a butterfly favorite. Low and spreading.
Crew tip: Buy the low, trailing native. The taller non-native porterweed (S. cayennensis, also sold as S. urticifolia) is flagged by UF/IFAS to keep from spreading.
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Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea spp.
Vine High salt tolerance
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 3–20 ft, by training
Sheets of magenta, orange or white color on fences, arbors and pool cages.
Crew tip: Very thorny. Keep it away from walkways. Blooms best when kept on the dry side.
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Bromeliads
Neoregelia and others
Flower Keep away from salt
- Light
- Part shade, Shade
- Height
- 1–2 ft
Bold, tropical color for shady beds and under trees with almost no care.
Crew tip: Flush the water cups with a hose weekly to keep mosquitoes from breeding. Protect from frost.
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Cocoplum
Chrysobalanus icaco
Shrub Florida native High salt tolerance Birds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 3–15 ft, by variety
A dense, salt-tough hedge. 'Red tip' types put out bronze new growth.
Crew tip: Cold-sensitive. A hard freeze can damage it, though it usually grows back.
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Coontie
Zamia integrifolia
Shrub Florida native High salt tolerance Butterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade, Shade
- Height
- 2–3 ft
Florida's native cycad. Slow, tidy, happy in sun or shade, and host plant for the rare atala butterfly.
Crew tip: All parts, especially the seeds, are poisonous to pets and people.
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Coral honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Vine Florida native Keep away from salt HummingbirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- Climbs 10–15 ft
Coral-red tubular flowers on a well-behaved native vine. A hummingbird favorite.
Crew tip: Not invasive like Japanese honeysuckle. Give it a trellis or fence to climb.
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Crape myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Tree Keep away from salt
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 10–25 ft
Months of summer flowers and smooth, mottled bark. A good small tree for a sunny front yard away from the water.
Crew tip: Don't 'crape murder' it. Choose a variety that fits the space instead of topping it every year.
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Dahoon holly
Ilex cassine
Tree Florida native Moderate salt tolerance Birds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 20–30 ft
A narrow native tree with red winter berries. Handles wet, low spots that drown other trees.
Crew tip: Only female plants make berries. Ask for a female plant at the nursery.
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Dwarf yaupon holly
Ilex vomitoria (dwarf forms)
Shrub Florida native High salt tolerance
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 3–4 ft
The native boxwood substitute. Tidy, tough, and easy to keep in a neat mound.
Crew tip: Needs very little shearing. Its natural shape is already rounded.
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Fakahatchee grass
Tripsacum dactyloides
Grass Florida native Moderate salt tolerance Birds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 3–5 ft
Big, fountain-like clumps that handle wet soil and drought alike. Great along drainage swales.
Crew tip: Cut it back by half in late winter to refresh it.
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Florida native Keep away from salt ButterfliesHummingbirdsBirds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 5–10 ft (can be kept smaller)
Orange-red tubular flowers most of the year. One of the best hummingbird and butterfly plants in Florida.
Crew tip: May die back in a freeze but returns from the roots. Buy the native form; the dwarf firebush sold in stores is not native.
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Firespike
Odontonema cuspidatum
Shrub Keep away from salt HummingbirdsButterflies
- Light
- Part shade, Shade
- Height
- 4–6 ft
Red flower spikes in fall that light up shady corners and bring in hummingbirds.
Crew tip: Freeze-tender. It dies back in cold snaps and regrows from the base.
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Florida privet
Forestiera segregata
Shrub Florida native High salt tolerance BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 4–15 ft
A tough, fine-textured native hedge that takes salt and drought, with dark fruit for birds.
Crew tip: Shear it into a formal hedge or let it grow loose and natural.
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Jatropha
Jatropha integerrima
Shrub Keep away from salt ButterfliesHummingbirds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 6–15 ft
Red-pink flowers nearly year-round. Can be trained as a small single-trunk tree.
Crew tip: All parts are poisonous and the milky sap irritates skin, so wear gloves when pruning. Frost can damage it.
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Muhly grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Grass Florida native High salt tolerance
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 2–3 ft
A pink haze of blooms every fall. Ignores drought and sandy soil.
Crew tip: Plant in groups of five or more. A single clump can look lost.
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Necklace pod
Sophora tomentosa var. truncata
Shrub Florida native High salt tolerance ButterfliesHummingbirds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 6–10 ft
Silvery leaves and spikes of yellow flowers. Thrives in salt spray and sand.
Crew tip: The seeds are poisonous. Buy the native variety (truncata) from a native nursery; a non-native form is also sold.
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Perennial peanut
Arachis glabrata
Groundcover High salt tolerance
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- Under 1 ft
Yellow-flowered groundcover that can replace grass in sunny areas with far less water and mowing.
Crew tip: Needs full sun and thins out in shade. It can spread aggressively, and frost browns it until spring.
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Plumbago
Plumbago auriculata
Shrub Keep away from salt Butterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 6–10 ft unpruned
Sky-blue flowers almost all year. Easy, drought-tolerant color.
Crew tip: Gets leggy. Trim it back after a flush of blooms to keep it compact.
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Podocarpus
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Shrub High salt tolerance
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 10–20 ft as a hedge
The classic tall, narrow privacy hedge for tight side yards.
Crew tip: The seeds are toxic. Rake up fallen fruit where pets and kids play.
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Purple passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
Vine Florida native Keep away from salt Butterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- Climbs 10–20 ft
Showy purple flowers, and host plant for gulf fritillary and zebra longwing butterflies.
Crew tip: Caterpillars will eat the leaves. That's the point; it grows back.
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Pygmy date palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Palm Keep away from salt
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 6–12 ft
A small, tidy palm for entries and pool cages where a big palm won't fit.
Crew tip: Not for salt spray. Sharp spines grow at the base of each frond, so keep it back from walkways. A hard freeze can damage it.
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Sabal palm (cabbage palm)
Sabal palmetto
Palm Florida native High salt tolerance Birds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 30–50 ft
Florida's state tree. Shrugs off salt, wind and drought once established.
Crew tip: Skip the 'hurricane cut'. Remove only fronds that are fully brown; over-pruning weakens the palm.
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Sand cordgrass
Spartina bakeri
Grass Florida native Moderate salt tolerance Birds
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 3–5 ft
Fine-textured, tough native grass for low, wet or salty spots near the water.
Crew tip: Give it space; mature clumps get wide. Keep it out of spots that flood with salt water.
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Saw palmetto
Serenoa repens
Palm Florida native High salt tolerance BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 4–8 ft
Bulletproof native texture, especially the silver form. Hurricane-indifferent and nearly permanent.
Crew tip: It grows slowly, so buy close to the size you want.
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Sea grape
Coccoloba uvifera
Tree Florida native High salt tolerance Birds
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 15–25 ft (or kept as a hedge)
The coastal workhorse. Big round leaves, salt-spray proof, and easy to shape as a hedge or small tree.
Crew tip: A hard freeze can burn the leaves. Wait until spring to prune damage.
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Silver buttonwood
Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus
Tree Florida native High salt tolerance BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 10–20 ft
Silvery foliage that glows in sun. One of the toughest choices for salt spray and sandy soil.
Crew tip: Shear it as a hedge or limb it up into a small tree. It prefers frost-free spots, so a hard freeze can damage it.
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Simpson's stopper
Myrcianthes fragrans
Tree Florida native High salt tolerance BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 10–20 ft
Fragrant white flowers, orange berries for birds, and peeling cinnamon bark. Makes a dense native hedge.
Crew tip: Shear lightly for a formal hedge, or let it grow as a small tree near a patio.
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Southern live oak
Quercus virginiana
Tree Florida native High salt tolerance BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 40–60 ft
The classic Pinellas shade tree. Long-lived, wind-firm when properly pruned, and a magnet for wildlife.
Crew tip: Give it room: plant well away from the house, driveways and patios, because the roots and canopy spread wide.
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Sunshine mimosa
Mimosa strigillosa
Groundcover Florida native Moderate salt tolerance Butterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- Under 6 in
A native, low-mow lawn alternative with pink puffball flowers. Takes light foot traffic.
Crew tip: Slow to fill in at first. Plant closer together for faster cover.
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Tropical sage
Salvia coccinea
Flower Florida native Keep away from salt HummingbirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 2–3 ft
Red spikes of flowers that hummingbirds visit all day.
Crew tip: Reseeds freely, so you'll find new plants nearby each year.
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Walter's viburnum
Viburnum obovatum
Shrub Florida native Keep away from salt BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Height
- 8–20 ft (dwarf forms 2–4 ft)
A native alternative to ligustrum and viburnum hedges, with white spring flowers.
Crew tip: Dwarf forms such as 'Mrs. Schiller's Delight' make a low native border.
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Wild coffee
Psychotria nervosa
Shrub Florida native Moderate salt tolerance BirdsButterflies
- Light
- Part shade, Shade
- Height
- 4–8 ft
Glossy, deep-green leaves for shady beds under oaks, with red berries the birds love.
Crew tip: Leaves yellow in full sun, so keep it in shade or filtered light. Cold-sensitive: a freeze can knock it back.
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Wild sage (button sage)
Lantana involucrata
Shrub Florida native High salt tolerance ButterfliesBirds
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 2–5 ft
A native lantana with small white flowers that butterflies love and purple berries for birds. Takes salt spray and sand.
Crew tip: Choose this native over common lantana (Lantana camara), which is invasive in Florida.
Plant notes follow University of Florida IFAS and Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ guidance. Salt tolerance: "high" takes direct salt spray, "moderate" does best a little back from the water. Want more detail? Read our
Florida-friendly plant guide.
