Pest-Free Native Florida Plants

• Florida leads the nation in native plants for rural and urban home landscaping needs, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension. When these plants are placed in the right part of the state, in appropriate soil types, and given necessary sun and shade they offer Florida residents a pest-free plant experience. Native Florida plants that are pest-free include ground covers, vines and shrubs.

Ground Covers

• Plant Dichondra, penny grass, in the southern part of Florida, where the soil is moist. This evergreen ground cover requires sunlight and will grow to a height of 2 inches. It can, however, become a weed pest if not placed in areas where its growth can be limited by a natural type barrier, such as a sidewalk.

  The partridge berry ground cover needs moist, acid soil and is best grown in the northern and central parts of Florida. White blooms will flower in the spring and the foliage is evergreen. This ground cover will grow to a height between 1 to 2 inches.

Vines

• Plant your Southern honeysuckle vine in any type of soil other than light sand soil in Florida. This vine will produce red flowers in the summer and lives in conditions where it receives sunlight to partial shade. It is best grown in the northern and central parts of Florida and can grow 20 feet tall.

  If you seek a vine for use as a screen, and you live in the northern and central parts of Florida, plant the Trumpet Creeper, which can grow as tall as 50 feet. This orange flowering vine will bloom from spring to summer, needs sunlight and can live in all soil types except alkaline.

Shrubs

• Native Florida shrubs you can use in your landscape that are pest-free include Adam's needle beargrass--a 4-foot-tall shrub covered with white flowers in the Summer and evergreen foliage otherwise. You can plant this shrub successfully in the three Florida locations: south Florida, central Florida and northern Florida.

  If you need a shrub for a rock garden, choose the coontie Florida native shrub. But make sure your soil is well-drained first. This shrub produces an orange seed in winter and can survive in sunlit areas or shade. The coontie shrub grows to 3 feet in height and can be planted in the north, south or central parts of Florida.

Guarantee

• There is no guarantee that any plant can be totally pest-free. However, proper plant management and use of native plants--with appropriate soils and conditions--can ensure a pest-free plant experience is possible.