This week I have been noticing some of the beautiful perennials blooming at the Jackson County Extension office, and one struck me as especially beautiful. Indian Pink or Woodland Pinkroot (Spigelia marilandica), it turns out, is native to several counties in the Florida Panhandle.
Woodland Pinkroot, Indian Pink. Flower Closeup. Image Credit: Matthew Orwat, UF/IFAS Extension
Woodland Pinkroot is a long-lived perennial that has a very showy but short blooming cycle each spring. It thrives in part shade as a small shrublike forb between 2-3 feet tall. Zones 8a and 8b are its native range in Florida and it is often found in moist, sandy, and well-drained acidic soils. This is not a plant that will tolerate salty soils or salt spray, so planting on the coast is not recommended. Additionally, it dies to the ground in the winter, so care must be taken when weeding the garden to preserve this perennial from inadvertent destruction.
This showy native is easy to propagate from seed or root division but not from cuttings. What’s more, it attracts hummingbirds with its tubular-shaped yellow and red flowers. Old flowers may be removed before seed set to extend the blooming season. One advantage for the urban garden is that it is not an aggressive grower but will need some help if competing with other aggressive native plants such as blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum).
Spigelia marilandica or Indian Pink, in full flower. Image credit: Matthew Orwat IF/IFAS Extension
This is one plant that I was not aware of until recently as it seems to be not well known even to long-term Florida gardeners. I think that it is a worthy addition to the native or Florida Friendly landscape if one has the right climatic conditions for it to thrive, namely partial shade and well-drained, moist, and acidic soil.
For more information check out these popular native plant websites:
No Mow March was an awesome success this year! Together, by leaving some unmown areas of our lawns and landscapes, we helped create acres of additional valuable pollinator habitat in a critical time of the year. However, we can’t forget that there are still nine months remaining in which we can provide low-maintenance food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife in our landscapes this year! The following are three of my favorite ultra-low maintenance pollinator friendly shrubs for Panhandle landscapes for summer and fall.
Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Chaste tree or vitex, an outstanding Florida-Friendly Landscape shrub/small tree, provides many aesthetic and wildlife landscape benefits throughout the growing season. Vitex features attractive grayish-green foliage and grows into a nice, rounded shape (10-15’ tall). However, the primary draw is its summer/fall flower show. Sporting striking masses of purplish-blue flowers for months on end until frost, Vitex is a pollinator magnet. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and all manner of other pollinators visit vitex when in bloom and birds frequent the shrub in the fall to feed on its seeds. Simply select a site with full sun and well-drained soil and Vitex will reward gardeners and pollinators for years to come.
Firebush (Hamelia patens)
Firebush is a showstopper for both passers-by and pollinators. This sorta native shrub (Florida native but does not occur naturally in the Panhandle), is a prolific producer of tubular, bright-red flowers from late spring-through frost. These flowers are a preferred nectar source for many species of butterflies, Zebra longwing and Gulf Fritillary included, and a favorite of hummingbirds. Like vitex, birds also enjoy feeding on the berries that follow firebush flowers. In the Panhandle, firebush tops out at around 6’ tall and about as wide and is often killed back to the ground by frost, regrowing rapidly each spring. Firebush has no real insect or disease issues in landscapes and prefers the same sites as Vitex and will appreciate as much sun as you can give it and well-drained soil.
Bright orange-red blooms on a firebush. Photo courtesy UF/IFAS.
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
American beautyberry, or just Beautyberry as it is commonly referred to, is a lovely little deciduous shrub native to all parts of Florida and provides benefits to all manner of landscape wildlife. Though primarily known for its bird-attracting, vibrant purple berry clusters that appear late summer through fall, Beautyberry is a host plant for several butterfly/moth species and its dainty, pink flowers are an early summer favorite of many bees! Beautyberry grows 5-7’ in height and is extremely adaptable in landscapes as well, thriving in sun or light shade and many different soil conditions.
American Beautyberry
Photo by: UF/IFAS
It’s important to remember that providing pollinator/bird food and habitat in lawns and landscapes is not a one month event, but a year round commitment. Reducing mowing frequency, reducing pesticide use, planting native trees, including host and nectar annuals/perennials in landscape beds, and yes, planting native fauna friendly shrubs like vitex, firebush, and American beautyberry are all part of maintaining a pollinator-friendly yard! Plant one (or several) today! For more information on creating pollinator habitat in landscapes or any other horticultural topic, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office.
Florida is home to some amazing and gorgeous plants that are underused and underappreciated in the home landscape. One such plant is an evergreen and easy-care large shrub or small tree known as black titi or buckwheat tree, botanically known as Cliftonia monophylla.
Pink-flowered variety of black titi, Cliftonia monophylla. Photo credit: Mary Salinas, UF/IFAS Extension.
Black titi or buckwheat tree. Photo credit: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, bugwood.com
Black titi is commonly found in wet areas and at the edges of swamps in USDA hardiness zones 7B through 9A from Louisiana through the Florida panhandle and into South Carolina. This is a perfect plant for those areas of your landscape that are low and consistently moist.
Early spring brings clusters of small white flowers at the tips of the branches. Occasionally one can find the pink-flowered variety of black titi in the native nursery trade. These fragrant flowers provide an early season nectar source for bees in February and March. The flowers give way to golden-amber seed pods that resemble buckwheat. The seed pods turn a pleasing orange-brown and persist on the plant through winter. The shiny dark green evergreen leaves along with the seed pods provide an additional ornamental quality to the tree in fall and early winter.
Black Titi golden-amber fruit. John Ruter, University of Georgia, bugwood.org
The spike of lavender blooms of lyreleaf sage. Photo credit: Mary Salinas.
Spring wildflowers are popping up along our roadways and along woodland edges. One of our native perennial beauties you can enjoy right now is lyreleaf sage, Salvia lyrata, with spikes of tubular lavender flowers rising about a foot above the ground. The blooms, which occur late winter through late spring, attract bees and butterflies and provide them a good source of nectar. It also is a good host plant for aphids, which in turn, can make it a good banker plant and feeding station for ladybug larvae.
The irregularly-shaped leaves grow in a rosette hugging the ground and can make for a natural ground cover in part shade areas. These attractive leaves are easily identifiable by their purple stems, edges and veins in sharp contrast to the bright green of the rest of the leaf. Lyreleaf sage belongs to the mint family and shares the characteristic square-shaped stems and two-lipped flowers.
Leaves of lyreleaf sage form a ground hugging rosette. Photo credit: Mary Salinas.
Whatever garden conditions you have, lyreleaf sage should be able to adapt. It tolerates drought, flooding and most soil types. Be aware, though, that this beauty produces lots of seed and can spread quickly. This can be a very desirable trait for establishing a wildflower meadow but challenging if you want to keep it contained in a small area. To manage its’ spread, remove flower spikes after the blooms fade to prevent most seed formation.
Lyreleaf sage can usually be found in native plant or local nurseries; seed can be found through online wildflower seed sources.
