Wax myrtle is an evergreen shrub found commonly along the edges of wetlands. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Wax myrtle (Myrica/Morella cerifera) is one of those evergreen shrubs that mostly lives out its life in the background. Neither tall and imposing (on average, up to 12’; rarely as tall as 20’), nor full of showy flowers, it is nonetheless an important native species. Behind that low-key persona is a small tree that has played numerous roles in American history. Also known as bayberry, wax myrtle grows in low-lying areas along the edges of wetlands. It is a fast grower and will fill in open spaces if there is enough available light. Wax myrtle is a hardy plant, highly tolerant of salt, and works well in pollinator gardens and urban locations. Both male and female plants are necessary to produce numerous berries, which grow directly on the plant stem. A wide variety of birds use the plants as nesting areas and feed on the berries, including warblers, swallows, wrens, and turkeys.
Wax myrtle shrubs play an important role in feeding and roosting for birds. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
People have long planted wax myrtle shrubs as natural privacy screens, or used an extract from the leaves as a mosquito repellent. The leaves are tough, similar in texture to live oaks, helping hold in water for drought tolerance and keep out salt, enabling them to thrive in coastal areas.
The leaves and berries serve several useful purposes for humans. Native American tribes, particularly the Seminoles in Florida, would use fermented leaves as a medication for headaches and fevers. The berries are a greenish gray/blue color and are the size of BB’s. Each shrub can grow hundreds of small berries along each branch, and berries have a waxy coating that will separate from the berry flesh when boiled.
A wax myrtle plant loaded in its small, waxy berries. Photo from Creative Commons.
Early American settlers would collect this wax and reform it into bayberry candles. They would serve a dual purpose in providing both light and mosquito protection. In those early days, mosquito-borne diseases like yellow fever and malaria were both common and deadly, so it was a matter of survival. The plants have also been used to deter fleas and cockroaches.
According to several native plant enthusiasts who posted bayberry-candle-making videos on YouTube, the rule of thumb is that you’ll need to collect a gallon of wax myrtle berries to create a cup of wax. Besides candles, early settlers also used the wax for soap, sealing wax, and shaving cream. Be mindful that wax myrtle plants are flammable, so it is recommended that if planted in a home landscape, they are in an area safely away from the building walls.
With cold temperatures having arrived in the Panhandle last week, we’re finally getting close to prime landscape planting season. But why is winter the best time to install landscape trees and shrubs? Shouldn’t we plant when things are leafed out and growing? While it’s counterintuitive to think bitter cold, dreary days are significantly better to plant landscape plants in than the warm, sunny days of summer, it’s usually true! Let’s explore why winter is the time to plant woody trees and shrubs and then look at some of the best woody plants no Panhandle landscape should be without.
Most people from elsewhere think that Florida is always lush, green, and tropical. Those people have clearly never been to the Panhandle – heck it snowed last year! Our region of Florida has more in common, climate wise, with the rest of the south – subtropical with long hot, humid summers and wet, mild winters (though rain has been hard to come by recently), occasionally wracked by intense cold fronts. Because of those cold fronts, tropical plants cannot survive, and woody plants enter a dormant stage where above ground growth ceases. This cold-forced dormant season is the perfect time to plant woody plants because the planting process is stressful (the root system is purposefully damaged to remove circling and J-shaped roots and encourage outward growth) and regular rainfall and cool temps means conditions are right for plants to get a solid root system re-established before growth and transpiration begins in the heat of spring/summer.
Now that you know why we plant woody landscape plants when we do, let’s select a few quintessential, versatile Florida-Friendly trees and shrubs (2 each, one native and one non-native) to install in our landscapes this planting season.
Nuttall Oak (Quercus texana) is one of the most adaptable landscape trees around. The species is tolerant of many soil types, native to moist bottomland areas but tolerating drier spots well once established. While it’s a large tree – up to 70-80’ tall, I find its rounded upright habit to often be more in scale with landscapes than the wide spreading Live Oak (Quercus virginiana). Nuttall Oak certainly has many positive attributes (tough, wind-resistant, pollinator friendly, etc), but its fall color is probably my favorite. For the Panhandle it is quite good, delivering autumnal hues of red and orange.
It’s not North Carolina Sugar Maple color but Nuttall Oak possesses attractive foliage. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is the most widely grown landscape tree in the South for good reason! They’re tough, widely adapted, offer excellent summertime flower displays, and possess interesting architecture and unique bark. The primary consideration with Crape Myrtle is simply picking the right one. Do you need an upright, compact tree? Choose ‘Sioux’ or ‘Apalachee’. Do you want a big crape that can double as a small shade tree? Choose ‘Natchez’ or ‘Muskogee’. Do you want a new dwarf variety or one with black foliage? There’s now plenty of those to choose from as well. There’s truly a Crape Myrtle for every yard.
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is a wonderful native flowering deciduous shrub that’s at home in all Panhandle landscapes. It prefers moist soil with a little afternoon shade but can tolerate most conditions thrown at it. Growing 5-7’ in height, sporting footlong white flower panicles each summer, and beautiful foliage each fall, Oakleaf Hydrangea is a must. You can find unnamed seedlings of the species or look for named varieties such as ‘Snow Queen’, ‘Semmes Beauty’, and ‘Alice’. In my experience, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Camellia Sasanqua is without a doubt my favorite fall flowering shrub. Impossibly durable (it’s common to find specimens over 100 years old), incredibly beautiful in flower and form, and coming in all shapes, sizes, and flower color, a Sasanqua of some kind belongs in ever yard. A few of my favorites are ‘Leslie Ann’ (upright form, white/pink bicolored flowers), ‘Shi Shi Gashira’ (dwarf that makes an excellent informal hedge), and ‘Yuletide’ (compact plant with red flowers & showy gold stamens).
So, as the weather continues to be mild with those cold front swings occasionally and rain begins to be more regular, think about getting some woody trees and shrubs planted into your landscape this winter. Keep in mind the excellent above selections and be sure to check out the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Plant Guide for more possibilities! Happy Gardening!
Spanish bayonet plants growing on the back side of a dune at Grayton Beach State Park. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
When you think of self-defense in the natural world, it’s normal to lean towards the animal kingdom. Between their intimidating teeth, claws, horns, and venom, animals can hold their own in a physical battle for dominance or survival.
But plants are no slouch in this department, either. In the book, “Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities,” the author discusses no fewer than 200 plants with deadly poisonous properties. Many plants have also evolved spines and thorns, rash-inducing toxins, and thick bark or waxy coatings that keep disease, water, and anything attempting to feed on them out.
The sharp spines of yucca plants serve as self-defense, but can also be used for making tools. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Yucca plants display several examples of vegetative self-defense. Even the common names of several Florida species; Adam’s needle, Spanish dagger, and Spanish bayonet, signal their obvious danger. They are native to deserts and desert-like conditions, including the dry, sandy dunes of Florida beaches. Dry habitats lend themselves to tough plants, as they adapt thick leaves to keep water in and needles or thorns to collect and condense water and ward off herbivores that might seek their stored water resources. Yucca are of course highly salt and drought tolerant, so they make great landscape plants for coastal properties.
Brown seed pods visible on a yucca plant in the fall. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Spanish bayonet, one of several species common to Florida, is so intimidating that I regularly see homeowners plant it under windows as a burglary deterrent. Its leaves taper into a stiff and potentially painful point. If you look around online, there are numerous instructional videos and articles from survivalist or “bushcraft” enthusiasts explaining how to strip the leaves, leaving only the point and several fibers for a DIY needle and thread. This technique has been passed down for generations and is useful for building and repairing shelters or clothing. The tough filamentous fibers were used for weaving blankets and baskets.
The bell-shaped flowers are highly attractive to butterflies, and also edible for humans (although be careful, some people report itchy reactions). After spring blooming, brown seed pods will remain on the upright stalks through the fall.
A view of the recently completed UWF Heritage Roots Garden. Photo credit: Mike Thomin, Florida Public Archaeology Network
Just about a year ago, a dream team of history and plant nerds assembled around a common goal. The idea was to transform an open, weedy space adjacent to the University of West Florida (UWF) Archaeology Institute into a lush garden. The garden would be unique, however, in its purpose; to showcase native plants important to the wide swath of humanity that has made northwest Florida home for centuries. The plants featured here were to be planted deliberately, demonstrating how human relationships with vegetation over time have made the area habitable.
This sign describing the edible, medicinal, and building uses of Black-eyed Susan plants is typical of the educational information at the garden. Photo credit: Mike Thomin, Florida Public Archeology Network.
If you walk on the site today, that idea and initial sketches have been made reality. Concentric circles of gravel, mulch, and grass form the shape of a gopher tortoise shell. The tortoise has spiritual significance to members of the local Muscogee tribe and ecological importance as a keystone species. Within the planted space are native groundcovers, shrubs, and trees that have long provided food, traditional medicine, building materials, and dyes and textiles for clothing. This flora makes human life tolerable in a hot, rainy, often difficult environment.
Locally brewed yaupon tea was served as part of the opening ceremony for the garden. Photo credit: Mike Thomin, Florida Public Archaeology Network.
Illustrated signage designed for the site explains ethnobotanical principles, highlighting the relationship that people have had with fifteen plants as they provided healing, nourishment, or protection over the years. The plants are identified on signage in Latin binomial, English common names, and Muscogee language. At the center of the garden is a gravel rectangular space, highlighted by a large piece of local iron rock that represents the tribal Sacred Fire.
One featured plant includes the yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), whose leaves are brewed as a highly caffeinated tea. The tea is used ceremonially by many southeastern American Indian tribes, and was popular with early American settlers when tea was difficult to import. Yaupon tea is experiencing a bit of a popular resurgence, with commercial products readily available now. Known as the “black drink,” we all drank a cup of the tasty beverage as part of the open house and ceremonial blessing of the garden a few weeks ago.
Chief Dan Helms of the Santa Rosa Band of the Lower Muscogee tribe blesses the UWF Heritage Garden. Photo credit: Mike Thomin, Florida Public Archaeology Network.
The design team developed a scavenger hunt for youth visitors and is working on a self-guided tour to educate the public about native plants, their cultural heritage, and their role in supporting a healthy watershed. The garden is open to the public during daytime hours, and located near the entrance to UWF at the eastern corner of University Parkway and Campus Drive.
Habitat, whether for wildlife or people, relies on the provision of food, water, shelter, and space. All these needs are met within the UWF Heritage Roots Garden. We hope that visitors will develop a deeper appreciation of the region’s historical and ecological legacy, strengthening modern cultural connections with the past. We hope to tie in the Heritage Garden to other UWF campus garden spaces, including the Edward Ball Nature Trail and the UWF Community Garden.
Florida is synonymous with sand dunes and sea oats and evidence can be seen across the state’s vast shoreline landscape. Sand dunes are an important part of both the ecosystem and as a storm protection measure for coastal communities. Sea oats play an integral role in maintaining this healthy coastal ecosystem.
Sand dune in St. Joe Beach. Credit: Ray Bodrey UF/IFAS Extension
The raw power of ocean waves and seemingly constant weather conditions keep sand in motion on Florida’s beaches. Fortunately, there is a natural mechanism that holds sand in place to stabilize the shoreline. Sand dunes are simply formed though three basic principles: sand, wind and space. The process of dune formation occurs when the ocean pushes sand on shore, wind blows sand further onto the beach and sand gets trapped and accumulates. This creates a frontal and back dune area. Dunes are categorized by many factors, such as size, shape, biodiversity and vegetation. Back dune areas are home to a diverse host of plants and animals. Wildflowers, shrubs, grasses and even trees can be found in the network of hills in the back dune area. Shore birds such as the snowy plover and ruddy turnstone find solace in these areas. The endangered dune mice also live in the back dune areas, as a place of refuge and protection.
With vegetation as a cover, frontal dunes are anchored and tend to stay in place. Storm surges can easily erode dunes without vegetation. This can affect coastal communities in combatting storm surge and flooding. One of the most viable plants that secure dunes is sea oats (Uniola paniculata). This clumping grass is found on both beaches and dunes. The plant gets its common name from the seed head, which looks similar to field oats. Sea oats are extremely drought and salt tolerant. These plants need limited soil fertility to grow, making them the perfect plants for sand dunes. Sea oats also reproduce vegetatively through complex root system call rhizomes. The vast root system caused by rhizomes is a big reason why these plants are excellent at securing sand on dunes. The plant structure is very flexible, so the plant can endure strong coastal winds. Sea oats are native species that help provide habitat for coastal animals, as well.
Recently restored sand dune in St. Joe Beach. Credit: Ray Bodrey, UF/IFAS Extension
Sea oats are protected by law. It is illegal to collect sea oats for any reason in the wild without proper permitting. There are native plant nurseries that propagate sea oat seedlings for dune restoration. For more information on volunteer opportunities to assist in dune restoration, please contact your local county extension office.
One plant that signals our change in season is beginning to bloom in natural areas and woodland gardens. The Red buckeye, Aesculus pavia, is forming large spikes of red flowers and the attractive palmate leaves are unfurling.
Red buckeye in the late winter sunshine. Photo by Beth Bolles UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
If you enjoy a more natural landscape, Red buckeye is a perfect fit. It often has open growth with multiple branching stems which give it more of a shrub look in many landscapes. Plant size can vary from 8-15 feet. The blooms are beautiful and the tubular flowers can be visited by overwintering or returning hummingbirds.
Single bloom with palmate leaves. Photo by Beth Bolles UF IFAS Extension Escambia County
Although plants can tolerate full sun, plants look their best with some afternoon shade as the summer progresses. A high canopy that allows filtered sun would be excellent throughout our summer weather. Choose a location with moist, well drained soils. In general, plants will drop leaves earlier than other deciduous plants in your landscape so make sure your location is a spot to show off the late winter/early spring blooms.
A precaution with the Red buckeye is that the fruit is toxic for people and pets. The large capsules will contain several seeds which can drop and grow new plants. Squirrels will also enjoy the seeds.
