Winter Plants For Florida

A tree-shaded site in Florida.

When searching for winter plants for Florida, the challenge is to find those that adapt to shorter daylight hours, cooler weather and periods in which rainfall is low. According to the University of Florida, several plants are well-suited to the Florida winter. They also will add color your garden.

Cleyera

Cleyera plants (Cleyera japonica), also called "tricolor" or Japanese cleyera, are evergreen shrubs that do well as winter plants for Florida. According to the University of Florida, they display unique reddish foliage in winter. Cleyeras also display fragrant creamy white flowers, and are grown for their evergreen foliage. Needing light to full shade, cleyeras reach grow as high as 8 to 12 feet.

Deciduous Holly

Deciduous holly (Ilex decidua) is a shrub that belongs to the Ilex species and is well-suited to Florida's climate. It displays white or near white flowers in the summer and orange to scarlet berries in fall and winter with deciduous foliage. Thriving in sun to partial shade, deciduous holly plants grow as high as 20 to 30 feet.

Camellia

Varieties within the Camellia species are good plants for the Florida landscape and bloom in the winter. The Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), for example, is a shrub that displays white or near white flowers and glossy, evergreen foliage. Requiring full sun to light shade, the Japanese camellia grows as high as 4 to 6 feet.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: North Florida Landscape Plants for Shaded Sites; Frank Regulski Jr. and David Marshall
• Dave's Garden: PlantFiles: Possum Haw Holly, Possumhaw, Deciduous Holly Ilex Decidua
• North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension: Cleyera Japonica