Choosing the Best Florida Hedge Plants for your Yard
When you live in Florida, there are a few basic do's and don'ts when it comes to selecting the best Florida hedge plants for your yard. First of all, you need to take into account the temperate, humid climate that is predominate in this southern state and realize that even through the winter, the temperatures will be moderate and then really hot in the summer. Your Florida hedge plants need to be able to flourish in the temperate area and enjoy the heat and moisture in the area.
What You Do NOT Want
Many homeowners make the mistake of choosing a ficus for their Florida hedge plants and within a few years discover that they are in over their head. The ficus, when grown in its native areas, shoots up to almost ninety feet tall with an extensive root system so just imagine what that would do near your home and landscaped areas.
The root system would upend sidewalks, damage foundations, interfere with underground plumbing pipes and electrical conduits and even attract termites to the area. Unless you are wiling to spend thousands of dollars in a few years to fix all the problems the ficus could cause, you would best look to other sources for your Florida hedge plants.
Flowering Possibilities
Camellias are a popular and easy hedge option to plant in your Florida yard and the best part is that it produces pretty blooms and maintains evergreen characteristics for the leaves (basically, the leaves stay green and do not turn brown and fall off seasonally). Bougainvilleas are another type of Florida hedge plants that produce pretty flowers but you have to be diligent in trimming them or they could take over your yard!
Oleander and hibiscus are two additional flowering Florida hedge plants that have proven quite popular with land and homeowners. These two are quite easy to plant as well as maintain, requiring minimal efforts to tame their growth all the while enjoying their pretty flowers - in the case of the hibiscus, some blooms are the size of dinner plates!
Other Options to Consider
Florida is a state known for its beaches, hot weather, humidity, almost daily rain showers and of course - palm trees. There is the cat palm which is a smaller hedge plant that many homeowners turn to for its green color and palm fronds, which add texture to most landscapes. Other Florida hedge plants to consider include bamboo palms, crotons, podocarpus and even rosemary. Because the climate is so forgiving of minor neglect and not likely to freeze, there are an abundance of Florida hedge plants to choose from that would grow well in most yards in the state.
