And it's all because of Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants by Gil Nelson. I know I mentioned this book in a previous article, but I just can't get over what I'm learning about Florida native plants.

I purchased this book for a number of reasons. We wanted to start planting native plants so we could stop pampering the plants that don't work as well here. Properly placed, native plants don't need the same amount of water and they tolerate the sandy soil much better than other species. We don't have to be concerned with cold hardiness since native plants thrive in our climate. Finally, once established these plants will bloom and grow with minimum care.

I'm learning something new every time I pick up this reference book. For instance, did you know that Stokes' aster is native to Florida? I sure didn't. How about the Black-eyed susan or Lobelia or Liatris or St. John's Wort? Wow. What a wealth of information all in one place. I've looked through my book at least ten times since I got it from BOOKSAMILLION.COM about two weeks ago and I'm sure I'll do so about thirty thousand times more. If you get a chance, go check it out. You won't regret it. Happy Florida Gardening, and did you know that Gaillardia is native and...