Flowers That Bloom Year Round In Florida: 21 Colorful Picks
Transform your Florida landscape with these heat-tolerant flowers that provide non-stop color throughout all seasons
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21 Flowers That Will Bloom All Year in Florida
Living in the Sunshine State comes with many gardening advantages, but finding flowers that can withstand Florida’s intense heat and humidity while continuing to bloom can be challenging. The good news is that with the right selection of plants, you can enjoy colorful blooms in your garden throughout all four seasons! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore 21 fantastic flowering plants that will provide year-round color in your Florida landscape.
Florida’s unique climate offers plenty of sunshine, but not all flowering plants can handle the combination of heat, humidity, and occasional temperature fluctuations. By selecting the appropriate varietiesâincluding many Florida nativesâyou can create a garden that stays vibrant and colorful no matter what month it is on the calendar.
Aster
| Botanical Name | Symphyotrichum spp. |
| Plant Type | Perennial |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to partial shade |
| Hardiness Zones | 4-8 |
Asters bring daisy-like charm to Florida gardens with their delicate, star-shaped flowers featuring up to twenty petals surrounding a bright yellow center. These versatile perennials come in various sizes and colors, making them perfect for adding diversity to your landscape.
What makes asters particularly valuable for Florida gardens is their adaptability to different soil conditions. As long as you provide appropriate water and sunlight for your specific variety, they’re relatively low-maintenance. The color palette ranges from crisp whites and soft pinks to vibrant purples and blues, allowing you to create stunning visual displays by mixing different varieties.
Hibiscus
| Botanical Name | Hibiscus spp. |
| Plant Type | Perennial shrub |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun |
| Hardiness Zones | 9-11 |
Hibiscus plants are quintessential tropical flowers that thrive in Florida’s climate. With their large, showy blooms that can reach 6-8 inches in diameter, these flowering shrubs make a dramatic statement in any garden. Well-established hibiscus will bloom consistently throughout the summer months, displaying their attractive flowers with four to five petals in a wide range of colors.
Both tropical and hardy hibiscus varieties perform well in Florida, with tropical types offering continuous blooms in southern regions. These plants prefer rich, well-draining soil and regular watering during dry periods. For optimal flowering, provide hibiscus with plenty of sunshine and periodic fertilization with a bloom-boosting formula.
Pentas
| Botanical Name | Pentas lanceolata |
| Plant Type | Perennial (grown as annual in some regions) |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to partial shade |
| Hardiness Zones | 9-11 |
Pentas are outstanding performers in Florida gardens, producing clusters of star-shaped flowers in vibrant shades of red, pink, purple, and white. These butterfly and hummingbird magnets bloom profusely throughout the year in southern Florida and during the warm months in northern parts of the state.
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What makes pentas particularly valuable is their exceptional heat tolerance combined with continuous blooming habits. They thrive in the hottest summer conditions when many other flowers fade, making them essential for maintaining color in your Florida garden year-round. Plant them in well-draining soil with moderate water and occasional fertilization for best results.
Lantana
| Botanical Name | Lantana camara |
| Plant Type | Perennial shrub |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun |
| Hardiness Zones | 9-11 |
Lantana is arguably one of the most resilient flowering plants for Florida landscapes, offering non-stop blooms from spring through fall and often year-round in southern regions. These tough perennials produce colorful clusters of small flowers in a rainbow of colors, with many varieties featuring multi-colored blooms that change hues as they mature.
Drought-tolerant once established, lantana requires minimal care while providing maximum visual impact. Their sprawling growth habit makes them excellent for ground cover, hanging baskets, or as butterfly-attracting border plants. For best flowering, plant in full sun and well-draining soil, and deadhead occasionally to encourage continued blooming.
Blanket Flower
| Botanical Name | Gaillardia pulchella |
| Plant Type | Annual or short-lived perennial |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun |
| Hardiness Zones | 3-10 |
Blanket flowers bring the fiery colors of sunset to Florida gardens with their red and yellow daisy-like blooms. These native wildflowers are exceptionally well-adapted to Florida’s sandy soils and hot climate, making them reliable performers across the state.
What makes blanket flowers particularly valuable for year-round display is their self-seeding nature, which allows them to perpetuate in the garden with minimal effort. They thrive in poor, dry soils where many other flowers struggle and offer continuous blooming with occasional deadheading. Plant them in naturally dry areas of your landscape for carefree color that attracts butterflies and other pollinators.
Blue Daze
| Botanical Name | Evolvulus glomeratus |
| Plant Type | Perennial |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun |
| Hardiness Zones | 8-11 |
Blue daze offers a cooling visual effect in hot Florida landscapes with its true-blue flowers that open each morning and close by late afternoon. This low-growing perennial forms a spreading mat of silvery-green foliage covered with small, funnel-shaped blooms that appear continuously throughout the warm months.
Perfect for ground cover, borders, or spilling over container edges, blue daze performs best in full sun and well-draining soil. While it may slow down during brief cold snaps in northern Florida, it quickly rebounds when temperatures warm, providing nearly year-round color in most parts of the state.
Angelonia
| Botanical Name | Angelonia angustifolia |
| Plant Type | Perennial (often grown as annual) |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun |
| Hardiness Zones | 9-11 |
Often called summer snapdragon, angelonia produces vertical spikes of delicate flowers in shades of purple, pink, white, and blue. This heat-loving perennial blooms continuously from spring through fall in most of Florida, making it a reliable source of color when many other flowers fade in the summer heat.
Angelonia’s upright growth habit (12-18 inches tall) provides valuable vertical interest in garden beds and containers. Its moderate drought tolerance once established makes it suitable for various landscape settings throughout Florida. For best performance, provide well-draining soil and consistent moisture during establishment.
Vinca
| Botanical Name | Catharanthus roseus |
| Plant Type | Annual in north Florida, perennial in south Florida |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to partial shade |
| Hardiness Zones | 10-11 |
Madagascar periwinkle (vinca) is among the most heat and drought-tolerant flowering plants available for Florida gardens. These tough plants produce abundant five-petaled blooms in white, pink, red, and purple hues against glossy green foliage, maintaining color even during the most challenging summer conditions.
Vinca is particularly valuable for hot, dry areas in the landscape where other flowers struggle, as it actually performs better with minimal irrigation once established. In south Florida, these plants often behave as short-lived perennials, while in northern regions, they’re typically grown as warm-season annuals that bloom from spring until the first frost.
Crown of Thorns
| Botanical Name | Euphorbia milii |
| Plant Type | Perennial succulent |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to partial shade |
| Hardiness Zones | 10-11 |
Crown of thorns combines the drought tolerance of a succulent with nearly continuous flowering, making it ideal for Florida’s challenging climate. The small, colorful bracts (often mistaken for petals) appear in shades of red, pink, yellow, or white and can bloom year-round, especially in frost-free areas of central and south Florida.
This unique flowering plant requires minimal water and maintenance, thriving in containers or well-draining garden beds. Its thorny stems add interesting texture to the landscape while deterring pests, including deer. For safety, place crown of thorns away from high-traffic areas where the thorns and milky sap could cause issues.
Conclusion
Florida gardeners are fortunate to have such a wide variety of flowering plants that can provide color throughout the year. By selecting the right mix of these heat-tolerant, continuous bloomers, you can create a landscape that remains vibrant and colorful across all seasons, even during the challenging summer months.
Remember that even these hardy plants benefit from proper careâproviding appropriate sunlight, water, and occasional fertilization will maximize their flowering potential. Many of these plants also support local pollinators, adding ecological value to your garden while enhancing its beauty.
Whether you’re designing a new landscape or adding to an existing garden, incorporating these year-round bloomers will ensure that your Florida garden remains a colorful oasis no matter what the calendar says.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to plant flowering perennials in Florida?
The ideal time to plant flowering perennials in Florida is during the cooler months of October through March. This allows plants to establish strong root systems before facing summer heat and humidity. However, container-grown plants can be installed year-round if given proper care during establishment.
How often should I water my Florida flower garden?
Newly planted flowers need regular watering until established, typically every 2-3 days. Once established, most Florida-friendly flowers perform best with deep watering once or twice weekly rather than frequent light sprinklings. Always adjust based on rainfall, with drought-tolerant varieties needing less frequent irrigation.
What’s the best way to encourage continuous blooming?
Regular deadheading (removing spent flowers) encourages many plants to produce new blooms. Additionally, applying a bloom-boosting fertilizer (higher in phosphorus) during the growing season and ensuring adequate sunlight will maximize flowering potential throughout the year.
Are there flowering plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds in Florida?
Yes! Many year-round bloomers like pentas, lantana, and hibiscus are excellent for attracting pollinators. Florida butterflies particularly favor firebush, milkweed, and salvia, while hummingbirds are drawn to plants with tubular flowers like coral honeysuckle and firespike.
How can I protect flowering plants during occasional Florida cold snaps?
During brief cold periods, cover tender flowering plants with frost cloth, sheets, or blankets (not plastic) before sunset and remove coverings when temperatures rise above freezing the next day. Container plants can be moved to protected areas like porches or garages during cold events.
References
- https://www.epicgardening.com/florida-blooming-flowers/
- https://www.epicgardening.com/gardening/ornamental/flowers/page/27/
- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403212972908440821/
- https://shop.epicgardening.com/products/moonflower-heirloom-seeds
- https://shop.epicgardening.com/collections/plant-now-bloom-in-spring
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