North Florida Gardening

Scorching summer temperatures, winter freezes, and sandy soil make gardening in North Florida very challenging, and gardening on the coast adds salt spray and northeast winds to the mix.

North Florida is a sort of transition area sitting between tropical and non-tropical weather and plants. Magazines and most general books about gardening just don't address this unique circumstance. There are, however, many excellent specialized books on North Florida gardening.

Fortunately, there is also much good online gardening help. A first place to start is with online publications. The UF/IFAS Gardening Publications has many titles of interest to Southern gardeners, from butterfly gardening to Florida weeds links. The Florida Times Union has an online month by month gardening calendar describing garden chores, plant care and plants for each month.

Several sites provide excellent overall information about a variety of gardening subjects. Southern Gardening has excellent information about gardening in the coastal South, from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina. The Focus, however, is on North Central Florida since the site originates in Gainesville, FL. It gives lawn and garden advice, events, tips, books/software, links and more. Florida Gardening Links provides links to Florida plants, Florida living, plant societies, tips, more.

Recent dry summers and increasingly low water tables have created interest in gardening with native plants because they can survive with minimal moisture. Florida Gardening with Native Plants gives info on plants that attract birds and butterflies to your garden, provides links to lists and photos of native plants, and lists of Florida nurseries that sell the plants. Further information can be found at the Florida Native Plant Society site, which tells all about native plants, publications, education, research, and a list of native plant nurseries (one listed for Duval County).

Interested in aquatic gardening? Aquatic Plant Growers has an alphabetical list of growers and sellers of aquatic plants in Florida. Jacksonville has six locations on the list.

Basically, just about any gardening interest can be found online. See also Gardening on this site.

More Gardening Online

Florida Federation of Garden Clubs
Many links to garden activities in Florida, photos of gardens and horticulture, monthly garden page, many excellent gardening links.

Florida Plants Online
A guide to Florida plant life with a search option, books, garden store, links.

Florida Weekend Gardener
Archive of gardening topics covered on WUFT-TV5 in Gainesville, FL specific to North Florida-ferns, groundcovers, palms, lawn problems.

Ravine State Gardens
In the city limits of Palatka, near the St. Johns River, less than an hour from Jacksonville: gardens grow in a natural steep head ravine, 95,000 azaleas, 11,000 palm trees, 250,000 ornamental plants.

Top Garden Sites
Many, many web links to information about gardening in Florida.

University of Florida Herbarium
Many, many links to plants, articles, projects, plant bibliographies, more.

Washington-Oaks State Garden
On A1A south of St. Augustine making it the closest state garden to Jacksonville, ornamental gardens, hiking trails along the Matanzas River; ocean side has exposed coquina rock creating a boulder strewn beach.