GARDENING IN THE SHADE FROM PAGE 13 Soft or Velvet Leaf Wild Coffee (P. sulzneri) is also beautiful for Central and South Florida shady areas, and makes a nice visual contrast with Shiny Leaf Wild Coffee. From Volusia and Pasco Counties south, but not in the Keys. The standard form can reach 10 feet tall, but suffers damage from freezing temperatures while the dwarf form rarely stands taller than 3 feet and tolerates temperatures to the upper teens without damage. Both forms have beautiful shiny evergreen leaves, slightly fragrant white flowers in spring and bright red fruit that ripen in fall. Use wild coffee in mass. The standard form creates a wonderful screen while the dwarf form works best beneath windows and along the edges of walkways. This is an excellent pollinator plant and a food source for songbirds. Coontie (Zamia pumila) There are few more adaptable plants than Coontie. They perform extremely well in shade. Coontie grows slowly, but eventually reaches several feet tall and as many feet wide. The short stout trunk is mostly hidden by the feath- Irrigate Beautiful and endangered Bahama Wild Coffee is a great choice for shady landscapes in Lee, Collier, Dade and Monroe Counties. W Cons Pr Coontie looks like a small palm but is actually a cycad. In Southeast Florida, it is a host plant for the endangered Atala butterfly. ery evergreen foliage. Coontie provides a “tropical” look to the shady landscape and can be used in small areas as effectively as larger ones. Plant them as accents or in small clusters. Male and female plants produce different cones. Large orange-red seeds form inside the female cones if pollinated. Violets (Viola spp.) Most wildflowers only persist in shade if they receive sunlight in the late winter/early spring beneath a deciduous canopy or if planted in a light gap where they get some direct sunlight during a brief time during the day. Without this energy source, few will flower reliably. My favorite wildflowers for shade are the Violets. No wildflower signals the arrival of spring more effectively. Violets are adaptable to most landscape settings and they reseed Water servation Program City 32 Conservation Retain Check CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE AND PG 16 Minimize Capture rogram y of Titusville 21)City (321) 567-3865 Group 14 GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS FALL 2016-2017 FANN / Florida Association of Native Nurseries
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