How to Garden With Flowers in Florida

Start your planting in late fall with spring-blooming bulbs like calla lilies, tulips, daffodils and crocus, which will thrive in all zones of Florida. This planting should take place around the first frost of the year, and may range from late October in North Florida to mid-January in the southern tip of the state.

Find a site that gets full sun for eight hours every day and has quick drainage after any rain. The drainage is especially important in South Florida, where soil can get swampy. Mark out a site that has 10 to 20 square feet of space to give you room for a large flower garden, or choose different sites for different types of flowers.

Amend the soil for all planting sites now, to let it settle for your spring planting. Dig into the top 6 inches of soil to break it up, then add 1 inch of quick-draining soil and 2 inches of organic compost to the soil. This mixture gives flowers good drainage and nutrition, and will also build the bed up to increase drainage over the land around it.

Plant your fall bulbs according to their spacing needs. These bulbs will come up in spring, and may blossom before the thaw to start your garden off with a splash of color. Fall bulbs are perennials and will last for years in Florida growing regions.

Plant more summertime plants in spring after the last frost. This timing will range from early January in South Florida to late March in the northern reaches of the state.

Plant perennial bulbs like irises, lilies and amaranthus at this time. Dedicate one corner of the garden to roses, which thrive in Florida. Choose any warm-weather rose or look for Florida-friendly cultivars like Belinda's Dream and Knockout roses.

Plant summertime annuals as details and borders to the flower garden. Include Florida-friendly varieties like begonias, geraniums, snapdragons, pansies, celosias, zinnias, baby's breath, cosmos and calendula. These flowers die in frost, so they may survive for years in South Florida but will require replanting in Central and North Florida.