Native Plants for Front Yards in Florida

Gopher Apple

• Use gopher apple (Licania michauxii) in your front yard in areas where the soil is sandy and loose. This small shrub acts to prevent erosion and is apt for roadsides and other venues. Gopher apple grows only to a foot tall. One plant has the ability to put out an elaborate network of underground stems that cover as much as 100 square feet, notes Floridata. Gopher apple’s yellow flowers produce a small, edible fruit favored by animals. Tolerant of drought, gopher apple also withstands some frosts, wind and salt spray, making it a species for use throughout Florida.

Cocoplum

• Not only does cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) provide you with a Florida native that serves as a hedge or specimen plant, the shrub also produces edible fruit, notes the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Cocoplum grows to 15 feet; prune it down to 5 feet when using as a hedge. Cocoplum grows in southern Florida, featuring shiny, evergreen foliage. The delicate white flowers bloom during spring, yielding a dark purple, juicy drupe. Cocoplum cultivar Horizontal is very tolerant of salt spray.

Carolina Cherry Laurel

• Keep the Carolina cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana) away from your driveway and sidewalks in your front yard; the falling fruit can result in stains, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension. A small tree, Carolina cherry laurel grows throughout the northern half of Florida, reports the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees: Eastern Region." Appropriate for trimming into a hedge, the Carolina cherry laurel blossoms in early spring. The fruit has an inedible pulp and a large seed inside it. Fruits not eaten by birds typically remain on the tree through the winter. Carolina cherry laurel has a shallow root system, is an evergreen species and grows in sun or shade.

Coralbean

• Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea) is deciduous, featuring compound leaves and short spines on its stems, cautions the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Coralbean grows to as high as 20 feet, but most of these shrubs are much smaller and suitable for use in your front yard . Use coralbean along a fence, since it will climb along the length of it and cover it up. Plant it in your front yard where the soil receives full sun and use it as a specimen plant. Hummingbirds find coralbean’s red flowers alluring, flocking to them to gather their nectar. The shrub blooms from April into June, producing, in time, a seedpod that opens in fall, containing deep red seeds.