South Florida Plants for the North Side of a Home

Annuals

• Annual plants are generally planted in late winter or early spring in south Florida. Most annuals require some direct sunshine, either in the morning or evening. Wishbone flowers (Torenia fournieri), commonly referred to as bluewings, are annuals that will grow in full shade in south Florida. Cultivars range in size from 4 to 12 inches tall and are available in white, pink, lavender, blue, purple or yellow bloom colors. Plant wishbone flowers in February for spring, summer and early fall blooms.

Perennials

• Perennial plants return year after year when planted within their hardiness zones. Impatiens are evergreen perennials that thrive in north-facing foundation landscapes. Available cultivars range in height from 6 to 24 inches, with either solid or bi-color flowers in shades of red, pink, orange or purple. Caladium bicolor is a perennial that thrives along shady foundations. These plants are commonly called fancy-leaved caladium, angel wings, hearts of Jesus and elephant ears. They grow to a mature height of 2 feet with large 6- to 14-inch streaked and spotted leaves in pink, white, red or gray.

Ground Cover

• Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) is an evergreen perennial Florida native. Other common names for this plant are twinberry, twinflower and running box. It grows to only 2 inches tall and thrives in the shade. Dark green foliage and a vining growth pattern make it an attractive ground cover. Small white to pale pink flowers cover the plant in late spring and early summer. Shortly after the flowers fade, bright red 1/2-inch berries are formed that often persist throughout the winter. Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina) is an herbaceous perennial plant that is commonly grown as a houseplant but can thrive in a shady garden in south Florida. It grows to a height of 6 inches and spreads to a width of 2 feet. This plant rarely flowers, but the foliage is bright purple on the underside and striped on the top in pale green and burgundy. There is also a cultivar available with pink stripes.

Shrubs

• Shrubs normally require at least a few hours of daily direct sunlight for healthy growth. Jacobinia plants (Justicia species) are small tropical evergreen perennials or shrubs that prefer shade. Other common names for these plants are Brazilian plume, king's crown and plume flower. Smaller mound-forming varieties grow to a height of 2 feet. The larger shrub-type grow to a height of 7 feet and a width of 6 feet. Both types bloom all summer long in either white, pink, red, orange, purple or yellow. Either form of this plant will thrive in a south Florida north-facing foundation planting.