Water-Wise Gardens

UCNSB completed a water-wise demonstration garden in the parking lot of our downtown New Smyrna Beach office at 200 Canal Street as part of continuing efforts to encourage water conservation.

The garden, designed by Lindley's Nursery and Garden Center, features over 25 plants, shurbs, and trees that are well-suited for a Florida garden. The plants featured are either native to Florida or are Florida-friendly.

You can create a water-wise garden too. Below is information about the our demonstration garden. We hope you will use the information to landscape water-wise at your home.

You can also download this information here (PDF).

Autumn Sage

Salvia greggii

• Perennial
• Grows quickly to 4' tall and 3' wide
• In the Mint family and has scented leaves
• Likes dry conditions
• Will not tolerate poorly drained soil or wet feet

Baby Sunrose or Ice Plant

Aptenia cordifolia

• Perennial groundcover
• Blooms best in full sun nearly year round
• Requires sandy or well-drained soils
• Will not tolerate over-watering
• Excellent for containers and hanging baskets

Blanket Flower

Gaillardia aristata

• Native
• Evergreen perennial
• Little to moderate water, prefers dry conditions
• Grows to 2-2.5' tall and 2' wide
• Must have good drainage
• Blooms spring to first frost
• High salt and wind tolerance

Blue-Eyed Grass

Sisyrinchium angustifolium Mill.

• Native
• Perennial
• Grows to 15" wide and 8" tall
• Purplish-blue flowers bloom late spring to early summer
• Drought-tolerant
• Good for use in rain gardens and as a bog plant
• Can be used as a border plant or ground cover

Blue Fortune Anise Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum x rugosa

• Perennial
• Low maintenance clumping, grows to 4' tall and 3' wide
• Blooms early spring to late fall
• Prefers dry, well-drained soil
• Leaves a minty-licorice scent, can be used as an herb

Blue Stokes Astor

Stokesia laevis

• Native to the Southeast
• Perennial
• Low growing to 12" tall and 8" wide
• Blooms summer till first frost
• Excellent cut flower, good border plant

Bulbine

Bulbine frutescens

• Succulent shrubby perennial
• Clumps 1' high and 2-3' wide
• Little to regular water
• Blooms most of the year
• Useful as ground or bank cover

Coreopsis or Tickseed

Coreopsis spp

• Native
• Perennial
• A state wildflower
• Occur in a variety of colors ranging from yellow to pink
• 3 species used in this garden
• Flower heads bear seeds for birds

Dune Daisy or Beach Sunflower

Helianthus debilis

• Native perennial groundcover
• Needs dry, sandy conditions
• Blooms year round
• Used for dune stabilization
• Reproduces through seed germination

Dwarf Blueberry Bush

Vaccinium darrowii

• Native to the Southeast
• Shrub
• Slow growth to 3' tall and 3' wide
• Blooms in early spring, producing edible blueberries during summer
• Prefers acidic soils

Dwarf Firebush

Hamelia patens

"Compacta"

• Shrub evergreen
• Moderate growth, 3-4' high and 2-3' wide
• Flowers in spring, summer, and fall
• Provides winter interest as leaves change color
• Drought-tolerant

Dwarf Walter's Viburnum

Viburnum obovatum

"Mrs. Schiller's Delight"

• Native
• Shrub evergreen
• Low and slow growth to 3' high and 2' wide
• Full sun to part shade
• Low maintenance
• Trim after each blossom
• Blossoms spring and fall, white clusters of flowers
• Excellent plant for winter season
• Moderate salt tolerance

Eco Turf Perennial Peanut

Arachis glabrata

• Non-native cultivated for its low water and nutrient use
• Ground cover, turf replacement
• Grows to 6" tall
• Full sun to part shade
• Once established, uses little-to-no water
• Low maintenance, can be mowed just 2x per year
• Makes its own nitrogen, reducing need for fertilizer

Fakahatchee or Gamma Grass

Tripsacum dactyloides

• Native to the Southeast
• Grows 5' tall and 4' wide
• Tolerates dry to wet areas like bogs and marshes
• Excellent for rain gardens

Flax Lilly or Dianella

Dianella tasmanica variegata

• Prefers part to full shade
• Grows to 3' tall and forms clumps up to 20'
• Very drought tolerant
• Excellent container plant
• Moderate salt tolerance

Live Oak

Quercus virginiana

• Large hardwood tree
• Reaches heights of 65-85'
• Produces edible acorns, excellent food for wildlife
• Survives in a wide variety of conditions from dry to wet soil
• Salt and wind tolerant

Needle Palm

Rhapidophyllum hystrix

• Native shrubby palm
• Full sun to full shade
• Grow slowly to 6' tall and 4' wide
• Rugged palm and one of the most cold-hardy
• Tolerates dry to moist conditions

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia

• Native to the Southeast
• Grows up to 6' tall
• Blooms late spring through fall
• Excellent for dry or cut flowers
• Prefers alkaline soil

Railroad Vine

Ipomoea pes-caprae

• Native
• Evergreen perennial
• Sprawling vine grows to great lengths
• Roots at leaf joints as it runs
• Useful as a groundcover on sandy or saltwater beaches

Red-Tip Cocoplum

Chrysobalanus icaco

• Native
• Tropical shrub, reaches heights of 10'
• Must have good drainage, requires regular water
• Tolerates salt spray
• Produces edible fruit

Sea Oats

Uniola paniculata

• Native perennial grass
• Low to regular water
• Grows to 2' wide and 2-5' tall
• Extremely salt and wind tolerant
• Needs fresh water which is stored in the core of coastal dunes

Sea Oxeye Daisy

Borrichia arborescens

• Native
• Performs well as a low hedge or ground cover near the ocean
• Grows to 2-4' tall
• Yellow flowers year round
• Full sun to light shade

Silver Buttonwood

Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus

• Native
• Evergreen shrub
• Use as informal hedge or small ornamental tree
• Tolerates just about any soil
• Drought tolerant, but can handle occasional wet soil

Simpson Stopper

Myrcianthes fragrens

• Native
• Shrub evergreen
• Slow growth to 15', can be maintained at 8-10'
• Full sun to part shade
• Fragrant white flowers periodically throughout the year
• Flowers develop into edible berries
• Attractive to birds and many species of butterflies
• Suitable for shaping into a small tree
• Good salt tolerance

Thryallis

Galpimia glauca

• Evergreen flowering shrub
• Easily maintained at 3-4' tall and wide
• Requires well-drained or sandy soils
• Blooms most of the year
• Prune heavily in spring

Wild Coffee

Psychotria nervosa

• Native
• Shrub evergreen
• Moderate growth, 4-10' high and 3-6' wide
• Flowers in spring and summer
• Attracts spicebush swallowtail butterflies
• Red berries in winter attract cardinals and catbirds
• Sensitive to cold, trim off cold damage in early spring

Pine Straw Needles

A great mulch alternative!

• A renewable resource that can be harvested yearly in Florida. Trees do not have to be cut down to collect pine needles.
• Conserves moisture, will not wash away, and will not attract termites.
• Create an acidic soil. Most plant prefer slightly acidic-to-neutral soil. The acidic soil impedes weed growth.

Red Cypress Mulch

• From slow-growing trees in swampy areas of the Southeast, including Florida
• Not a renewable resource like pine straw
• Long-lasting
• Great water retention
• Insect repellant
• Other effective mulches: pine bark, wood chips, pine straw

Rock Mulch

• Good for permanent landscape features, such as trees
• Good at controlling weeds when applied in thick layers - using a plastic underlayment can help further control weeds
• Available in many different colors
• Unlike wood chips or bark, rock mulch doesn't wash away in rainstorms, attract termites or carpenter ants, or rot

Rubber Mulch

An alternative to wood mulch!

• High shock absorption, making it a great material for paths and playgrounds
• Made from recycled shredded tires
• Available in many different colors
• Unlike wood chips or bark, rubber mulch doesn't wash away in rainstorms, attract termites or carpenter ants, or rot
• Great for alkaline soil