Choose plants or varieties that are solid green or with less amounts of variegation.
Consider leaving the lights on for 12 hours a day, or use an LED spotlight with at least 900 lumens.
Occasionally move the plants to an area with more light. But be careful to avoid full sun as the leaves will not be accustomed to this.
Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or tepid water to remove dust – it interferes with light absorption.

Plants for Low Light

Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) – very tolerant of low light conditions and in-consistent watering. Mature height is about 3′.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum) – choose one with less variegation. Handles dry air but needs moist soil.
Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans) – Look especially for the variety with the solid green leaf. This plant can take virtually any light exposure, so you don’t need to worry where you place it.
Janet Craig Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’) – an old low light stand-by for many years. Can reach about 8′ tall eventually. Also survives low humidity and infrequent care.
Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana) – Give it space to fan out. As a container plant it usually grows to 5-12′ tall.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) – can be kept in water (changed weekly) or in evenly moist soil. Often sold woven in interesting patterns.
Monstera/Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa) – can take a wide range of light conditions including low (stronger light allows it to grow faster). It has a climbing habit as it matures so you can either keep it pruned or supply a support. Older leaves can grow to a dramatic 2′ across. Not to be confused with Split-leaf Philodendron, which doesn’t have holes in the leaves and which fares better with more light.
Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) – although in the long run it would prefer medium light, this palm can tolerate low light for very long periods.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) and Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) – I list these two together because their appearance and growing conditions are very similar. Pothos varieties can have different variegations to them but if grown in low light they will be green like most Philodendron. The best way to tell them apart is to look at their leafstalks. Pothos have a groove or trough along the stalk whereas Philodendron is smooth/round. Both plants tolerate low light but Pothos with time may become leggy. Pothos is a little more tolerant of sun and drought. Both can climb/trail many feet.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria laurentii) – these come in quite a few shapes and colors from leaves that are sword shaped, short and wide to long and strappy, and even cylindrical. Colors vary from green to green and yellow, with white and even solid gray. Again, the green varieties should do best in low light. Snake plants are also tolerant of dry air and can easily exist on monthly watering.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) – also requires very little water and usually doesn’t exceed about 3′.

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Understanding Salt’s Impact

Excess salt in soil or water hinders water uptake by plants, leading to wilting and stunted growth. Salt toxicity can cause leaf burn (chlorosis), browning, and even death. Diagnosing salt stress can be tricky because similar symptoms arise from other problems. Damage from saline soils are evident more slowly than from salt spray, and salt in the soil causes burn on leaf margins whereas salt landing on foliage creates burns throughout the leaf. But these symptoms can resemble symptoms from many other factors including disease, drought and chemical misuse.

Testing for Salinity

Testing your soil and irrigation water will reveal issues with salinity and help you diagnose and correct plant problems. These tests can be run by the UF/IFAS Analytical Services Laboratory. Contact them at (352) 392-1950 Ext. 221, email soilslab@ifas.ufl.edu, or use their website soilslab.ifas.ufl.edu. Form SL133 is used for irrigation and well water, and includes testing for sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) levels (the two salts which cause the most plant damage) and electrical conductivity (total salinity level). Use Form SL135 for an analysis of soil salinity.

Interpreting Test Results

To put into perspective the results of your tests, here are some common values:

• Rainwater: Less than 20 ppm
• Fresh water: Less than 1000 ppm
• Ocean water: 35,000 ppm
• Low soil salinity: 1-1000 ppm
• Moderate soil salinity: 1000-2000 ppm
• Most plants struggle above 2000 ppm (3 dS/m) with high sodium (>70 ppm in water, >230 ppm in soil) or chloride (>350 ppm in water, >250 ppm in soil).
• Beach conditions: Soil salinity 8-10 dS/m (5600-7000 ppm) or higher, spray with 600 ppm sodium and 900 ppm chloride.

Managing Salinity in Your Landscape

If your tests reveal excessive salinity, there are several ways to alleviate it.

• Improve drainage through aeration and amendments.
• Leach salts from the root zone with flushing.
• Use mulch to suppress evaporation and salt buildup.
• Test before fertilizing.
• Favor drip or ground irrigation over sprinklers to minimize salt exposure.
• Rinse plants with fresh water after salt spray events.

Choosing Salt-Tolerant Plants

While test results are helpful, plant responses to salt can vary. Traditionally, salt tolerance is described by a plant’s ability to withstand conditions at different distances from the ocean:

• Zone 1 (Highly Tolerant): Thrives in exposed beach locations with direct salt spray.
• Zone 2 (Moderately Tolerant): Tolerates some salt spray but prefers protection from structures or dunes.
• Zone 3 (Slightly Tolerant): Needs protection from exposed areas.

North Florida’s Salt-Tolerant Plant List

This list combines information from various sources and categorizes plants by tolerance (High/Mod). Rockaway’s landscape architects and designers take plant salt tolerance into account for landscape design and installation clients especially along our Northeast Florida coastal properties.

From our office in Atlantic Beach and satellites throughout Northeast Florida, Rockaway Inc proudly serves both commercial and residential landscape design, maintenance, lawn care, irrigation, and outdoor living carpentry client needs in Jacksonville, St Augustine, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, and Fernandina Beach.

Click Here to view or download this guide as a PDF (from our former Garden Center Operation).

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Besides as winter interest other uses of camellias in landscape design include as hedges, screens, and in large canopied trees understory. Their dark green, leatherly leaves add privacy blocks as many cultivars will grow full and thick. Camellias generally prefer partial shade, sheltered from the hot afternoon sun. The canopies of older plants is ideal for producing shade for them in sunnier locations. “If there was ever a plant that was considered royalty in Southern landscapes, camellias would undoubtedly be it,” according to the Florida Times Union. “They require a slightly acidic soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6. They need a well-drained but moist soil, so do not plant them in sites with high water tables and poorly drained soils.”

The two main camellia types we grow in North Florida are Camellia sasanqua and Camellia japonica. Japonica camellias are generally larger, have larger leaves and flowers, and bloom later in the season from January to March. The sasanquas typically bloom from October to December, and can handle more sun. There are six flowering forms of camellias to choose from including single, semi-double, Anemone form, Peony form, Rose form double, and Formal double. 

To promote healthy growth and vibrant blooms, fertilize your camellias in spring after their flowers have finished. Apply a specifically formulated, acidic fertilizer designed for these acid-loving plants. If, during the growing season, you observe slow growth or a decline in foliage health, indicated by a loss of vibrant green color and thinning leaves, a supplemental feeding in late spring or mid-summer may be beneficial.

Click Here for this guide as a PDF.

From our office in Atlantic Beach and satellites throughout Northeast Florida, Rockaway Inc proudly serves both commercial and residential landscape design, maintenance, lawn care, irrigation, and outdoor living carpentry client needs in Jacksonville, St Augustine, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, and Fernandina Beach.

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The Short List

Unless deer are starving, poisonous plants may be the only reliably deer resistant plants. These include Foxglove (Digitalis), Milkweed (Asclepias), Euphorbias like Diamond Frost, Poinsettia, and Crown of Thorns, Oleander (Nerium), Daffodils (Narcissus), and Poppies (Papaver). Although the fruits may be targeted, the vegetation of Eggplant, Tomato, and Potato (all Solanum) can cause nitrate poisoning. Angel’s Trumpets (Brugmansia) is also in this group. Avocado (Persea) can be toxic to large animals. There are other poisonous plants but not suited to our gardening climate.
You can also identify plants which are likely candidates for deer avoidance by noting whether they have highly fragrant foliage (deer rely on their sense of smell for protection and strong smells may mask predators), tough, hairy or spiny foliage, gray foliage, or milky sap. Deer may also find some to have a bitter or alkaloid taste. The longer list below contains plants with these features and was developed from University, Cooperative Extensions, and Master Gardener publications from sources in the Southeast for plants we can grow.

For the full list, download our PDF.

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When you design your landscape, think of many layers of dense plantings. Tropical rainforests have certain specific features. You see plants growing on top of other plants, large and long leaves often with drip tips and sometimes with variegation, smooth trunks and hot, bright colors. Tropicals can be mixed in with hardy tropical-appearing plants to echo them or provide contrast. They can also be powerful focal points. Even the smaller tropicals can be bold focal points in containers. Low growing tender plants can be mixed in borders to step in when the annuals slow down and where they won’t compete with taller fall blooming perennials. Another great way to design with tropicals is to create beds in parts of your gar-den just for them. Instead of trying to overwinter some of your tropicals you can treat them as annuals, and change and redesign the bed each year. This method allows you to manage your plants much more efficiently since you won’t have to carefully plan and garden around your perennials in those areas. The beds can support cool season annuals like pansies and spring bulbs early in the season before the tropicals are ready to be planted, and many will share the space as the bulbs and less heat resistant plants go dormant.

Tropicals aren’t difficult to grow. Wait until the night temperatures stay above 50° to plant. Most prefer well-draining soil with average fertility but mulched. Some of the more hardy tropical-looking plants like cannas, gingers, bananas and elephant ears, do better in richer and moister soil. If you dispose of your tropicals at the end of the season, then you can fertilize even in late summer for a better end of sea-son display. If kept, smaller potted plants can be brought indoors or in garages/greenhouses for overwintering or covered with freeze cloth when necessary. See the following table for growth requirements and attributes for specific plants. In the table, the minimum temperature column reveals which of these useful plants are the hardy, tropical looking ones and which will need to be protected in winter or replaced in the spring. We are part of USDA hardiness zone 9a, with an average minimum winter low of 20°, so any-thing with a higher minimum isn’t hardy here.

To view or download this care guide as a PDF, click here.

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Most citrus cultivars are self-fertile meaning they don’t need another citrus tree to produce fruit. Citrus flowers are perfect, having both sexes on the same blossom so that self-pollination can usually occur. However some varieties, mainly tangerine hybrids, require cross pollination to produce a good crop because they are self-incompatible. These include Minneola (Honeybell), Osceola, Nova, Orlando, Robinson, Page and Sun-burst. Temple is a good pollinizer cultivar for all of these.

Insect pollinators are needed for the cultivars that are not self-fertile. There is evidence that pollinators also enhance production in self-fertile trees. Insects, mostly honey bees, are the main pollinators since the heavy, sticky citrus pollen can’t be moved by the wind. Avoid the use of insecticides that are hazardous to bees, especially during the bloom period.

Please see our Citrus Care Guide for growing instructions.

Click Here for this guide as a PDF.

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