Plant palette
The Southwest Florida plant guide
The palms, trees, shrubs and groundcovers our designers reach for in Lee and Collier counties, with how much salt, sun and space each one needs. Filter by what your lot asks for.
Choosing plants here is mostly about exposure. A royal palm that soars on a Fort Myers street struggles on a Sanibel beachfront; a sea grape that shrugs off salt spray can outgrow a small courtyard. Every plant below notes salt tolerance, light and mature size, so you can see why a designer puts it where they do.
Plant photographs are reference images of each species from Wikimedia Commons, credited on every card. They are not Lombardo projects; for those, see the portfolio.
Salt ratings are general coastal guidance. On your property we confirm every selection against its actual exposure, soil and irrigation.
32 plants
PalmFlorida native Sabal palm
Sabal palmetto
Florida's state tree. Tough, salt and wind tolerant, and the backbone of coastal and island landscapes.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 40 to 50 ft
Photo: Mmcknight4, public domain
Palm 
PalmFlorida native Florida thatch palm
Thrinax radiata
A slender native for tight spaces and beachfront lots where few palms thrive.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 15 to 25 ft
Photo: Mmcknight4, CC BY 4.0
Palm Medjool date palm
Phoenix dactylifera 'Medjool'
Silver-green fronds and a stout trunk; a favorite for estate entries and motor courts.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 40 to 50 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Asima Bibi, CC BY-SA 4.0
PalmFlorida native Royal palm
Roystonea regia
The smooth gray columns that line McGregor Boulevard. Grand, fast and best set back from salt spray.
- Salt
- Low
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 50 to 70 ft
Photo: US Forest Service, public domain
Palm Foxtail palm
Wodyetia bifurcata
Plume-like fronds and a clean trunk; striking when uplit at night.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 20 to 30 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: ITropically, CC BY-SA 4.0
Palm Bismarck palm
Bismarckia nobilis
Huge silver fan fronds. A sculptural focal point that needs room to spread.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 30 to 50 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Mmcknight4, public domain
Palm Canary Island date palm
Phoenix canariensis
A massive crown for large properties. Susceptible to lethal bronzing, so plant health matters.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 40 to 60 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0
Palm Christmas palm
Adonidia merrillii
A compact, tidy palm for courtyards and narrow side yards.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 15 to 25 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Tomascastelazo, CC BY-SA 4.0
TreeFlorida native Sea grape
Coccoloba uvifera
Big round leaves and a natural screen. A native workhorse for privacy near the water.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 15 to 30 ft
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0
TreeFlorida native Gumbo limbo
Bursera simaruba
Peeling copper bark and wind-tough branches; a native shade tree that handles storms.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 30 to 50 ft
Photo: Louise Wolff, CC BY-SA 3.0
TreeFlorida native 
TreeFlorida native Silver buttonwood
Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus
Silvery foliage that thrives in salt. Works as a small tree or a clipped hedge.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 15 to 25 ft
Photo: Mason Brock, public domain
Tree Royal poinciana
Delonix regia
Flame-red canopy in early summer. A showpiece that needs space for its wide umbrella.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 30 to 40 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Averette, CC BY-SA 3.0
TreeFlorida native Pigeon plum
Coccoloba diversifolia
A tidy native tree with glossy leaves, good for narrower spaces than sea grape needs.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 20 to 30 ft
Photo: Mason Brock, public domain
Shrub or hedgeFlorida native Cocoplum
Chrysobalanus icaco
Dense native hedging that takes shaping well. Green-tip forms take salt best.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 3 to 15 ft
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0
Shrub or hedgeFlorida native Simpson's stopper
Myrcianthes fragrans
Fragrant flowers, peeling bark and a refined native hedge or small tree.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to shade
- Height
- 10 to 20 ft
Photo: David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0
Shrub or hedgeFlorida native Firebush
Hamelia patens
Orange-red flowers most of the year. Hummingbirds and butterflies love it.
- Salt
- Low
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 6 to 10 ft
Photo: Alejandro Bayer Tamayo, CC BY-SA 2.0
Shrub or hedgeFlorida native 
Shrub or hedge Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
Bold color in yellow, orange and red; the signature of tropical Southwest Florida beds.
- Salt
- Low
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 3 to 8 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Louise Wolff, CC BY-SA 3.0
Shrub or hedge Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea spp.
Sheets of magenta, coral or white. Thrives on heat and dry soil; thorny, so placement matters.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- Shrub or vine
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Clint Budd, CC BY 2.0
Shrub or hedge Podocarpus
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Narrow, upright and dense; a reliable formal hedge or column.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 10 to 20 ft hedge
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0
Shrub or hedge Green Island ficus
Ficus microcarpa 'Green Island'
Rounded, glossy and low; a clean edge for beds and walks.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 2 to 4 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: PumpkinSky, CC BY-SA 4.0
GrassFlorida native Muhly grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Clouds of pink plumes in fall. Beautiful in drifts and backlit at sunset.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 2 to 3 ft
Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
GrassFlorida native Fakahatchee grass
Tripsacum dactyloides
A big, soft native clump grass for screening and wet spots.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 3 to 5 ft
Photo: David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0
GroundcoverFlorida native Coontie
Zamia integrifolia
A native cycad with fern-like fronds, tough and slow, and host plant for the atala butterfly.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to shade
- Height
- 2 to 3 ft
Photo: tato grasso, CC BY-SA 2.5
GroundcoverFlorida native Beach sunflower
Helianthus debilis
Cheerful yellow flowers on a sprawling groundcover that loves sandy coastal soil.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 1 to 2 ft
Photo: Bob Peterson, CC BY-SA 2.0
Groundcover Perennial peanut
Arachis glabrata
A flowering lawn alternative that needs far less water and mowing than turf.
- Salt
- Low
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- Under 1 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Nurhafizah Abdullah, CC BY-SA 3.0
Groundcover Purple queen
Tradescantia pallida
Deep purple foliage that contrasts beautifully with lime and silver plants.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- Under 1 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: O Tupinólogo, CC BY 4.0
Accent Bromeliads
Neoregelia, Aechmea and others
Living color under palms and in shade gardens, often massed in drifts.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Part shade
- Height
- 1 to 3 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Cody Hinchliff, CC BY-SA 3.0
Accent White bird of paradise
Strelitzia nicolai
Banana-like leaves for instant tropical height against a wall or in a corner.
- Salt
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Height
- 15 to 20 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0
Accent Agave
Agave spp.
Architectural rosettes for modern landscapes and dry, sunny spots.
- Salt
- High
- Light
- Full sun
- Height
- 2 to 6 ft
- Origin
- Non-native
Photo: Jim Evans, CC BY-SA 4.0
No plants match every filter. Try removing one.
Designing with the palette
Plants are the last decision, not the first
A plant list is not a design. We decide where the shade, privacy, color and height need to be first, then choose plants for those jobs that suit the exposure. Ask us about sourcing, too: one client noted their trees and shrubs came from growers in Homestead, Florida.
Request a consultation
Let a designer choose the right plant for every spot.
Four short steps. Tell us what you are dreaming about and where, and a designer will call to set up your consultation at the property or in our Fort Myers showroom.