Why should Little Gasparilla Island residents consider using native plants in their landscape … ?
Because native plants are beautiful and provide important food and shelter for island wildlife. Also, by having adapted to the soil, rain patterns, temperatures and pests of Florida, they are low maintenance and do not require fertilizers, pesticides and frequent watering.
If you would like to learn what native plants will do well on LGI you can now purchase a book that details plants tailored to the coastal environment of SW Florida. The non-profit cost of the book is $25. Please contact Jennifer McCullough via her email – RummysWay@gmail.com – to arrange purchase of a copy. A demo copy is available at the Gone Fish Inn gallery, dock 5, if you would like to see the book. The information was put together to help make it easy for island residents to learn which native plants will grow well in our coastal environment. The book is not intended to be a commercial endeavor and the price is just to cover the expense of printing.
Native plants come in a variety of forms including vines, flowers, ground-covers, grasses, palms, palmettos, shrubs and trees. For each of these categories the book provides pictures along with the common plant names, Latin name, plant type, optimal light, light range, soil moisture, soil texture, drought tolerance, salt tolerance, wildlife that rely on the plant, growth rate, mature height, mature spread, soil pH, hardiness zone and general comments. In addition recommended books, websites and native plant nurseries are listed.
Sample pages (click to enlarge):
