Plants of the Florida Scrub Florida scrub is dominated by woody shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Annuals and trees are rare. There are few grasses in scrub, and no turf-forming grasses at all, only bunch grasses. The diversity of plant species in Florida scrub is lower than for other Florida plant communities. Only a couple hundred species of plants have adapted to the scrub environment. Perhaps because it is such a harsh environment, there are almost no introduced species in scrub. In Florida, where exotic introduced species are a constant problem, from water hyacinths and hydrilla to Brazilian pepper and melaleuca and a hundred species in between, it is truly amazing that scrub is (so far) immune to the invasion of foreign weeds. Knock on sand pine.
Many scrub shrubs respond well to heavy pruning. Several of the typical scrub shrubs would make fine hedges. Some of the herbaceous perennials in scrub are among Florida's most beautiful. Florida's unique scrub plants are just beginning to be noticed by the horticultural community. Several, but not all, are currently available from native nurseries, primarily in central Florida (sources are provided at the end of the presentation). Take a Side Track to the Floridata picture gallery to see some plants that are typical of Florida Scrub. You can come back to the Florida Scrub Track at any time.
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Many scrub plants are beautifully suited for
xeriscaping, the practice of landscaping with plants that
can tolerate droughts and don't need to be watered. Most scrub plants require light,
well-drained sandy soils and cannot tolerate clayey or
moist soils. Fungus and various root rots attack scrub
plants that have been planted in heavy soils or watered
too much. Most scrub plants do best in full sun but a few
can tolerate some shade. 
