Bee City Gainesville— Native Plant Garden at Evergreen Cemetery

This demonstration garden utilizes Florida native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs that provide vital resources for native butterflies, bees, birds and other wildlife. Click for a full list of plants utilized in the garden.

DID YOU KNOW?

Florida native plants are adapted to thrive in our climate, conditions and soil. They need less water than other plants, and require no fertilizers, pesticides or other chemicals. This saves precious water resources and keeps excess nutrients from polluting lakes, rivers and streams.

Sign for a native plant garden in a garden located near a road. Trees and a few people are visible in the background.
Bee City Gainesville planting at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Photo by Emily Bell

The City of Gainesville received its Bee City USA designation in November 2022. An initiative of the Xerces Society, Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides. Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world’s flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.

The Florida Wildflower Foundation protects, connects and expands native wildflower habitats through education, research, planting and conservation. Learn more at FlaWildflowers.org.

Native Garden at Evergreen Cemetery — Featured Plants

The following native species were planted in the UU Fellowship’s native plant garden:

Firebush

Firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens) is a hardy, fast-growing and showy evergreen shrub to small tree. It produces clusters of bright orange to red tubular flowers that are filled with…
Read more… Firebush

Dahoon holly

Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine) is an evergreen tree or large shrub with exceptional landscape potential. It is easy to grow and attractive year-round. Its dense foliage and abundant fruit attract…
Read more… Dahoon holly
Spotted beebalm flowers.

Spotted beebalm

Spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata) is a robust, aromatic wildflower known to attract a huge variety of pollinating insects, including bees, wasps and butterflies. It blooms from early summer through fall.
Read more… Spotted beebalm
Hairyawn muhlygrass

Muhlygrass

Nothing says fall in Florida like the purple haze of Muhlygrass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) in bloom. When planted en masse, this perennial bunchgrass puts on a spectacular fall display.
Read more… Muhlygrass
Tropical sage flowers

Tropical sage

Tropical sage ( Salvia coccinea) is a versatile perennial wildflower that no pollinator can resist, but it is particularly attractive to bees, large butterflies and hummingbirds.
Read more… Tropical sage

Lyreleaf sage

Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata) is an attractive perennial with leafless spikes of tubular, lavender to bluish flowers. Bees are its predominant pollinator, but it also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Read more… Lyreleaf sage
Green fern-like leaves
Coontie

Coontie (Zamia integrifolia) is a long-lived, low-growing evergreen cycad. It is also the larval host for the Atala butterfly. (Photo: Forest and Kim Starr (CC BY 2.0))

Pollinators need your help!

Help Florida’s wildlife and environment by using native wildflowers and plants in your landscape. Click here to learn more about planting, selecting and maintaining native plants, or check out these resources:

The garden was made possible by the Florida Wildflower Foundation in partnership with Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville, Bee Good Landscape and the City of Gainesville. Check out images from the inaugural planting on Saturday, December 13, 2024 here.

Logo with green hexagon border, bee illustration, and the text Bee Good Landscape Design & Services inside, styled in cursive.