Bee City Gainesville—Gainesville Garden Club

This demonstration garden utilizes Florida native wildflowers 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

Click to see photos from the UU Fellowship planting day.

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 Gainesville Garden Club — Featured Plants

The following native species were planted in the Gainesville Garden Club’s native plant garden:

Partridge pea

Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is a larval host for several butterflies, including the Gray hairstreak and Cloudless sulphur. The plant is also used by bees, ants, flies, wasps, birds and…

Mistflower blooms

Mistflower

Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) gives the appearance of a blue fog when blooming en masse. Its flowers are very attractive to pollinators, especially butterflies, moths and long-tongued bees.

Lanceleaf tickseed flower

Lanceleaf tickseed

Lanceleaf tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata ) has conspicuously sunny flowers that typically bloom in spring. It attracts butterflies and other pollinators, and its seeds are eaten by birds and small wildlife.

Leavenworth’s tickseed

Leavenworth’s tickseed

Leavenworth’s tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii) is often used as a component of mixed wildflower and butterfly gardens, and is excellent for sunny roadsides, highway medians and powerline easements.

Narrowleaf sunflower, Helianthus angustifolius

Narrowleaf sunflower

Narrowleaf sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) is one of Florida’s most common native sunflowers. In nature, it forms dense colonies, resulting in spectacular swaths of sunshine yellow when in bloom.

Snow squarestem

Also known as Cat’s tongue, Salt and pepper and Nonpareil, Snow squarestem (Melanthera nivea) typically blooms summer through early winter, but can bloom year-round, attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

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.

Rudbeckia hirta

Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) typically blooms in spring through fall. It is pollinated by a variety of insects, and its seeds are eaten by seed-eating birds.

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.

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.

Starry rosinweed flower

Starry rosinweed

Starry rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus) is a robust perennial with showy yellow blooms. It occurs naturally in flatwoods, sandy pinelands and disturbed areas and attracts a variety of pollinators.

Blue-eyed grass bloom

Blue-eyed grass

The low profile of Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) makes it an excellent groundcover choice. It is fairly adaptable to a variety of conditions.

Elliott's aster flowers

Elliott’s aster

Elliott’s aster (Symphyotrichum elliottii) is a perennial wildflower and wonderful plant for attracting butterflies, bees and other pollinators due to its many fragrant blooms.

Forked bluecurls

Forked bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum ) have dainty yet distinctive bluish-purple flowers. They are short-lived, opening only in the morning, but individual plants may produce thousands of flowers throughout a season…

Close-up of a Rougeplant (Rivina humilis) with red and green berries and small white flowers on thin stems, surrounded by green leaves.

Rougeplant

Rougeplant (Rivina humilis) is an evergreen shrub that provides flowers and fruit throughout the year. (Photo: JennyEvans CC BY-NC 2.0)

Goldenrod

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) is a perennial wildflower whose bright yellow blooms attract a plethora of pollinators. (Photo: Emily Bell)

Blanketflower plants in bloom.

Blanketflower

No longer classified as native, this annual wildflower still provides pollinator resources.

Learn more about the plant and its status here.

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 the Gainesville Garden Club and the City of Gainesville. Check out images from the inaugural planting on Saturday, November 2, 2024 here.