3 Plants that Bloom All Year Long in Sarasota FL

If you’re lucky enough to live in a sunny state with year-round nice weather, you should celebrate by surrounding yourself with flowers, right?

Are there plants that bloom in Florida year-round? 

Sure, a few. We’ll share a few favorites — plus some bonus tips for adding year-round vibrant color to keep you captivated. 

What to plant in Sarasota FL so your yard always looks great?

Let’s take a look. 

1. Hibiscus 

The ultimate tropical flower, hibiscus is a flowering shrub that makes your yard feel like a vacation paradise.
 
Hibiscus flowers can be up to nearly 10 inches in diameter at maturity and come in a wide range of colors, from white to red, pink, yellow, and orange. Tuck a bloom in your hair or through a shirt button hole if you’re feeling fancy. 

And, lucky us, it offers nearly year-round flowers in Florida. 

We know what you’re thinking. “I have a hibiscus and it doesn’t bloom all year.”

Here’s why: too much trimming. Some homeowners and landscape maintenance companies trim these shrubs every month. Big mistake. That cuts off the new buds. 

Tropical Gardens Landscape crews trim them a foot from the ground in spring and a foot from the ground in fall. 

Boom! Lots of blooms. 

Bonus: hummingbirds and butterflies love hibiscus flowers. 

2. Bougainvillea 

If you’re looking for plants that bloom year-round, grab a bougainvillea. Plus, it’s fun to say.

This pretty plant will bloom all year if it’s in full sun. 

Everybody loves bougainvillea’s stunning colors — pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow.

But its beauty comes with a price — big sharp thorns. So, beware.

And leave plenty of room for this one. It’s a fast grower, and some varieties reach 40 feet.

3. Ixora

Meet one of the best flowering bushes in Florida. This sun-loving shrub offers clusters of tubular flowers in bright red, orange, yellow, pink, or white.

Sometimes called “flame of the woods,” this compact, densely-branching shrub works great as a hedge, border, screen, or specimen plant. 

‘Maui’ will wow you with vibrant red or yellow flowers, both with an orangey tint.

‘Nora Grant’ has clusters of tiny pink flowers and is great as a hedge. 

One of the best flowering plants for Sarasota, Ixora flowers throughout the year, and each flower cluster can last between six and eight weeks, giving your landscape long-lasting color.

Beyond Blooms: The Beauty of Colorful Foliage

What to plant in Sarasota for year-round color? Be a fan of foliage. There are great Florida foliage plants that offer showy color, no blooms needed. 

A couple favorites: 

Schefflera ‘Trinette’

This showy, versatile, easy-care variegated shrub with cheerful green and yellow leaves thrives in sun or shade, looks great just about anywhere, and requires little care.

Combine this striking yellow and green beauty with vibrant croton and get ready to be wowed. 

Speaking of croton…

Counting Croton? Don’t Be in a Hurry

What to plant in Sarasota? Spectacular tropical croton — a Florida favorite. They thrive in the heat, add stunning tropical color, and grow an impressive six feet tall.

Your biggest challenge might be choosing one. There are so many varieties of croton, they actually ran out of names and just started calling them letters and numbers. 

Despite the huge number of croton varieties, everybody tends to use the same ones — ‘Petra,’ for instance, and ‘Magnificent.’ Both beauties, for sure, but do you want the same croton as everybody else? Nah. Try something new:  ‘King of Siam.‘ ‘Stoplight.’ ‘Pie crust.’ ‘Mango.’ (Is anybody else getting hungry?)

Get Plants That Bloom Year-round — with Careful Planning

Plan your plants so something is always in bloom each season and you can get that year-round color you crave.

Is it tricky to plan a garden where something is always in bloom? Yes. That’s what landscape designers are for. We love this stuff.

A couple of our favorites:

Iris ‘Regina’ 

You’ll love this stunning spring bloomer, with 3-4 inch wide purplish blue flowers and vibrant green leaves. It blooms from February through the summer.  The individual blooms will only last a few days, but the iris will bloom several times through the season.

Lorapetalum

Also called Chinese Fringe Flower for its delicate clusters of lightly scented blooms, this compact shrub sports colorful foliage that looks great year-round. Many varieties have deep purple or burgundy leaves.

The reddish-purple foliage, fragrant long-lasting flowers, and pretty tiered branching pattern make it a great choice for shrub borders, foundation plantings, hedges or stand-alone specimens.

Begonia ‘Alba’ 

Why bother with a white begonia when the rest of your garden is packed with color?

White makes the rest of those colors really pop. 

This beauty’s long-lasting sprays of delicate white flowers are also great for brightening up dark, shady areas. 

‘Alba’ won an award from The Royal Horticultural Society. Fancy, right?

What to Plant in Sarasota? Talk to Us 

Craving croton? Bonkers for bougainvillea? Happily hunting hibiscus? Want plants that bloom year-round? 

Chat with one of our landscape designers, who are happy to help you figure it all out. 

Give us a call today! Our team of Sarasota designers will help you create the perfect wow-worthy plantings for your backyard or vacation rental property.