Ruelllia Mexicana. Aristolochica trilobata.

I forgot about the Mexican Ruellia! I tried the Florida friendly version and it still took off like crazy. I wonder if it would choke out the Weedila. LOL

Ugh - wedelia is so tough to get rid of!

In fact, the most aggravating 'weeds' seem to thrive on neglect, don't they?

As for something nice, I mentioned on another thread that I have what I believe is a Louis Phillipe/cracker rose that absolutely thrives on neglect 🙂

I have heard about the cracker rose before. Maybe I will give it a try here. I had given up on roses, camellias, hydrangas and the like years ago. I am far too lazy and then the last houses had no irrigation so I just embraced the drought loving tropicals instead. I have a little more time for watering things these days.

Wedelia is the pits. The previous owner of my house had decided to let all the grass here get smothered so he didn’t have to mow. I have more oak leaves and pine needles than actual grass and I still have not found the spinkler system itself if you can believe that. I started digging a little trench tracing the wire next to the white pipe. I have a feeling it could be burried near the well head. I have to get out there and dig some more to find where it ends.

I have no irrigation either. Plus we have no hose connection in the front of the house. I have to drag 200 ft of hose from the back connection to water the front.

I agree, Plumbago works perfectly. I have a Firebush which grows like a weed and has to be cut down each year. Bromeliads work. I also have two climbing roses which survive and continue to bloom. I have a few shrubs which I do know know the name. The front of my house faces West and gets blasted with sun all afternoon.

I do put down wood chips and fill the whole area. I think it helps. Florida growing is so disheartening compared to growing in NY.

Up here in Zone 9, I have good luck with things that die back in the winter and come out in the spring, like Clerodendrum bleeding heart, firespike, ornamental sweet potato, "Little Ruby" alternanthera and cannas. They do take a little maintenance, but they don't seem to need much water or fertilizer. Bulbs like amaryllis, crinum, red spider lily, rain lilies also do well. Since gingers grow in shade, they don't seem to need a lot of water. Mine are usually pretty happy with what nature gives them. Bougainvilleas also seem to do well without extra care once they are established. They actually love the dry winters. For borders, I use liriope and oyster plant. The oyster plant isn't cold hardy, but I just rake up leaves over it and it comes back from the bottom.

Panama rose/Rondeletia is another with pretty pink flowers that release their scent in the evening and needs little extra care. Mine is now over 6' tall, growing in dry partial shade, and really needs pruning.

Not my photo - from the web:

Im with you, Joan regarding low maintenance plants! looking around my yard this morning I have two favorite very low maintenance suggestions.

Coral honeysuckle is my absolute best! Native, evergreen, hummingbirds love it. I have two large stands of it however our last two hurricanes destroyed one of the heavy duty trellisses. We have since repaired it and the plant suffered no permanent damage.

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/coral-honeysuckle.html

Second favorite is Firebush. Also native and a wonderful butterfly and hummingbird attractor. can get quite large but responds very well to an occasional hard trimming. it will most likely lose all leaves in a frosty winter but bounces back well in spring.

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/firebush.html

A few other flowering plants that i feel are low maintenance are shrimp plant and purple porterweed but the porterweed will reseed rapidly once established. very easy to pull volunteers. I also love lirope for the evergreen clumps it makes. Looks great in a bed of color. My neighbor has Ixora and that seems to fit the bill. i dont have personal experience with that but plan on introducing it this year in a new bed along with crotons and pentas. I have found the rose/mauve colored pentas do best for me.

That Panama Rose above is what I was calling a Bush Penta. Mine has been very hardy in a spot that I suspect has poor sandy soil next to the pond. I think that plant has two common names maybe?

Looking good right now considering the cold weather. Appears drought tolerant in this space.

Some more ornamentals I thought of - Walter's viburnum and Chickasaw plum.

And plumeria/frangipani.

Now that I have found a spot to try a Florida rose I am worried I may pick the wrong one. Any tips on identifying the correct Louis Phillipe Fl Cracker Rose?

Carol, is yours very thorny? Are the flowers smallish? I saw one for sale locally that was labeled Florida climbing rose or something like that. Will it require a trellis or would it just turn into a bush if left unsupported?

You can do a Google Image search for the varieties, so you can compare, since most results will be from vendors and reference sites. That's what I like to do.

Mine was bought unnamed as a small rooted cutting. I guessed Louis Phillipe based on comparing characteristics, using Google Image. It's kind of a sprawling shrub, and pretty thorny, as tall as our 6' fence.

Here's a link to a helpful .PDF publication on old roses from the Univ. of FL:

https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/miami-dade/documents/landscapes-amp-gardening/Old-Roses-for-South-Florida.PDF

I did review a bunch of old threads, some with photos. There are a lot of opinions out there that’s for sure. So many that I started wondering what was what. Thanks for the fact link. I think I will go nursery hopping and see what I trip over. Maybe I will find a bargain trellis while I am out rose hunting.

I thought I had left all the Mexican Ruellia/Mexican Petunias at the old house. I just found a single plant that popped up in a pot of colocasia. Yikes! It was totally taking over at the old place. We had the pink and the blue varieties. I thought I was rid of it.

How about Sago Palm/Cycas revoluta ! Hubby tried to dig a diseased one out of a flowerbed here. He used an ax, chainsaw, shovel. Thought we got all the roots etc and now its growing back! Unless its a bunch of rogue seedlings. These are large "fronds" though. lol

In N FL, Crinium Lilies take neglect. I found some growing wild back in the woods at our old place. The bulbs were larger than softballs. I brought some to plant here.

>"Crinium Lilies take neglect" ___ You remind me of my Rain Lillies, mostly ignored in a too-small pot, that bloom once every year. Blooming duration is so short that work is better placed elsewhere.

That reminds me of the Hurricane Lilies/Naked Ladies that would pop up in the lawn at our old place. There was also orange double daylilies that popped up randomly every year. Those definitely thrived on neglect.

How about wisteria. It runs rampant along with the wild honeysuckle, yellow Carolina Jessamine, trumpet vine, orange morning glories, Beauty Berry, wild blackberries. Elderberry thrives here with no extra care. I have some Century plants and Prickly Pear that I do nothing to. The Prickly pear bloom and gives fruit every year. I made sure to bring some with me to the new place.

This yard has some red Ixora along the driveway. Easy care plant for sure, I also grew it in Stuart once. Hot tip from that place. Do not plant it too close to the pool cage LOL

It is a very hardy plant. It was well established when I had to maintain it around that pool, a beast now that I am remembering it.

These are very tall along the driveway border, constantly spreading. There is a cherry there too. Between the Ixora and the cherry (surinam?) I am always hacking back suckers. Or whatever they are called.

Close up

A shrimp plant 🤣 what a funny name for such a large plant

The size of it is hard to describe. It is planted next to a golden rain tree. A Giant shrimp plant! Super easy care.

I just walked my driveway to clear fronds and I took the phone. Has anyone had the experience of trying to remove Rosary Pea - Arbus precatorius? It is hard to get rid of.

This seed is fatal if ingested! I am sure they didn’t know that back in the eighties when they were plating exotics all over this property. I have been removing it seed by seed. It is the only plant that has ever given me a severe skin rash, twice! I have to suit up in disposable gloves when I take on the existing pretty little Poisonous vine. It is lethal! Sadly it has a pretty purple flower so they let it run loose or it got away on the boundaries of the property. I dread the thought of removing the ones on the fence.

Deadly!

The vine looks like a soft fluffy mimosa or something similar. TOXIC! Appearances are deceiving.