Southern Coastal Plain

The Southern Coastal Plain runs across northern and central Florida and up into the Georgia and Carolina low country, taking in Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Savannah. Sandy soil, a high water table, heavy summer rain, and winters with little or no frost set the rules. Natives such as scarlet sage, white wild indigo, and sweetbay magnolia handle the wet summers and fast drainage that rot out plants shipped down from cooler places.

Conditions: Sandy, fast-draining soils over a high water table, 50–60 inches of rain concentrated in summer, mild winters with little or no frost.

Cities and areas: Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Savannah, Gainesville, Ocala.