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Thursday 12pm - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

http://sandhillsnativenursery.com/

Sandhills Native Nursery & Landscaping, 19326 Merritt Road, Fountain, FL (2026)

09/08/2026

What's this?! 👀 Another plant restock! 😮

We've been hard at work on the sales floor the past two weeks --- stay tuned for tomorrow's post on saying goodbye to some trees --- getting things ready for the upcoming fall season.

Today, we got to restock the floor! If you've come in the last few weekends, you might have noticed the floor was a little sparse. But if you come by this weekend, you'll see we're fully decked out: coneflower, Darrow's blueberry, two kinds of rattlesnake master, St Andrews Cross, some new trees like green ash, more dune sunflowers, and and and!

Come see us Thursday (12-4), Friday and Saturday (9am-4pm), or Sunday (10am-4pm).

09/07/2026

Beggarstick is out in full force this September. With prolific, heat-tolerant white blooms, it's one of the most common wildflowers throughout Florida.

With common names such as Romerillo, Spanish Needle, and Butterfly Needle, Bidens alba is a contentious plant. The nativity of this species is doubtful; the current literature leans more towards identifying it as a naturalized plant with the potential of being native specifically in the South. Regardless, it's here to stay.

Often considered a w**d, it's a hardy pioneer species that spreads by its prolific, sticky seed heads that have an 80% propagation rate! Plus, the seeds remain viable for 5 years of more, meaning it lives well in seed banks. It thrives in a range of conditions from sandy soils to moist, disturbed areas. This ability to grow in diverse and often harsh environments makes it both a valuable plant for biodiversity.

Especially since Florida ranks it as the third most reliable source of nectar for pollinators of all kinds. This means it's an invaluable food source for the creatures that help bring human their food. B. alba is also the larval host plant for the dainty sulphur (Nathalis iole) butterfly. And the foliage? It provides the perfect habitat for insects like green lynx spiders, assassin bugs, and more.

09/06/2026

Here we see an Eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius)!

This magnificent snake is a solitary, calm creature that occur throughout the entire state. We spotted this one on the road as we were driving between the nursery & grow site.

Their bold colors are an evolutionary tactic to repell birds; the colors might be beautiful and bright to our human eyes but their pattern is disruptive. When a coral snake is making its way through a dappled forest floor, a bird looking down won't see a whole snake-snack but rather a number of jumbled, jerkily moving blobs.

There's actually so many cool facts about coral snakes and their important role in Florida ecology --- would y'all want a full write up exploring this resplendent serpent? Drop us a comment or heart this reel!

09/05/2026

What's that?

You might be seeing this legume-esque looking 'w**d' popping up along roadsides, disturbed areas, and woodland edges the last few weeks. It's Senna obtusifolia, known by common names Chinese senna, American sicklepod, and sicklepod.

While the exact native range is unknown, there are numerous records from the late 1800s in eastern and southern USA that note sicklepods prescence. One of the earliest is a record from the 1850s in Arkansas (Bigelow s.n., NY). It's considered native to Florida throughout the whole state.

It can handle just about any type of soil; they grow in dry to moist soil. They perform best in full sun but can spread into part-shade areas like dappled woodland edges. The plant blooms yellow summer through fall if the weather cooperates. They reach a max height of 3ft but tend to cap out around 2.5ft, making it an excelllent foreground plant.

Sicklepods are larval hosts for a number of Lepidoptera species including the cloudless sulphur, orange barred sulphur, and the sleepy orange.

Have you seen this?

09/04/2026

It's known by many names but there's one you can't deny - it's Rudbeckia lanciniata!

Common names include Cutleaf Coneflower, Goldenglow, Green-headed Coneflower, Tall Coneflower, Sochan, and Thimblew**d. It's a stellar perennial that thrives in moist, nutrient-rich soils though it adapts to drier areas after a season of supplemental watering. Often found in woodlands, along streams, or in wetland areas, it typically reaches 3-4 feet in height in gardens but can soar up to 9 feet in the wild.

Cutleaf spreads from rhizomes, creating a bigger and bigger clump every year. Give it space to fill in or circle it with other natives to keep it contained. Their flowers bloom spring through summer - even occasionally into fall if the conditions are right. They make great cut flowers so if you love garden bouquets, this is the one for you!

The best part of this Rudbeckia is that it's highly attractive to pollinators. Most common Rudbeckias such as the Black Eyed Susans (R. hirta & R. fulgida) support caterpillars and songbirds but aren't very popular as nectar plants. Cutleaf flowers, on the other hand, are about 2-3" across and attract many pollinating insects including: long-tongued and short-tongued bees, predatory wasps, butterflies, skippers, moths, some beetles, and flies.

Plus it's the host plant for caterpillars of the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly and several excellent moths including the moth Marmara auratella, the coneflower borer moth (Papaipema nelita), the moth Epiblema arizonana, the wavy-lined emerald moth (Synchlora aerata), and the moth Eupithecia miserulata. The stems and dried flower heads provide seeds for winter songbirds and homes for solitary bees.

1gallon cutleafs are currently on sale BOGO!

Get yours today: https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/cutleaf-coneflower/

09/04/2026

Looking for a U-Pick beauty berry experience? Check out Womble Farms (located in Altha)!

09/03/2026

A post all about Beauty Berry Bug Spray!

Before we get into it, PLEASE note that you should always try new things with caution. For skin care items like bug spray, we recommend doing a skin patch test to ensure you are not allergic.

Now, why does beauty berry (Callicarpa americana) work as a natural bug repellent? There are 3 compound chemicals present in the leaves: callicarpenal, intermedeol, and spathulenol. These chemicals are known to repulse mosquitoes specifically; they are more effective than DEET but don't contain the long-lasting, problematic toxins - did you know that DEET runoff into water sources has been linked to seizures and cancer-risks?

So how can you use beauty berry leaves to create a natural bug repellent that's safer for your health? The infographic simplifies the beauty berry bug spray recipe down to the bare-bones, the almost-easiest way to use the leaves to repel bugs. The easiest way to use the leaves it to crush them and then rub them on your skin/clothes; you can also secure them under cuffs, hair ties, etc for long lasting repellant.

But if you'd like a more convenient, storable way to use the leaves, look no further. We prefer making a liquid bug spray as the base ingredient - isopropyl alcohol - is cheaper to acquire than if you wanted to make a cream. Also, applying a spray tends to be quicker and easier than slathering yourself. However, Noah has made a Beauty Berry Repellant Cream - if you're interested, comment below and we'll make a post later this week!

Now, let's expand on the bug spray recipe a little more.

Step 1: Harvest your leaves. As mentioned earlier, younger leaves seem to produce stronger bug spray. But you can harvest nearly year-round; beauty berry is deciduous so the leaves will drop in winter. Be careful to check your harvest plant for bird nests, caterpillars, or other wildlife before harvesting.

Step 2: Prep your leaves if you want; you can crush them and/or tear them into pieces to help activate those good repellent chemicals. Then, using an airtight container/jar, cover your leaves completely with isopropyl alcohol. If you don't cover your leaves completely with liquid, they can mold.

Step 3: Let the mix sit for at least 72hrs. We recommend storing the container in a shady, out-of-the-way place. Keep it out of the sun! Noah has forgotten a container for 2 weeks before with no negative impacts but also no obvious difference in strength. So letting it sit for longer than 72hrs doesn't seem to make it stronger.

Step 4: Strain out the leaves and toss them out. If you like an especially clear spray, strain the liquid again through a finer material like cheesecloth to get any smaller foliage particles out. At this point, you can either put the liquid into spray bottles and use it right away or put in some optional additives. Optional additives include things like: neem oil which is another natural insect repellant, your preferred body soap for scent, or essential oils like lemongrass.

Get yourself a beauty berry today and have natural bug spray within a week: https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/beauty-berry

09/02/2026

We've got one last round of Lance-leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) in stock for the year! We don't anticipate having more of this lovely native until spring 2027, so get it before it's gone.

In 1991, the genus Coreopsis was designated as Florida's official wildflower. The coreopsis is found in a variety of colors, ranging from golden to pink. Lanceleaf coreopsis is a sunshine yellow just perfect for the sunshine state!

Lance-leaved coreopsis, otherwise known as tickseed, do best in full sun. They are happy in usually moist to dry sites. This makes it excellent for roadsides where flooding occasionally saturates the soil before a summer dry spell hits and laaasts. While they prefer sand, they seem to tolerate a variety of soils as long as they are well-draining.

They're perfect in containers, make great cut flowers, and can be the perfect addition to a variety of garden bed styles - raingardens, wildflower gardens, prairies, meadows, and more! Best of all, these beauties self-seed which means you'll probably get a few volunteers each year.

Get yours today --> https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/lance-leaved-tickseed/

09/01/2026

We've got some 2-for-1 sales going on right now! Get TWO 1gallon native wildflowers for only $10. Valid in store and online.

---Sunchokes ---

AKA Jerusalem artichokes. They prefer occasionaly moist to somewhat dry conditions in full sun. These sunflowers reach heights of 8' tall and have edible tubers for roots; best harvested during the fall season. The tubers can seem somewhat aggressive, so this plant is best used as a background specimen/screen/hedge plant but can also be easily thinned. (photo 2-3)

https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/sunchoke/

---Cutleaf Coneflower---

A stellar perennial that thrives in moist, nutrient-rich soils; though it adapts to drier areas after a season of supplemental watering. Often found in woodlands, along streams, or in wetland areas, it typically reaches 3-4 feet in height in gardens but can soar up to 9 feet in the wild. Cutleaf flowers are about 2-3" across and attract many pollinating insects including: long-tongued and short-tongued bees, predatory wasps, butterflies, skippers, moths, some beetles, and flies. (photo 4-5)

https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/cutleaf-coneflower/

---Seaside Goldenrod---

They like to be planted in full sun, full sand locations that are usually moist OR close to a water source so the roots can dig in deep and wide. Blooming in fall, they've got a lovely clumping, upright growth pattern that reaches a mature size of 2-6ft tall with a spread of 2-3ft in just one growing season. Great for erosion control and as a pollinator plant. (photo 6-7)

https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/seaside-goldenrod/

08/31/2026

We've been seeing more lovebugs out at the nursery so we thought it was time to revisit their origins and explore their role in the ecosystem.

Lovebugs (Plecia nearcitca and Plecia americana Hardy) are a species of march fly that migrated from Central America to Texas. Most sources agree that they arrived in Florida sometime in the 1940s. UF researchers theorize prevailing winds, vehicle traffic, sod transport, expansion of pastures, and increased habitat along highways helped their rapid spread throughout the state.

Regardless of their migration history, they successfully acclimated to their new ecosystem without out-competing any other species. And they're here to stay. There is a lot of speculation about the lovebug; this can be attributed to the mysteries around its complete life cycle. The larval form is seldom seen because they live in thick grass thatches for most of the year.

While they can erode the paint on cars and houses, it is not because their insides are particularly acidic. It is simply that if their remains aren't promptly washed off, the combination of humidity and sunlight can bake their remains and erode the paint. Additionally, their remains are harder to remove the longer they sit which further damages paint. So why do so many lovebugs end up on cars? They are attracted to engine exhaust and heat because the chemicals put off are similar to the ones released by decaying organic matter. They think it is a place to nest.

There are ways to reduce their impact on your car. Some tips and tricks:

- Lovebugs reach peak activity at 10 AM and stop flying at dusk so try traveling at night if possible.
- Soaking the remains for several minutes with water can make their removal easier.
- During peak lovebug season, try spreading a light film of baby oil along impacted areas on your car; this helps with their removal in the future. You can also use car wax.

Lovebugs play an important ecological role. They help redistribute nutrients into the soil; maturing lovebugs feed on dead vegetation, helping to break down the season's debris. They are great decomposers! Lovebugs are truly lovely; they don't carry vector-borne diseases, pose no risk to humans or pets, are a food source for various wildlife, and work hard to help keep the soil healthy. Lovebugs like to seek pollen and nectar and may be important in pollination; more research is required. They are known to feed on Brazilian Pepper, sweet clover, and goldenrod.

Sandhills Native Nursery & Landscaping

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Thursday	12pm - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm