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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)

09/02/2026

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.

08/30/2026

Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is ON SALE NOW!!!

This popular, semi-evergreen groundcover (freezes below 15 degrees) is our favorite turf replacement. However, it also does well as a trailing plant in hanging pots, as w**d control in kept flower beds, and as erosion control around pond edges or other runoff areas.

Once established, it can be walked on, driven on, and mowed over. It's highly adaptable, handling full sun to full shade (although you will notice a difference in growth and blooming). It handles the long, hot Florida summers AND the occasional inundation of seasonal storms.

Best of all, it's highly attractive to a variety of pollinators including but not limited too flies, butterflies, moths, and more. Plus, it is a host plant for three different butterflies: White peacock (Anartia jatrophae), Phaon crescent (Phyciodes phaon), and Common buckeye (Junonia coenia).

Get yours today ---> https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/.../turkey-tangle.../

Don't forget we offer Free Delivery the last weekend of the month to those in Bay County who spend $30 or more.

08/29/2026

Inventory update! Our grow site is establishing very well (can you believe we just got it up and running this spring?) So we've updated our nursery inventory to reflect that!

If you ever come out to the nursery hoping to get, say, 20 blanket flower but you only see 5 on the floor --- don't worry! We have more available, and it's a quick 5minute jaunt to grab them for you.

Today we're bringing over a couple things that have been out of stock: switchgrass, 3g crossvine, marsh rattlesnake master, and more.

08/28/2026

As asked, here's our favorite Beauty Berry Simple Syrup recipe!
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What can't you do with this syrup? Use it to flavor drinks, use it as a syrup for goodies like pancakes or crêpes, as a glaze for meats and fish, as a salad or ice cream topping - whatever you can dream up, you can do! The lightly floral flavor of beauty berry syrup makes it a lovely addition to almost everything.
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The infographic has the recipe simplified down to three steps. Here's the same recipe but more in-depth:

Step 1: Wash the beauty berries (to your preference). This can be as easy as rinsing them thoroughly or as dedicated as doing a soak. Soaking is the best way to make sure all of the dirt, debris, bugs, etc. come off. Soak in room temp water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then carefully strain them.

Step 2: Add berries and 3 cups of water to a pot, and boil them for 20 minutes. Occasionally crush the berries down to get all of the juice out; use the back of your stirring utensil or a potato masher.

Step 3: Strain the berries using either a cheesecloth, small strainer, or your preferred method of straining. Discard the used berries. Add the strained liquid back into the pot and continue to boil.

Step 4: Add sugar (or sweetener alternative) to your preference. However, less than 1 cup of sugar will make the syrup taste somewhat bland. Most recipes recommend 2cups. Stir until it dissolves.

Step 5: Now boil to your preferred thickness. If you’d like to use it for adding to drinks or as a syrup, leave it more liquidy. If you want to add it to baked goods, let it thicken more. Once it’s where you’d like it to be in terms of thickness, let your syrup cool down.

Step 6: At this point, you can also add some lemon juice to improve the color. Please note that this might affect the shelf life, especially if planning to can for later use rather than refrigerate.

If refrigerating, it must be used within 7 days or so. If you can/jar it, it can store for at least 6months. The flavor is slightly reminiscent of hibiscus, vaguely floral and light.

Get yourself a beauty berry today so you can play (around...with the recipe...): https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/beauty-berry
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What's your favorite way to use beauty berry syrup? Comment below!

08/28/2026

This is your LAST CHANCE to benefit from our end-of-summer sales! Come see us this weekend Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, or Sunday 10am-4pm. Be sure to check the radar, we've got a lot of rain in the forecast! Or place your pickup order online, and come next weekend when the rain is forecasted to be cleared out.

Still on sale (online and at the nursery) until August 31st:

- 3g Sycamore $15

---> One of our preferred shade trees recommendations . They're both fast growing and hurricane wind resistant, which are two biggies here in the Panhandle. They can be on anywhere between 2-6ft of growth in a single year! Find them here: https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/sycamore/

- 3g Obedient Plant $15 --- LOW STOCK

---> Perennial with showy pinkish-purple blooms in late summer-early fall. It's adaptable to most landscapes if planted in moist to wet soils. Happy in full sun to part shade, and has no real soil preference; plant it in sand, clay, humus, loam, or any mix of them. https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/obedient-plant/

- 3g Salt & Pepper $15

---> One of our favorite generalist pollinator plants. Reaches 2-5ft tall by 2-4ft wide; we recommend pruning in late winter-early spring to control form. Plant in full sun to part shade conditions in loam, limerock, clay, or sand. It tolerates usually moist to very dry conditions. https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/salt-pepper/

- 3g Beebalm $15

---> An absolute pollinator magnet! Ranging from 2-5ft tall with a standard spread of 2ft, this is one of those natives that can escape notice until it's literally buzzing with activity. Summer through fall, it puts off fascinating blooms in all manner of colors and patterns; the general palette includes white, purple, creams, yellow, and sometimes pink. https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/spotted-bee-balm/

08/27/2026

Colloquially known as Bitterw**d (Helenium amarum), this quaint yellow bloomer is undervalued in the commercial plant industry. Like most Helenium species, this tiny flower attracts a variety of pollinators. It's an excellent pioneer plant, which means it's not for every garden - it can and will readily self-seed, colonizing disturbed ground.

This patch, for instance, is popping up along a sandy back road. It'll reach 2-3ft tall if it isn't mowed down or ran over. The attractive yellow blooms will occur until August to late fall (depending on weather)

08/26/2026

Giant Ironw**d (Vernonia gigantea) is in peak bloom right now!

It's a member of Asteraceae, the Sunflower family. While it typically caps out at 4-6ft tall, it has been found in nature to reach anywhere from 9-12ft --- that's a giant alright! You'll find it in prairies, grasslands, old fields, roadsides, savannas, and woodlands growing in dry to moist soils.

It grows well in a mixture of loam, clay-loam, clay-sandy, or sandy-loam soils. It does especially well in a mix that will hold a little moisture; Noah has experimented and found it does better in a clay-sand mix than straight sand if it's in full sun (likely because the clay aids in moisture retention). If it's in part shade, it doesn't seem to care about the soil mix much at all.

Giant Ironw**d is extremely heat tolerant. Unlike most other foliage, established (1year or older) Ironw**d doesn't seem to be affected by the lack of rain and intense heat during periods of drought. Giant Ironw**d will bloom periodically June through early October here in the Panhandle. If you'd like to encourage repeat, prolonged blooming, be sure to deadhead spent blooms. Flowers are lavender, magenta, or deep purple.

Not only is it heat tolerant, it's also a HIT with pollinators and other wildlife. The nectar attracts bee flies, butterflies, skippers, and various bees (primarily long-tongued bees due to the flower shape). Some bees have been observed collecting pollen for their larvae. Plus it's a larval host for the spring azure butterfly.

And it's a measure above day-blooming flowers as it supports night pollinators like moths! The caterpillars of various moths feed on Vernonia species including Carmenta bassiformis (Eupatorium Borer Moth), Papaipema cerussata (Ironw**d Borer Moth), Perigea xanthioides (Red Groundling), Polygrammodes flavidalis (Pyralid Moth sp.), and more.

Other benefits include: native bees nesting in the hollow stems, lovebugs visiting to pollinate, tiny predators like lynx spiders use it as hunting grounds, it's deer resistant, safe to plant around livestock because they're uninterested in eating it, and it makes a nice cut flower if you enjoy garden bouquets!

Get yours today: https://sandhillsnativenursery.com/product/giant-ironw**d/

08/25/2026

Some 3,000~ frogfruit plugs are going out on the King Preserve trail walkway today!

King Preserve is a Panama City wetland protected and managed by the Bay County Conservancy. It's an excellent little trail for birders or nature lovers; there's always wildlife to see and neat natives to enjoy.

Sandhills Native Nursery & Landscaping

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

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