Florida’s lake front landscapes are among the most precious in the country. With Florida’s unique tropical atmosphere (and rare freezes), specific plants need to be included in an aquatic plant lakefront scheme to stay lush and green the entire year. Among these, include:

• Cat-tails (Typha species), a favorite of Floridians, are named after their long, cylinder-shaped flower spikes that are brown in color. Common to Florida’s wetlands, these plants grow out of the water and provide protection and nesting locations for wildlife.
• Duck potato (Sagittaria lancifolia) is named after its swollen underground stems that resemble potatoes. This emersed plant is known for its large lance-shaped leaves and white three-petal flowers extending high above its stems. Duck potato usually grows in Florida’s swamps, ditches, lakes, and streams.
• Bur-marigold (Bidens leaves) is an immersed flowering plant from the daisy family. Brilliant in its yellow color, it is typically found in Florida’s marshes.
• Watershield, (Brasenia schreberi) found in Florida’s lakes ponds and slower streams in water up to six feet deep, is a free-flowing plant with long leaf stalks. The stalks extend downward and attach to a sprawling anchored root in the mud bottom. Water shields flowers are small and dull purple, extending from the water on a stalk. Its leaves are oval and shield-shaped, and the undersides have a gel-like coating.
• The American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is and immersed or free-floating plant found in Florida’s muddy and shallow waters up to six feet deep. The easy-to-spot plant features very large yellow flowers that grow up to six inches wide on a long, stiff stalk. Leaves are circular and lack the radial “pie-piece” shaped cut of the water lily.

The aquatic plant experts at Professional Waterfront Cleanup can help you find the perfect plants for your waterfront. Contact us today for a free estimate.