Florida’s warm weather and long growing season make it one of the best places to grow plants that fill in quickly. Whether you just moved into a new home or want to refresh a bare yard, the right plants can transform your outdoor space in just a few weeks.
From colorful ground covers to bold tropical shrubs, there are plenty of fast-growing options that thrive in Florida’s heat and humidity. Here are 20 plants that will make your yard look lush and full before you know it.
Coleus
Few plants put on a color show quite like coleus. Its leaves come in bold shades of red, orange, purple, and green, often all on the same plant.
Coleus grows quickly in Florida’s warm, humid climate, filling in garden beds with striking foliage within weeks of planting.
It thrives in both sun and shade, making it incredibly versatile. No blooms needed here — the leaves are the star of the show.
Sweet Potato Vine
If you want ground cover that spreads like wildfire, sweet potato vine is your answer. This plant can cover a large area in just a few weeks, making bare patches of soil disappear fast.
It comes in eye-catching colors like deep purple, bright chartreuse, and bronze.
Plant it in a sunny spot and watch it take off. It also looks gorgeous spilling out of hanging baskets or containers on a porch or patio.
Pentas
Pentas is a butterfly magnet that never seems to stop blooming. Clusters of star-shaped flowers in red, pink, white, or lavender pop up continuously through Florida’s long growing season.
It grows quickly and handles heat and humidity without complaint.
Plant it in full sun and give it regular watering to keep it looking its best. Butterflies and hummingbirds absolutely love it, so you get beautiful blooms and wildlife activity all in one package.
Angelonia
Sometimes called summer snapdragon, angelonia stands tall and blooms nonstop even in the hottest Florida summers. The slender flower spikes come in shades of purple, pink, white, and bicolor, giving any garden bed a vertical punch of color.
It grows fast and rarely needs deadheading.
Angelonia is drought-tolerant once established, which makes it a low-maintenance choice for busy gardeners. Plant several together for a full, cottage-garden look that holds up through the toughest summer heat.
Vinca
Vinca, also called periwinkle, is one of the toughest flowering plants you can grow in Florida. It handles blazing sun, drought, and heat without skipping a beat, and it fills in garden beds quickly with a carpet of cheerful blooms.
Colors range from white and pink to deep magenta and coral.
Once established, vinca basically takes care of itself. It resists most pests and diseases, making it a reliable choice for gardeners who want color without constant upkeep.
Blue Daze
That soft sky-blue color is hard to find in the plant world, which is exactly what makes blue daze so special. This low-growing ground cover spreads steadily and produces small, brilliant blue flowers that open each morning and close by afternoon.
It loves full sun and thrives in Florida’s heat.
Blue daze works beautifully as a border plant or in containers. Its silvery-green leaves contrast nicely with the vivid blooms, creating a polished, finished look in the garden.
Mexican Heather
Do not let the delicate look of Mexican heather fool you — this plant is incredibly tough. Tiny lavender or pink flowers cover the fine-textured foliage almost year-round in Florida, creating a soft, airy appearance.
It grows into a neat, rounded mound fairly quickly without becoming unruly.
Mexican heather works well as an edging plant, in mass plantings, or tucked between larger shrubs. It also attracts butterflies, adding even more life and movement to your yard throughout the growing season.
Purslane
Purslane is practically unstoppable in Florida’s summer heat. This succulent-like plant produces bright, rose-shaped flowers in yellow, orange, pink, red, and white, and it spreads quickly to fill containers, baskets, or garden beds.
The thick, waxy leaves hold moisture, helping it survive dry spells with ease.
What gardeners love most is how little attention purslane needs. Plant it in full sun, water it occasionally, and it rewards you with nonstop color from spring all the way through fall.
Caladium
Walk through any Florida neighborhood in summer and you will spot caladiums everywhere — and for good reason. These tropical plants produce enormous, heart-shaped leaves in stunning combinations of red, pink, white, and green.
They fill shady spots faster than almost anything else, creating a lush, tropical feel quickly.
Caladiums grow from tubers and take off rapidly once the soil warms up. They are a go-to solution for dark corners under trees where other plants struggle to survive.
Croton
Croton is basically a living fireworks display. The thick, glossy leaves explode with combinations of red, orange, yellow, green, and even black, making it one of the most colorful shrubs you can plant in a Florida yard.
It grows steadily and fills in landscape beds with serious visual impact.
Full sun brings out the most intense leaf colors, while shade causes them to fade. Use crotons as bold accent plants, colorful hedges, or dramatic container specimens near entryways and patios.
Ti Plant
Ti plant brings serious tropical drama to any Florida yard. Its long, sword-shaped leaves come in rich shades of burgundy, red, green, pink, and variegated combinations, creating a bold architectural statement wherever it is planted.
It grows at a solid pace and can reach several feet tall fairly quickly.
Originally from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, ti plant has been used for centuries in cultural ceremonies. In Florida, it thrives in warm, humid conditions and makes an outstanding focal point in any tropical-style landscape.
Firebush
Firebush earns its name every single day. Clusters of fiery orange-red tubular flowers cover this fast-growing shrub almost continuously, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies in droves.
It is a Florida native, so it is perfectly adapted to the heat, humidity, and occasional drought conditions here.
Firebush can grow several feet in a single season, quickly filling in large landscape spaces. Plant it in full sun for the most blooms, and enjoy the wildlife show it brings to your yard all season long.
Thryallis
Thryallis is one of those plants that gardeners discover and immediately wonder why they waited so long to try it. Bright yellow flowers appear in loose clusters at the branch tips almost nonstop from spring through fall.
It grows into a full, rounded shrub fairly quickly in Florida’s warm climate.
This plant handles drought well once established and rarely needs much fertilizing. Use it as a flowering hedge, a colorful backdrop, or a standalone accent plant in sunny garden beds.
Plumbago
There is something effortlessly cheerful about plumbago in full bloom. Masses of powder-blue flowers cascade from the arching branches almost year-round in South Florida and through the warm months everywhere else in the state.
It grows quickly and spreads into a full, billowing mound without much fuss.
Plumbago tolerates heat, drought, and salt air, making it a top pick for coastal Florida gardens. It also comes in white, but the classic blue variety is the one that stops people in their tracks.
Lantana
Lantana practically thrives on neglect. This tough, heat-loving plant blooms in multicolored clusters of yellow, orange, red, pink, and white, often mixing several shades on the same flower head.
It grows aggressively in Florida’s warm climate, quickly covering large areas with bright, cheerful color.
Butterflies swarm lantana like it is the best thing they have ever found. Plant it in full sun, water it occasionally, and step back — because this plant will fill your yard with color faster than almost anything else on this list.
Scaevola
Scaevola looks like someone carefully arranged each flower by hand — every bloom is shaped like a perfect little fan. This Australian native thrives in Florida’s heat and is especially tough in coastal gardens where salt spray would damage most plants.
It spreads quickly and forms a dense, low-growing mat.
Also called fan flower, scaevola blooms in shades of purple, lavender, pink, and white. It works beautifully spilling over retaining walls, filling containers, or edging sunny garden beds with a relaxed, natural look.
Alternanthera
Alternanthera, sometimes called Joseph’s coat, is the secret weapon of Florida gardeners who love bold color without relying on flowers. The vivid foliage comes in shades of red, orange, yellow, and burgundy, and it grows quickly enough to create dense, colorful patterns in garden beds.
Landscape designers often use it to make eye-catching designs.
It handles full sun and Florida heat like a champ. Regular trimming keeps it tidy and encourages even denser, more colorful growth throughout the season.
Cuphea
Hummingbirds know something most gardeners have not figured out yet — cuphea is absolutely worth planting. The tiny, tubular flowers on this compact plant look like little cigars or bats, depending on the variety, and they bloom almost nonstop in Florida’s warm climate.
It fills in quickly and stays relatively tidy.
Cuphea handles heat and humidity without wilting, and it rarely needs deadheading to keep blooming. Plant it in full sun to partial shade for a continuous show of color that wildlife absolutely adores.
Torenia
Torenia, nicknamed the wishbone flower because of the shape of its stamens, is one of the best choices for shady Florida gardens that need quick color. The trumpet-shaped flowers come in purple, pink, white, and bicolor combinations, and they bloom steadily from spring through fall.
It grows fast and fills containers beautifully.
Unlike many flowering annuals, torenia actually prefers partial shade, making it perfect for spots under trees or covered porches. Give it consistent moisture and it will reward you with months of cheerful, non-stop blooms.
Impatiens
Impatiens have been the go-to shade flower for Florida gardeners for decades, and they have earned that reputation. Few plants fill a shady garden bed as quickly or as completely, creating a solid carpet of color in pink, red, coral, white, lavender, and orange.
They look full and lush within just a few weeks of planting.
Keep the soil moist and avoid harsh afternoon sun, and impatiens will bloom faithfully all season. They are especially stunning when planted in large groups under the canopy of a big oak or shade tree.