Happy Holidays, to Chris and Kim. I appreciate Kim's experience and logic. My neighbor ordered a big pile of dirt mixed with mushroom compost (horse manure & brown bedding). I tested the pH of his dirt, it's slightly less blue in red cabbage juice than mine (pH 7.7). At first he got the darkest green lawn in the neighborhood. But his lawn looked worst when there's hot weather and no rain, thanks to the salt content. Mike_Rivers, a retired chemist, mentioned that horse manure is 1/4 the salt of other manures, with chicken manure the highest (per University of Colorado's data). I thought I could turn my azaleas and rhododrendrons dark-green by using acid fertilizer Lilly Miller 10-5-4 with chicken manure, but I killed 2 rhodos by using it 3 times: 10+10+10 equals 30 in Nitrogen, that's much higher than the 0.7 nitrogen per horse manure application. Sulfur is useless in turning my acid-plants dark green, it's the chelated iron that does the job. I tested Espoma garden sulfur on my acid plants, and they are still yellow. For salt content, most damaging is urea and ammonium nitrate, around 80% salt index, it's like dumping a cup of salt on your rose bush. The lowest in nitrogen is anhydrous ammonia at 47%, but I don't see listed anywhere. Phosphorus: superphosphate is lowest in salt, at 7.8, and triple superphosphate at 10. For potassium, monopotassium phosphate (52% P and 35% K), has lowest salt at 8.4, and potassium chloride, use to de-ice in cold zone is a killer with 116.2%. For organic sources, grass clippings, alfalfa, leaves are lowest, then blood meal, then horse manure, cow manure, and highest salt is chicken manure (also highest in nitrogen). Here is a link that might be useful: University of Illinois data on salt index

LOW-WATER-USE TROPICAL LOOK Trees -- Bauhinia variegata ORCHID TREE x Chiranthofremontia MONKEY HAND FREMONTIA Palms (see separate list) PALMS Podocarpus nagi NAGI Spathodea campanulata AFRICAN TULIP TREE Strelitzia nicholai GIANT BIRD-OF-PARADISE Tabebuia chrysotricha GOLDEN TRUMPET TREE Tabebuia impetiginosa LAVENDER TRUMPET TREE Palms -- Brahea armata MEXICAN BLUE PALM Brahea edulis GUADALUPE PALM Butia capitata PINDO PALM Chamaerops humilis MEDITERRANEAN FAN PALM Jubaea chilensis CHILEAN WINE PALM Livistona australis AUSTRALIAN FOUNTAIN PALM Livistona chinensis CHINESE FOUNTAIN PALM Trachycarpus fortunei WINDMILL PALM Large Shrubs/Small Trees -- Cocculus laurifolius LAUREL-LEAF SNAILSEED Cordyline australis HARDY DRACAENA Fatsia japonica JAPANESE ARALIA Mahonia bealei LEATHERLEAF MAHONIA Mahonia lomariifolia CHINESE MAHONIA Melianthus major HONEYBUSH Medium Shrubs -- Anigozanthos KANGAROO PAWS Aucuba japonica JAPANESE AUCUBA Cordyline stricta AUSTRALIAN TI PLANT (st) Cycas revoluta CYCAD, SAGO "PALM" Doryanthes palmeri SPEAR LILY Phormium tenax hybrids NEW ZEALAND FLAX Strelitzia reginae BIRD-OF-PARADISE Small Shrubs/Big Perennials -- Acanthus mollis BEARS BREECH Anigozanthos KANGAROO PAW Aristea ecklonii BLUE STARS Aspidistra elatior CAST-IRON PLANT Phormium tenax hybrids (esp. ÂApricot QueenÂ, ÂDazzlerÂ, ÂDuetÂ, ÂMaori MaidenÂ, ÂMaori QueenÂ, ÂMaori SunriseÂ, ÂRainbow WarriorÂ, ÂShirazÂ, ÂSurfer NEW ZEALAND FLAX Zantedeschia aethiopica ÂGreen Goddess GIANT CALLA-LILY Ornamental Grasses (And Grasslike Plants) -- Austrostipa ramosissima AUSTRALIAN PLUME GRASS Carex atrata BLACK ALPINE SEDGE Carex dissita BUSH SEDGE Carex tumicola BERKELEY SEDGE Chondropetalum tectorum CAPE RUSH Elegia capensis BROOM REED Elegia equisetacea HORSETAIL RESTIO Hakonechloa macra ÂAureola JAPANESE FOREST GRASS Rhodocoma capensis ELEGANT RESTIO Xanthorrhoea johnsonii AUSTRALIAN GRASS TREE Small-Medium Perennials -- Astelia nervosa chathamica SILVER SPEAR Bergenia cordifolia BERGENIA Clivia miniata FLAME LILY Clivia nobilis RED LILY (st) Dianella intermedia NEW ZEALAND BLUE-BERRY Dianella tasmanica (esp. ÂVariegataÂ) FLAX LILY Grasses (see separate list) GRASSES Helleborus lividus CORSICAN HELLEBORE Helleborus x stearnii HYBRID HELLEBORE Heuchera CORAL BELLS Zantedeschia aethiopica CALLA-LILY Vines-- Akebia quinata FIVELEAF AKEBIA Clematis x cartmanii ÂAvalanche AVALANCHE CLEMATIS Distictis buccinatoria BLOOD-RED TRUMPET VINE (st) x Fatshedera lizei ARALIA IVY Hedera canariensis variegata VARIEGATED ALGERIAN IVY Macfadyena unguis-cati CATÂS-CLAW Solanum jasminoiodes WHITE POTATO VINE Vitis GRAPES Ferns -- Asplenium scolopendrium HARTÂS TONGUE FERN Blechnum occidentale HAMMOCK FERN Blechnum spicant DEER FERN Platycerium bifurcatum STAGHORN FERN Polypodium aureum HAREÂS-FOOT FERN Polystichum munitum SWORD FERN Pyrrosia lingua JAPANESE FELT FERN Pyrrosia lingua ÂCristata CRESTED JAPANESE FELT FERN Pyrrosia polydactyla PALM-LEAF FERN CREATING A TROPICAL-ESQUE GARDEN USING CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS Medium to Large Trees -- Lithocarpus densiflora TANBARK OAK Quercus tomentella ISLAND OAK Umbellularia californica CALIFORNIA BAY-LAUREL Small Trees -- Fremontodendron californicum FLANNELBUSH Garrya elliptica SILKTASSEL Lyonothamnus floribundus asplenifolius SANTA CRUZ IRONWOOD Prunus illicifolia lyonii CATALINA CHERRY Smallest trees (actually large shrubs but, with selective pruning,Â) -- Aesculus californica CALIFORNIA BUCKEYE Comarostaphylis diversifolia SUMMER HOLLY Fremontodendron californicum FLANNEL BUSH, FREMONTIA Myrica californica PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE Sambucus mexicana BLUE ELDERBERRY Really Big Shrubs (up to 15-20 feet and sometimes more) -- (eventually, these can be trained as small trees by "limbing up", if so desired) Comarostaphylis diversifolia SUMMER HOLLY Dendromecon harfordii ISLAND BUSH POPPY Fremontodendron californicum FLANNELBUSH Garrya elliptica SILKTASSEL Myrica californica PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE Sambucus mexicana BLUE ELDERBERRY Large Shrubs (8-15 feet) -- Calycanthus occidentalis CALIFORNIA SPICEBUSH Dendromecon harfordii ISLAND BUSH POPPY Fremontodendron ÂCalifornia Glory C. G. FREMONTIA Fremontodendron ÂPacific Sunset P. S. FREMONTIA Fremontodendron ÂSan Gabriel S. G. FREMONTIA Garrya elliptica COAST SILK-TASSEL Myrica californica PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE Rhamnus californica COFFEEBERRY Medium Shrubs (5-10 feet)-- Dendromecon rigida BUSH POPPY Fremontodendron ÂKen Taylor K. T. FREMONTIA Mahonia ÂGolden Abundance G. A. BARBERRY Mahonia ÂSkylark SKYLARK MAHONIA Rhamnus californica ÂEve CaseÂ, ÂMound San Bruno COFFEEBERRY Small Shrubs and Taller Subshrubs (2-5 feet) -- Carpenteria californica ÂElizabeth BUSH ANEMONE Galvezia juncea BAJA BUSH SNAPDRAGON Galvezia speciosa ISLAND SNAPDRAGON Garrya veatchii SILK-TASSEL BUSH Mimulus aurantiacus Hybrids BUSH MONKEY FLOWER Vaccinium ovatum (taller in shade) EVERGREEN HUCKLEBERRY Medium Perennials -- Blechnum spicant DEER FERN Iris macrosiphon BIG-TUBE IRIS Penstemon centranthifolius SCARLET BUGLER Penstemon spectabilis SHOWY PENSTEMON Polypodium glycyrrhiza LICORICE FERN Polypodium scouleri WESTERN LEATHERLEAF FERN Polystichum dudleyi DUDLEYÂS SWORDFERN Polystichum munitum WESTERN SWORD FERN Small Perennials -- Chlorogalum pomeridianum AMOLE, SOAP PLANT Heuchera maxima and hybrids CORAL BELLS Iris douglasiana DOUGLAS IRIS Iris Pacific Coast Hybrids PCH IRIS Salvia spathacea HUMMINGBIRD SAGE Sisyrinchium bellum BLUE-EYED GRASS Sisyrinchium californicum GOLDEN-EYED GRASS Grasses and Grasslike Plants -- Carex barbarae SANTA BARBARA SEDGE Carex nudata CALIFORNIA BLACK-FLOWERING SEDGE Carex spissa SAN DIEGO SEDGE Carex tumulicola BERKELEY SEDGE Nolina parryi BEAR GRASS Groundcovers -- Arctostaphylos ÂEmerald Carpet E. C. MANZANITA Carex barbarae SANTA BARBARA SEDGE* Carex nudata CALIFORNIA BLACK-FLOWERING SEDGE Carex tumulicola BERKELEY SEDGE* Mahonia repens CREEPING BARBERRY Rhamnus californica ÂSeaview LOW COFFEEBERRY Ribes viburnifolium EVERGREEN CURRANT Satureja douglasii YERBA BUENA Vancouveria planipetala INSIDE-OUT FLOWER * those grass and grasslike groundcovers that make good lawn substitutes -- tolerate some traffic and will take an occasional mowing. Joe

Nandina does well under my live oaks which have extensive root runners near the surface. They have never been watered and have prospered even in a recent 17 month drought. Nandina has a slightly bamboo look. I also have an American Beautyberry in the same location. It adds a beautiful woodland look and has also prospered in drought without supplemental water.

how about Royal Poinciana? or Hong Kong Orchid Tree? I see them planted around Miami area - very old trees, so they should be doing good in hurricanes. i looked at the wind-resistant list (great link!) and see that Crepe Myrtles do well as well Magnolia virginiana. Podocarpus is everywhere too - mostly as hedge. Lignum vitae is a lovely small tree - but it grows superslow and is expensive because of that. Coccoloba (Sea Grape) is a small wide tree too. And Japanese Fern Tree is a very beautiful smallish tree (Filicium decipiens). Date Palms, Foxtail and Fishtail Palms are everywhere. here's a good guide for South FL