• Holly is one choice for a Central Florida garden.holly image by david purday from Fotolia.com
  
  Nine counties make up Central Florida --- Marion, Sumter, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Hardee and Highlands. The area is located in USDA Hardiness Zone 9. Gardeners choose from plants that are subtropical to temperate and are not found in most of the country. Partial shade plants require four to five hours of shade a day.
  
  

Palm Sedge

• Palm sedge (Carex phyllocephala) grows from 1 to 2 feet tall with leaves growing in circular clusters at the top of the stems, giving the plant the appearance of a tiny palm tree. Plant in partial to full shade and a moist to dry soil. Palm sledge is hardy in Zones 7 through 10.
  
  

Lady Palm

• Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) grows up to 10 feet tall with shiny green leaves on stems 12 to 18 inches long. The trunk bares the diamond shaped marks left by the leaves when they fall off. Plant in partial or full shade and a soil that is moist and well drained. Lady palm is hardy in USDA Zones 9 through 11.
  
  

Leopard Plant

• Leopard plant (Farfugium japonicum) is also known as green leopard plant and ligularia. The plant produces shiny green leaves with white or yellow stripes. Leathery, evergreen, round or kidney-shaped leaves measure 4 to 10 inches across. Yellow flowers 1 to 2 inches across grow in clusters on stems rising above the leaves. Plant in partial shade and a rich, moist, well-drained soil. Leopard plant is hardy in Zones 7 to 10.
  
  

Blue Huckleberry

• Blue huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) is also known as dangleberry and downy dangleberry. The plant is a shrub that grows from 18 inches to 3 feet tall. The plant produces bluish leaves 1 to 3 inches long and tiny, pink-green, urn-shaped flowers and edible fruits. Plant in a loose, organically rich, moist, well-drained soil and in a location where the plant gets its shade in the afternoon. The plant is hardy in Zones 7 through 9.
  
  

Confederate Jasmine

• Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is also known as star jasmine. The plant is an evergreen vine that grows up to 40 feet long. Fragrant, white, pinwheel flowers bloom in late spring. Thick, evergreen, oval leaves measure 2 inches long and come to a point at each end. The plant climbs by itself without the need of a trellis or arbor. Plant in full sun or partial shade and moist to dry soil. Confederate jasmine is hardy in Zones 8 to 10.
  
  

Dahoon Holly

• Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine) is a tree that grows up to 40 feet tall with a spread of 8 to 12 feet. Shiny, dark-green, oval or oblong evergreen leaves grow from 2 to 4 inches long. The tree will have either male or female flowers, so one of each is needed to produce berries. The white, cream or gray flowers produces tiny red-yellow berries that are a favorite meal for birds. Dahoon holly is hardy in Zones 7 through 11 and does well in partial shade or full sun and well-drained soil.