Frequently Asked Questions

Call or text 772-267-1611 to discuss what you need. We'll confirm availability, give you an exact quote, and schedule a delivery date. Payment is collected at delivery — no prepayment required. You can also reach us through the contact form.

Palm Trees and Cat Palm start at $25.99, Hibiscus starts at $26.99, Bougainvillea at $26.99, Mandevilla at $21.99, Ferns at $17.99, Ornamental Grasses at $17.99, Tropical Foliage at $17.99, Shrubs at $21.99, and Coquina Shell at $145 per cubic yard.

Yes. Call 772-267-1611 to ask about quantity discounts on orders of 20 or more plants or multiple cubic yards of coquina shell. We work with landscapers and contractors who need regular bulk orders and can offer preferential pricing for those relationships.

We accept cash, check, and major credit/debit cards. Payment is collected at the time of delivery. No deposit is required to schedule a delivery.

Yes. Tropical Yards prices Cat Palm at $25.99 vs Home Depot's $29.28 and Lowe's $28.98. Most tropical plant categories run 10–20% lower than big box stores. Tropical Yards also carries coquina shell at $145/yard — a product neither Home Depot nor Lowe's stocks. See our full vs. Home Depot and vs. Lowe's comparisons.

Yes. Call 772-267-1611 or use the contact form to describe your project. We'll provide a plant list, quantity estimate, and full cost quote at no charge.

Call 772-267-1611 to arrange a visit and review current inventory. Our team will walk you through available species and sizes to help you plan your order and make confident choices.

Delivery fees are flat rates by city: St. Augustine $250, Ponte Vedra $275, Palm Coast $300, Flagler Beach $300, Ormond Beach $350, Daytona Beach $375. These are per-delivery-trip fees — not per cubic yard or per plant. See our full delivery page for details.

Tropical Yards delivers via 14-ft dump trailer. This allows large quantities of plants and coquina shell to be transported in one trip and placed close to where you need them on your property, eliminating most of the manual hauling work compared to big box store self-pickup.

Tropical Yards serves all of Northeast Florida: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Ormond Beach, and Daytona Beach. Call 772-267-1611 about cities not listed.

Yes. Plants and coquina shell can be combined on the same dump trailer delivery, saving you from paying two separate delivery fees. This is one of the advantages of ordering from a single source that supplies both products.

Most deliveries are scheduled 1–3 business days in advance. Call 772-267-1611 early in the day to ask about next-day or same-day availability. Deliveries run Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 5 PM.

There is no large minimum order requirement. You can order as little as 1 cubic yard of coquina shell or a small number of plants. Given the flat delivery fee, larger orders naturally have a better cost-per-plant delivered — but we don't require a minimum quantity to place an order.

The best performers in St. Augustine's zone 9A/9B climate include Hibiscus, Cat Palm and Queen Palm, Bougainvillea, Mandevilla, Plumbago, Ornamental Grasses, and Clusia hedges. These species handle the combination of summer heat, humidity, sandy coastal soils, and occasional winter freezes that define this region.

Windmill Palm, Needle Palm, Pindo Palm, Sabal Palm (Florida's state tree), and Queen Palm all perform reliably in NE Florida winters. Cat Palm is popular for protected, partly shaded locations. For exposed coastal sites or areas with documented freeze events below 25°F, stick with Sabal, Pindo, or Needle Palm. Call us for site-specific recommendations.

Hibiscus thrives in full sun with regular deep watering during the first 60–90 days of establishment. Fertilize monthly from March through October with a high-potassium tropical fertilizer to support blooming. Prune lightly after bloom cycles to encourage branching. Protect from temperatures below 32°F with frost cloth. Well-established hibiscus often survive light freezes without damage.

The best planting windows are March through May (warm soil, full growing season ahead, manageable temperatures) and September through October (cooler establishment, winter rains, before freeze risk). Avoid planting in July and August when daytime heat above 95°F can stress newly installed plants. See our spring planting guide for month-by-month detail.

Water every 1–2 days for the first 2–4 weeks, then taper to every 2–3 days through the first summer. Deep, infrequent watering encourages deeper root development. Established tropicals (2+ years in the ground) typically survive on natural Florida rainfall during the wet season with supplemental irrigation during dry periods from November through May.

Cover sensitive plants with frost cloth or burlap when temperatures below 32°F are forecast. Water the soil deeply the day before a freeze — moist soil retains heat better than dry soil. Wrap exposed palm trunks with burlap or heat tape for extended cold spells. Move containerized tropicals indoors or under a covered patio. See our complete winter freeze prep guide for plant-by-plant cold hardiness ratings and recovery tips.

Yes. Florida's sandy soils are naturally low in nutrients that leach out quickly with heavy rainfall. Feed tropical plants monthly during the growing season (March–October) with a slow-release fertilizer balanced for tropical species — look for products with added magnesium and micronutrients, which sandy Florida soils are commonly deficient in. Stop fertilizing by November to allow plants to harden off before winter.

Coquina is a naturally occurring shell aggregate quarried in Northeast Florida. It's the same material used to build Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine — a fort that has stood for 350+ years. For landscaping, crushed coquina shell is used as driveway material, pathway surfacing, and landscape bed ground cover. It compacts firmly, drains well, resists termites and pests, and lasts many years without replacement. Read more on our coquina shell page.

Tropical Yards supplies coquina shell at $145 per cubic yard — the lowest price among major NE Florida suppliers. Sod Depot and other competitors charge $165–$185 per cubic yard for comparable material. See our full price comparison for all-in delivered cost analysis by city.

For driveways and high-traffic areas: 4–6 inches. For landscape beds and casual walkways: 2–3 inches. For foundation beds where pest management is the priority: 2–3 inches over landscape fabric. Deeper applications on driveways provide a more stable surface under regular vehicle traffic. See our driveway cost calculator for specific sizing and material estimates.

Formula: Square footage × Depth (inches) ÷ 324 = Cubic yards. Examples: 400 sq ft at 3" = 3.7 yards. 600 sq ft driveway at 4" = 7.4 yards. 1,000 sq ft at 3" = 9.3 yards. Call 772-267-1611 and we'll help you calculate the exact amount for your project.

Yes — coquina shell is one of the most popular driveway surfaces in coastal NE Florida communities. It compacts firmly under vehicle weight, provides excellent drainage, looks attractive in the coastal Florida aesthetic, and costs a fraction of concrete or asphalt. Historic St. Augustine neighborhoods in particular favor coquina for its authenticity and permeability. See our driveway cost guide for full details.

No. Unlike wood mulch, coquina shell provides no organic material for termites, carpenter ants, or fungus gnats to eat or nest in. This is a significant advantage for foundation beds — pest control professionals in Florida routinely advise keeping wood mulch away from home foundations. Coquina shell eliminates this risk while still providing attractive ground coverage. Read our full coquina vs mulch comparison.

For landscape beds, installing permeable weed barrier fabric before applying coquina shell is strongly recommended. Use a high-quality fabric, overlap seams by at least 6 inches, and secure with landscape staples. Without fabric, weeds will eventually push through the shell from below. For driveways, fabric is optional but helps prevent shell from gradually mixing with the sub-base over years of traffic.

Tropical Yards serves St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Ormond Beach, and Daytona Beach, covering St. Johns County, Flagler County, and Volusia County. Call 772-267-1611 about locations not listed.

Yes. Tropical Yards delivers to Palm Coast and Flagler Beach with a $300 flat delivery fee. These are among our most popular delivery areas. Call 772-267-1611 to place an order or visit our Palm Coast plant page for more information.

Yes. Tropical Yards delivers to Ponte Vedra with a $275 flat delivery fee. The coastal conditions in Ponte Vedra — salt air, sandy soils — are well-suited to many tropical species we carry. Visit our Ponte Vedra plant page for location-specific recommendations.

Yes. Call 772-267-1611 to discuss licensing and insurance documentation for any commercial or contractor project requirements. We work with contractors, HOAs, and commercial properties throughout NE Florida.

Tropical Yards operates Monday through Saturday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Deliveries are scheduled within those hours. Call 772-267-1611 or email Sales@tropicalyardstaugustine.com to reach us.