Tom Heitzman
Sweet Bay Nursery
Small Business Owner, Native Plant Horticulturist, Nonprofit Leader
30 years of experience with Florida native plants in natural areas & landscaping
Award-winning landsacpe designer and Florida naturalist Tom Heitzman has been experimenting with alternative uses of native plants and promoting their use in all situations, including container gardens. Two years ago, he assisted the Manasota Chapter of FNGLA in designing the “world’s largest container garden” for display at the Florida State Fair.
Tom has been working to both preserve and plant Real Florida for decades, providing leadership to the local Serenoa Chapter Florida Native Plant Society and also serving in multiple board and committee capacities with the Florida Association of Native Nurseries (FANN) and Manatee Audubon. A gentle, humble soul, Tom is a wealth of energy and expertise for conservation and landscape education.
Tom owns Sweet Bay Native Nursery in Parrish, Florida, with partner Richard Beaupre. Together they grow and sell native plants to wholesale and retail customers and provide distinctive native landscape design service. Their nursery is a treasured community institution staffed by employees and local volunteers!
My Workshop
Central Florida Proven Natives
Stefan Babjak
Marc Godts
Amanda Martin
Tom Heitzman
Janine Griffiths
In this class, landscape and horticulture professionals will learn about the selection and use of twenty exceptional native plants for Central Florida, from landscape professionals with decades of experience using and maintaining these plants in a variety of settings. Each instructor will present select plants and their experience, and then invite additional insights from other […]