We moved to P.G.a little over 10 years ago from the Mid-Atlantic. Talk about a culture shock when it came to planting veggies!
I would suggest you take a master gardening course put on by the country extention office. Ours is located on Haborview Rd. across the river. I believe it costs @ $150 - money well spent. The many books and pamphlets alone make great resource guides, you will find yourself going back to them again and again. The speakers are excellent too and you will gain a wealth of knowledge. Plus your Master Gardener card will give you at least 15%+ off at almost all garden centers.
As for planting, keep your oak tree. If not just for shade, the leaves make excellent compost to amend the soil and mulch around your beds.
As for palms, stay away from queen palms. They blow down easily in high winds and birds/squirrels spread the seeds around making tons of invasive 'babies' not only in your yard but your neighbors' too. I personally love Pindo palms. They don't get too big, have lovely palmate leaves and you can make jelly and wine from the fruits + they're cold hardy to @ 20°F. Siver/blue palmettos are beautiful too but require understory dappled sunlight. They are also quite cold hardy but can be tricky to transplant - as with most dwarf palmettos.
Ornamental rosemary is another gorgeous plant for lining walkways and making hedges as well as a culinary herb. Bamboo works quite well too but just be careful not to purchase the running varieties. I love dwarf budda belly for it's interesting canes and closs clumping form. This also makes an excellent screen/hegde or ornamental.
If you're looking for exotic fruits with incredible taste, try Monstera deliciosa. It requires shade and grows perfectly under oaks (especially live oaks) and the fruits taste like a mix of pineapple, banana and kiwi - hence it's nickname the fruit salad plant.
If you choose to plant bananas, plant them as close to the water as possible. This lessens the possibility of a damage from cold. Try the ice cream variety, it's
a smaller type which can also be planted in a container and moved to your garage if temperatures require. The fruit is like candy! There are also many veggies like everglades tomatoes which are native and although tiny, taste just like a true northern tomato! They reseed readily and will grow just about anywhere. There are also native Seminole pumpkins, a very tasty squash variety that can put out over 60lbs of fruit that keeps well and can be used in tons of recipes.
If you'd like more info or to tap into my knowledge of many more easy to grow FL fruits and veggies, trees, flowers and landscaping plants, please feel free to conact me. Good luck!
