Florida Landscaping - Right Plant Right Place; Florida Landscaping - Water Efficiency; Florida Landscaping - Fertilizers; Florida Landscaping - Mulch; Florida Landscaping - Wildlife; Florida Landscaping - Pesticides; Florida Landscaping - Recycle; Florida Landscaping - Storm Water Run Off; Florida Landscaping - Waterfront Property;

1. RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE

• Planting zones: Florida is classified as a sub-tropical environment, however it is important to know that there are actually seven different planting zones throughout the state. Finding the right plant for the right place begins with identifying which zone you live in. To determine this, visit: http://www.wgcu.org/fllandscape/zonemap.html
• Soil pH: Once you have established your zone, it helps to know your soil pH, as this too will affect which plants to choose and how they will grow. While this sounds daunting, it can be easily achieved by sending a soil sample to the University of Florida Extension Soil Testing lab: http://soilslab.ifas.ufl.edu In addition, some regional county Extension offices test soil samples and you can find the closest office to you at: http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/
• Planning: Advance planning can save you time, work and frustration. When choosing plants, it is important to consider their unique needs because this will determine what and where you plant.
• Full sunlight: Some plants thrive in the full sunlight but many drought-tolerant plants succumb to root problems if planted in low-lying sunny areas with a tendency to pool or become sodden after heavy rains.
• Salt and water tolerant: If your yard is situated close to the ocean, or estuarine canals, it is important to consider salt tolerant plants. Littoral plants grow well at the water’s edge and can withstand periods of flooding.
• Water intensive: One of the main goals of a Florida-friendly yard is to select plants that do not need much water. However, if some plants do need more watering than others, grouping them together avoids wasting water on plants that do not have such requirements.
• Shade/partial shade: If you are planning your yard from scratch begin with the trees, then the shrubs and finally the ground covers. Position trees where they will shade your south and west walls, thereby helping to reduce summer energy costs. Many types of ferns grow well underneath shady trees.

Visit WGCU’s Native Plant Directory at: http://www.wgcu.org/fllandscape/ to begin finding the right plants for the right place! There is an interactive-yard on-line at: http://www.floridayards.org/interactive/index.php which provides a visual aid for yard planning.

2. WATER EFFICIENCY

Water resources are precious and can be easily contaminated by excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. Here are some tips that can help you to conserve water and reduce or eliminate pollutants entering waterways from your yard:

• Grass: Some varieties of lawn grass require excessive amounts of water and fertilizers in order to achieve desired results. By reducing the amount of lawn space in your yard, or by choosing a drought tolerant grass species such as Bahia grass, Bermuda grass or centipede grass, you can maintain a fertilizer/pesticide free lawn that requires minimal irrigation.
• Ground covers: Depending on your planting zone, there are several groundcovers, such as sunshine mimosa or twinflower, that can provide an attractive alternative to grass,.
• Rain barrels: Florida’s lengthy rainy season offers an excellent opportunity to collect water! Water accumulated in a rain barrel can fulfill considerable plant watering needs. To learn more about rain barrels visit: http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/rainbarrel/
• Grouping: Landscaping plants together, according to their watering requirements, allows irrigation to be regulated so that it provides only the amount of water necessary for healthy plant maintenance. In this way water is not wasted on plants that don’t need it.
• Mulch: Mulching plant beds helps to retain moisture and prevent weeds from sprouting.
• Drought tolerant: Depending on your zone, consider choosing more drought tolerant plants such as beach sunflower, gaillardia, bromeliads or cycads such as the Florida coontie.

Information on plant species that are drought tolerant can be found at: http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/waterres/drought/articles/tough-plants.htm

3. FERTILIZE APPROPRIATELY

In a Florida friendly yard, it is important to use fertilizers judiciously and appropriately, remembering that different types of plants benefit from different kinds of fertilizers. Composted organic material is the most natural way to go, but packaged fertilizers, if used properly, can work efficiently without harming the environment.

• Lawns: A healthy lawn has a thick root system with strong shoots that can filter out contaminants that would otherwise end up in storm water runoff. Over-fertilization results in the product filtering through weakened root systems into the aquifers or being washed off by the rain, ending up in waterways.
• Slow-release: Buy slow-release fertilizers containing nitrogen that is released gradually over a period of time. Nitrogen promotes steady, not rapid, shoot growth which results in less mowing requirements.
• Check numbers: If purchasing packaged fertilizer, look at the numbers on the back of the bag, which will look like this: 15-0-15 or 16-2-8. The first number is the percentage of nitrogen in the bag; the second, the phosphorous and the third is the potassium. Nitrogen and phosphorous are the ingredients which cause water pollution problems, so buy products with the lowest percentages of those ingredients.
• Assess: Appropriate fertilization of your lawn can be determined by establishing the annual fertility needs of the grass species; by measuring the square footage of your lawn area, and by determining the amount of slow-release nitrogen that is in your fertilizer.
• Compost: One of the best ways to improve the nutrient value of your soil is by applying compost. Simply designating a corner of the yard to pile up leaves and other yard refuse, then allowing it to decompose naturally, can create compost. A compost bin (available at most gardening stores), will enable you to collect vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds and egg shells, which you layer with leaves and soil, then allow to decompose.

For more information on appropriate fertilization there is a very helpful guide that can be downloaded at: www.floridayards.org/landscape/FYN-Handbook.pdf

4. MULCH

Mulch can be extremely beneficial to your Florida friendly landscape by helping to improve soil fertility and preventing weed growth.

• Type of Mulch: Pay attention to which kind of mulch you are buying. Try to avoid mulch made from bald cypress trees since these are beneficial trees in Florida. Melaleuca mulch provides a useful recycling of an invasive tree, and pine straw mulch is a renewable resource since it is made from shredded pine needles.
• Conserve water: Mulched beds do not need to be watered as much because the mulch helps the soil to retain its moisture longer.
• Matting: Old layers of mulch can become matted thereby preventing air and water from seeping through. This can be avoided by occasionally raking the mulch to break up any such layers that might have formed.
• Regulations: Beware of mulch that is made from recycled timber and plywood products as these can contain harmful toxins. The Mulch and Soil Council assists regulators, retailers and consumers in determining what products conform to industry guidelines: http://www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org/
• Replenishment: How often to replenish mulch beds depends on the type of mulch that is being used. Pine needles, for example, typically need to be changed every six months due to decomposition.

5. ATTRACT WILDLIFE

Many birds and butterflies have complex, interconnected relationships with plant species; in fact many species of migratory birds originally transported seeds from plant species in other places to Florida as they traveled through. Plant varieties that are beneficial to certain species will naturally attract them into your yard.

• Birds: Plants that bear fruits and seeds will attract birds into your yard. Some popular plant examples might be *Beauty berry, Wild olive, Wild coffee, Bird pepper, Lignam vitae or Fiddlewood. Shrubs such as Coco plum and Wax myrtle provide important cover for nests and shelter when allowed to grow into large bushes or hedges. Fountains and ponds will attract birds, however it is important to keep water fresh.
• Butterflies: Combining larval plants and nectar plants will ensure that your yard attracts a wide variety of butterflies. For example: the Florida coontie is the sole larval food source for the Atala Hairstreak butterfly. The Corky-stemmed Passion Vine attracts the Tropical Zebra butterfly for its larval food, and the Bitterbush is the larval plant for the Bush Sulphur butterfly. The flowers of the Coral Honeysuckle and Blue Porterweed will attract plenty of butterflies, as will the Firebush.
• Reptiles: Lizards, frogs and snakes play an important role in managing populations of insects and small rodents. Keeping small brush piles in a corner of your yard provides them with shelter.
• Dead trees: Properly trimmed, standing dead trees offer woodpeckers, wood ducks and screech owls a favorable place to make their holes/nests.

By planting trees, shrubs and plants that are beneficial to wildlife you create vital corridors that sustain different species as they struggle to survive amidst the growing urban expansion.

*Remember to check which plants grow well in your zone, soil pH levels and see which are the right plants for the right place!

6. MANAGE PESTICIDES RESPONSIBLY>

Chemical pesticides kill beneficial insects, leach into aquifers causing water pollution and are potentially harmful to wildlife, pets and humans.

• Localize: If you have a pest problem with a specific plant in your yard that must be treated with a chemical pesticide, then spot-treat only that plant, thereby minimizing the potential for harmful residues to leach elsewhere.

• Insects: Some insects, such as lady beetles, are beneficial and help to control harmful pests in your yard.  Visit: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN002 to identify some other beneficial insects found in Florida.

• Organic: Use organic pesticides, or natural products such as diatomaceous earth, plant-based botanicals or insecticidal soap.

• Right plant/right place: Plants growing in optimum conditions are more likely to be healthy and therefore less likely to succumb to pests and disease.  Try to choose plant varieties that are resistant to insects and disease.

• Weeding: Pull weeds by hand rather than spraying.  Mulching plant beds helps to minimize weed growth.

• Native plants: Because native plants have evolved over time, they have adapted to survive both extremes of climate and many local pests.  It is unlikely that they would need to be treated with any pesticides.

7. RECYCLE

Keeping yard waste out of landfills is a constructive way to reduce overflow in overburdened regional sites. While creating a fence out of cut branches might be a little challenging to some, there are other simple ways in which to reuse materials from your yard.

• Pine needles: Purchasing a “mulching-blade grinder” attachment for a lawn mower will enable you to easily transform pine needles into excellent mulch.
• Grass clippings: Allowing grass clippings to remain on the lawn instead of bagging them, is both efficient and beneficial since the material decomposes in place, returning nutrients into the soil.
• Organic waste: Break up small twigs and leaves from bushes, hedges and non-invasive weeds into small pieces and scatter them onto shrub and tree beds as mulch. These materials will quickly decompose and blend into the beds helping to enrich the soil.
• Tree limbs: An appropriate shredder is necessary for this; however, shredding tree limbs and branches can provide all your mulching needs.

8. STORM WATER RUNOFF

There are some practical solutions that help to reduce harmful contaminants from leaching into waterways in storm water runoff:

• Buffer zone: If you have waterfront property it is important to create a buffer zone of approximately 10” to 20” where no pesticides are applied. Low maintenance plants and shrubs should be planted here and beds should be well mulched to prevent soil erosion.
• Driveway: Using pebbles or crushed shell on driveways and pathways helps to absorb excess water that would simply run off tarmac.
• Swales: Creating swales, or low-lying areas in your yard where rainwater can collect will help to reduce the amount of runoff.
• Pets: Picking up pet refuse helps to prevent contaminants seeping into water sources. Animal waste contains several types of pollutants including bacterial pathogens, ammonia and naturally toxic material.
• Gutters and drains: Ensure that gutters and drains are directed towards lawns, plant beds or a rain barrel so that excess amounts of water are not channeled directly onto roads.
• Trash: Pick up any trash that has collected on the road before it gets washed into drains.

9. PROTECTING THE WATERFRONT

If your property is situated on a lake, canal or beachfront, the vegetation that you plant close to the water can greatly reduce pollutants from entering the waterway while providing important habitat for wildlife.

• Mean High Water Line: Most shoreline property ends at the Mean High Water Line. This line may vary in different parts of Florida; however it is important to know that anything you do that affects the land water ward of this line requires permission from the State. (Florida Department of Environmental Protection FDEP) http://www.dep.state.fl.us/mainpage/em/beach.htm
• Mangroves: If you have mangroves growing on your property it is important to know that there are regulations covering their trimming.  It is advisable to contact the FDEP, as these regulations are frequently up-dated. Mangroves play an important role in Florida ecosystems, providing crucial habitat for juvenile fish, shellfish, birds and mammals as well as protecting the uplands from powerful storm surges.
• Buffer Zone: Also called the Littoral zone; this is the space between high and low tide in a coastal area, or between your yard and the shoreline of a freshwater body. It is important to create a buffer zone of approximately 10’ to 20’ where no pesticides are applied.  Low maintenance plants and shrubs should be planted here and beds should be well mulched to prevent soil erosion.  Many coastal properties have seawalls placed in this zone.  To restore a natural shoreline it is advisable to contact your local Florida Sea Grant Marine Extension Agent who can provide you with further information.
• ittoral Plants: Plants that are associated with shallow water, can be submerged in water for short periods of time, or grow close to the seashore are referred to as littoral plants.  There is an extensive list of these plants at:http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/photos.html

10. BENEFITS OF A FLORIDA FRIENDLY YARD

A Florida-friendly yard is all about conservation and preservation. From conserving water and preventing pollutants entering precious water resources to providing vital corridors for wildlife, a Florida-friendly yard can be a win-win situation for everyone! Careful planning and choice of plants will help to minimize maintenance, while other benefits include:

• Propagation: Choosing Florida-friendly or native plants that self-seed helps reduce the amount of new plantings needed. Plants like the Twinflower, Tickseed or Beach Sunflower and Sunshine Mimosa can provide an attractive and beneficial ground cover.
• Shade: There are numerous benefits provided by trees everywhere, but in Florida, where heat is an almost year-round factor, it is useful to know that the temperature under the shade of a large live oak tree can be 10 degrees cooler than in the sun! If you are planning your yard from scratch, consider positioning trees where they will shade your south and west walls, thereby helping to reduce summer energy costs.
• Pine Needles: Pine trees provide a yearly supply of pine needles, which can be transformed into beneficial mulch for your yard!
• Wildlife Corridors: With urban development continuing to encroach into what remains of “wild” Florida, the wildlife corridors created by those who have Florida-friendly yards become extremely vital habitats for birds, beneficial insects and other wildlife. You will be rewarded for your efforts as many incredible species visit your yard to feed, shelter and play!

As the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program points out: Residential yards are the front line in the battle to protect our groundwater, reduce runoff of harmful fertilizers, and restore natural habitats. By choosing to include Florida-friendly and native plants in your landscaping you can actively participate in protecting this beautiful place we call Florida.