Landscaping with Florida native plants

[kansasrph]

We moved in January 2017 and are finally thinking of landscaping. We are wanting to use plants native to Florida. With water conditions, low water needs would be nice. Not crucial, but nice would be low maintenance on my part. We would appreciate advice on which landscapers might be good at the "native" plant aspects of our plans. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

[OldManTime]

Florida Friendly, the UCF site will tell you

[springfield]

Contact Steve. He is the head of our local FL Native Plant society. His entire yard has gone native. You can see his yard in a utube segment called "going native in the villages"

[graciegirl]

We moved in January 2017 and are finally thinking of landscaping. We are wanting to use plants native to Florida. With water conditions, low water needs would be nice. Not crucial, but nice would be low maintenance on my part. We would appreciate advice on which landscapers might be good at the "native" plant aspects of our plans. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Our homes, both of them here, came with plants that do well in this zone. That is what The Villages give you in foundation plantings.

[Villageswimmer]

The Florida Native Plant Society meets the fourth Friday of each month at Big Cypress Rec Center at 1:30. Loads of info available by folks who are experts in native plants...speakers, plant giveaways and sales, field trips, you name it.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Our homes, both of them here, came with plants that do well in this zone. That is what The Villages give you in foundation plantings.

Yes, the plants and trees do pretty well and practically every cookie cutter landscaped house looks the same.

Don't come home drunk!
:eek:

[SouthOfTheBorder]

Yes, the plants and trees do pretty well and practically every cookie cutter landscaped house looks the same.

Don't come home drunk!
:eek:

What plants/landscaping would you use in each of the 45,000+ yards in The Villages to eliminate the “cookie cutter” look? :confused:

Don

[Mrs. Robinson]

What plants/landscaping would you use in each of the 45,000+ yards in The Villages to eliminate the “cookie cutter” look? :confused:

Don

Change the cookie cutter look? It can be done very easily.

Change the shape/curve of what TV does in the front of every house.
Use different color/type stone borders other than what everyone who has landscaping installed uses.
Practically all landscapers have utilized the same type and color in their borders.
Use brick, stepping stones, flagstone, etc., to change the look and color.

Be aware of shape, type, texture, color and form in choosing plants and shrubs; all green plants are not the same shade of green. Don't go overboard with variegated shrubs and plants. Plant some colorful seasonal annuals.

Utilize an interesting planted pot, waterfall or other water feature, a bird bath, edging or mulch.
A little stone here or there, etc., looks nice.
Many of these things can become a focal point to draw your eye.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money.
Do what you can afford.
A few changes can be a totally new look.

Any more information and I would have to charge you!
:a040:

[graciegirl]

Yes, the plants and trees do pretty well and practically every cookie cutter landscaped house looks the same.

Don't come home drunk!
:eek:

Some people like the more formal look and others like the unrestrained look. Some people add so much STUFF it looks junky and overdone.

My point is that the plants they gave us are all good plants. We got color with redleaves and green leaves and pretty plumbago's and crepe myrtles and deep green ivy. We got dense plants and trees that you can see through, tall ones and short ones and triangles ones and round ones. I love what they gave us. We added Hibiscus and Bougainvilla.

[Carl in Tampa]

Returning to the OP question about native, drought resistant plants for landscaping, the web sites of the various Florida universities are great places to get information.

The sad fact is that many of the available plants look very much like weeds to people who move here from other areas, and who are accustomed to very formal landscaping.

However, with a little imagination, a lot can be accomplished. In my back yard in Tampa, I placed a couple of very dense plantings to provide places of concealment for birds who were awaiting opportunities to visit one of my bird feeders.

You can also have large expanses of mulch to lower the amount of turf grass in your lawn that requires watering. Just make them attractive and fitting the landscape.

Read a lot of suggestions before you decide what to do.

[Arctic Fox]

We are wanting to use plants native to Florida. With water conditions, low water needs would be nice. Not crucial, but nice would be low maintenance on my part.

Grass is the main culprit in terms of water, fertilizer, weedkiller and work hours, so replace your lawn areas with Florida-friendly or Florida-native ground cover and you will achieve most of what you want without worrying too much about the other plants. Just remember to get approval from the Architectural Review Committee first.

[graciegirl]

Grass is the main culprit in terms of water, fertilizer, weedkiller and work hours, so replace your lawn areas with Florida-friendly or Florida-native ground cover and you will achieve most of what you want without worrying too much about the other plants. Just remember to get approval from the Architectural Review Committee first.

I like grass, no not that kind.

I think grass is lovely throughout The Villages. I hope that people realize that green plants and their processes provide GOOD AIR and aren't contra productive to SOME of the things greenies worry about. I hope this place doesn't start looking like Arizona.

If you interview most grass cutters you will find you can have your lawn mowed foraround $40 bucks a month if cost is on your mind. It is WAY cheaper here to have your lawn cared for than it is up North. Provides jobs, and beauty to all of us.

One of the things I love best about the Villages is the miles and miles and miles and miles of beautiful landscape and grass. And cookie cutter homes????
homes in the villages, florida - Bing images (https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=homes%20in%20the%20villages%2C%20florida&qs=n&form=QBIRMH&sp=-1&pq=homes%20in%20the%20villages%2C%20florida&sc=8-30&sk=&cvid=5481169816074EA1A1C6D57231022582)

[joldnol]

I commend your desire to go native. One of the first things many Villagers do is tear out the native plants that come with the house and replace them with non-native palms.

[Villageswimmer]

I think the OP is interested in native plants. The term is often confused with "Florida-friendly" plants. The Villages are experts in use of the latter. Not all FF plants are native.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Grass is the main culprit in terms of water, fertilizer, weedkiller and work hours, so replace your lawn areas with Florida-friendly or Florida-native ground cover and you will achieve most of what you want without worrying too much about the other plants. Just remember to get approval from the Architectural Review Committee first.

Yes, grass is the main culprit in terms of chemicals and mainly water, which is either a contaminate or just wasteful.

I will agree that the look of grass is a thing of beauty, when properly maintained.
However with the problem of water shortages due to climate change restrictions and anything else,
the use of artificial turf should be a choice a homeowner should be able to make.
Alas -- we cannot because of the "rules" The Villages has imposed upon us.

When done properly, I defy anyone to tell the difference in the look of turf compared to grass.
Yes, it is expensive to install but over time, pays for itself.

Installing artificial turf should be the choice of every homeowner, not a stupid edict set upon us by the developer.

[graciegirl]

Yes, grass is the main culprit in terms of chemicals and mainly water, which is either a contaminate or just wasteful.

I will agree that the look of grass is a thing of beauty, when properly maintained.
However with the problem of water shortages due to climate change restrictions and anything else,
the use of artificial turf should be a choice a homeowner should be able to make.
Alas -- we cannot because of the "rules" The Villages has imposed upon us.

When done properly, I defy anyone to tell the difference in the look of turf compared to grass.
Yes, it is expensive to install but over time, pays for itself.

Installing artificial turf should be the choice of every homeowner, not a stupid edict set upon us by the developer.

That "stupid edict" is part of our deed restrictions.

Artificial turf doesn't do photosynthesis which produces all that nice oxygen while it gets rid of carbon dioxide.

photosynthesis - Bing (https://www.bing.com/search?q=photosynthesis&filters=ufn%3a%22photosynthesis%22+sid%3a%22ecb1ac 99-9cab-4ca2-35ef-d0bb1d344b4f%22&form=EDGHPT&qs=MB&cvid=f327ed73ec264971bc88ea32b6ba1df5&cc=US&setlang=en-US&elv=AXXfrEiqqD9r3GuelwApulreAGkYuJL8PtdkBeFAkQlWrj NXiO9YkQnEuKb*YA7vjq6Kb6lyJNEek0SR2KlEpA7UC8HqRe39 lVO6EIp6JreM)

[Fraugoofy]

The Florida Native Plant Society meets the fourth Friday of each month at Big Cypress Rec Center at 1:30. Loads of info available by folks who are experts in native plants...speakers, plant giveaways and sales, field trips, you name it.
Thanks for this info. Do they meet in the summer?

Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk

[Villageswimmer]

Thanks for this info. Do they meet in the summer?

Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk

Yes, fourth Friday of the month except December, 1:30 at Big Cypress.

[graciegirl]

Yes, fourth Friday of the month except December, 1:30 at Big Cypress.

Done a little googling about this group, Native Plant Society and their recent convention and their goals. They are not political it seems and their topics and their goal is to restore natural habitats for creatures that live here. Seems like a good group.

Saw not a word in any of the information from them about artificial turf. Artificial Turf would not provide a home for the worms. (Or Mole Crickets for that matter) or things that feed the Sandhill cranes. I see the cranes beaking down into the grass for something. Artificial turf wouldn't halt wash out either, I would think.

Mark me down as interested in The Native plant society and not interested in artificial turf.

Or those bells instead of downspouts. We all have different tastes.

[Mrs. Robinson]

That "stupid edict" is part of our deed restrictions.

Artificial turf doesn't do photosynthesis which produces all that nice oxygen while it gets rid of carbon dioxide.



Most people are not aware that the "No turf" edict is part of our deed restrictions.
When we first moved here I was not aware because at that time, it wasn't even a thought.
I think if someone was to read their deed restrictions now, after having lived here, they would be surprised about some of the things they've either forgotten or never really realized.

No, artificial turf doesn't do anything for photosynthesis.
However, we aren't speaking about the entire community doing this.
I mentioned this as a possibility for homeowners having the choice to have it if they so desired.

It also happens to be a fact that in hot weather, photosynthesis does not perform very well insofar as grass is concerned.
Trees and plant life are the major sources for cleaning up the air, not grass.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Done a little googling about this group, Native Plant Society and their recent convention and their goals. They are not political it seems and their topics and their goal is to restore natural habitats for creatures that live here. Seems like a good group.

Saw not a word in any of the information from them about artificial turf. Artificial Turf would not provide a home for the worms. (Or Mole Crickets for that matter) or things that feed the Sandhill cranes. I see the cranes beaking down into the grass for something. Artificial turf wouldn't halt wash out either, I would think.

Mark me down as interested in The Native plant society and not interested in artificial turf.

Or those bells instead of downspouts. We all have different tastes.


Why would a native plant society have anything to do with being political?
Yes -- they do excellent things and what they tout makes sense.
Why would they say anything about "artificial" synthetic turf?
That's not what they are about.

No artificial turf would not be a home to mole crickets (thank God!) or worms, but all your planted areas would be.
Furthermore, if you have stones as opposed to mulched areas,
the stones don't offer anything for the worms either and bake the soil (sand) in the sun.
Those areas require more water.

You primarily see the sandhill cranes on the golf courses, and not often in people's yards,
so that would not be a factor for a person having the turf in their yard.
The cranes prefer open areas anyway.

And bells instead of downspouts? Huh?

[Mrs. Robinson]

I commend your desire to go native. One of the first things many Villagers do is tear out the native plants that come with the house and replace them with non-native palms.

I don't believe The Villages plant any native plants when they landscape a new property.

Homeowners seem to pull out plants, shrubs and trees they just don't like.

[Fraugoofy]

Yes, fourth Friday of the month except December, 1:30 at Big Cypress.
Thank you, villageswimmer. Maybe I will see you there...

Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk

[Arctic Fox]

Mown grass is carbon-neutral. The carbon dioxide used (and oxygen produced) during growth is exactly the same as the oxygen used (and carbon dioxide produced) as the clippings rot away.

The same is true of plants, but over a much longer period. Trees are the best because they lock in the carbon for decades. If the tree is then used to make timber for buildings, the wood doesn't rot away so the lock-in period is extended.

With lawns, account must also be taken of the oxygen used and carbon dioxide etc. produced in the weekly mowing process, and by the gardener's truck, and by the huge amounts of energy used in the production of the fertilizer and weedkiller/pesticide liberally sprayed on to the lawns.

Low-maintenance Florida-friendly plants and trees are the way to go, even without taking the water savings into account.

[2newyorkers]

I have 2 dwarf bottle brush bushes and they survive drought, frost, etc. Knock out roses also do very well.

[graciegirl]

Mown grass is carbon-neutral. The carbon dioxide used (and oxygen produced) during growth is exactly the same as the oxygen used (and carbon dioxide produced) as the clippings rot away.

The same is true of plants, but over a much longer period. Trees are the best because they lock in the carbon for decades. If the tree is then used to make timber for buildings, the wood doesn't rot away so the lock-in period is extended.

With lawns, account must also be taken of the oxygen used and carbon dioxide etc. produced in the weekly mowing process, and by the gardener's truck, and by the huge amounts of energy used in the production of the fertilizer and weedkiller/pesticide liberally sprayed on to the lawns.

Low-maintenance Florida-friendly plants and trees are the way to go, even without taking the water savings into account.

So, do you have grass around your home?

[EnglishJW]

Change the cookie cutter look? It can be done very easily.

Change the shape/curve of what TV does in the front of every house.
Use different color/type stone borders other than what everyone who has landscaping installed uses.
Practically all landscapers have utilized the same type and color in their borders.
Use brick, stepping stones, flagstone, etc., to change the look and color.

Be aware of shape, type, texture, color and form in choosing plants and shrubs; all green plants are not the same shade of green. Don't go overboard with variegated shrubs and plants. Plant some colorful seasonal annuals.

Utilize an interesting planted pot, waterfall or other water feature, a bird bath, edging or mulch.
A little stone here or there, etc., looks nice.
Many of these things can become a focal point to draw your eye.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money.
Do what you can afford.
A few changes can be a totally new look.

Any more information and I would have to charge you!
:a040:

We agree and I enjoyed this post. We have had mostly positive experiences with lots of Florida native and friendly plants. It is easy to add colors, levels, etc. On the other hand, we do not like all the borders.

[EnglishJW]

While we are on this general subject, in addition to the landscaping itself take a long look at drip irrigation. For starters, turf requires more water than plants. Drip irrigation further improves things since the water is applied precisely where you want it for even greater efficiency. Selecting effective emitters, you can actually control your watering plant by plant.

[Arctic Fox]

So, do you have grass around your home?

We used to, GracieGirl, but we took it up last year and replaced it with Asian Jasmine ground cover (those low, dark green plants TV uses a lot).

It takes two years to establish, sending out runners and filling in the gaps, but is very low maintenance and, with deep roots, copes well with drier periods (we irrigate for half the minutes we used to with grass).

Our plans were well-received by the ARC, and the neighbors seem to like it. We are not "against" others having grass; this was just the way we wanted to go, for many reasons.

[RWhitburn]

Talk with Steve Turnipseed who is President of the Florida Native Plant Society in The Villages. The club meets the 4th Friday of every month at 1:30 in the Big Cypress Rec center. Lots of informative people there including members who have "gone native" with beautiful results. Check out two recent projects on Foggy Brook Loop in Village of St Charles. Both were done by Green Isle Gardens out of Groveland. Owner of Green Isle is Mark Godts - he grows all of his own native plants without pesticides on his 8+ acres and is so knowledgeable, as is Steve Turnipseed. Green Isles - Florida native plants, Green Isle Gardens Groveland, FL Home (http://www.greenislegardens.com) I look forward to doing my yard next year and saving $$$ on irrigation, pesticides, fertilizer, and mowing!

[merrymini]

I had a heck of a time finding a landscaper who would do what I wanted. I removed about 20 to 25 percent of my lawn adjacent to my house and planted a native, drought resistant, butterfly garden. I love it. Most landscapers want to do the same thing, stone walls, palm trees etc. I used Scott Kerner Landscaping. He is local and also put in a drip irrigation system for the plants. Love it. Do a lot of research before you plant using on line images and information. i mixed native with non native and the villages does that too. The plantings that were around my house are everywhere. They use the same plantings all the time. Look at flower color, drought resistance, height and texture. There is also a native plant place in Groveland called Green Isle. I hope to remove all my grass at some point except my husband would have a fit. You can replace grass with sod replacement ground covers and it is okay because it is allowed by Florida statute. Get approvals for all the work, easy, I did it myself.

[graciegirl]

I had a heck of a time finding a landscaper who would do what I wanted. I removed about 20 to 25 percent of my lawn adjacent to my house and planted a native, drought resistant, butterfly garden. I love it. Most landscapers want to do the same thing, stone walls, palm trees etc. I used Scott Kerner Landscaping. He is local and also put in a drip irrigation system for the plants. Love it. Do a lot of research before you plant using on line images and information. i mixed native with non native and the villages does that too. The plantings that were around my house are everywhere. They use the same plantings all the time. Look at flower color, drought resistance, height and texture. There is also a native plant place in Groveland called Green Isle. I hope to remove all my grass at some point except my husband would have a fit. You can replace grass with sod replacement ground covers and it is okay because it is allowed by Florida statute. Get approvals for all the work, easy, I did it myself.

Pictures?

[graciegirl]

Talk with Steve Turnipseed who is President of the Florida Native Plant Society in The Villages. The club meets the 4th Friday of every month at 1:30 in the Big Cypress Rec center. Lots of informative people there including members who have "gone native" with beautiful results. Check out two recent projects on Foggy Brook Loop in Village of St Charles. Both were done by Green Isle Gardens out of Groveland. Owner of Green Isle is Mark Godts - he grows all of his own native plants without pesticides on his 8+ acres and is so knowledgeable, as is Steve Turnipseed. Green Isles - Florida native plants, Green Isle Gardens Groveland, FL Home (http://www.greenislegardens.com) I look forward to doing my yard next year and saving $$$ on irrigation, pesticides, fertilizer, and mowing!

Steve Turnipseed president of Florida Native Plants. We could be forgiven for thinking you were funning on us. But that is his name. Makes you wonder about stuff.

[EnglishJW]

Pictures?

If this link works, it will have a bunch of photos showing Mary's garden. Jack English | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/englishjw/media_set?set=a.10211495346393859.1073741916.10697 11526&type=3)

[graciegirl]

If this link works, it will have a bunch of photos showing Mary's garden. Jack English | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/englishjw/media_set?set=a.10211495346393859.1073741916.10697 11526&type=3)

These pictures are absolutely beautiful. I was going to ask you both over for dessert, but then I remembered you would have to see my potted tomato plant which is in intensive care. I think it needs last rites.

I paid fifteen dollars for that tomato plant and so far after a lot of changing the soil, moving it around to get optimum sun, watering it too little, then watering it too much, we have had three tomatoes. Do the math.

Your Florida Friendly yard is just elegant and the plants are spectacular. I am learning here. It isn't too late.

[perkfarm]

Do you have some pics you can share ? Would it be possible to drive by and see what you have done ? Thanks

[T-325]

Jack..The photos are wonderful... and better yet when you click on the picture the name of the plant pops up. I had the shrubs in front of my house pulled up and am in the planning stage so this is very helpful. A big thank you to you and Mary.

[Carl in Tampa]

Jack, all the photos are great. I especially like the pictures of the caterpillars eating the sacrificial leaves on the butterfly bush.

When my wife was alive we had all kinds of bushes that were especially good for attracting butterflies in our yard. It was as if they just bloomed butterflies.

Once we even had a pupa attached to the doorknob on our front door. We put a sign on the door telling people not to touch the knob until the butterfly emerged.

Thanks for the photos.

[EnglishJW]

We are glad people have enjoyed the photos of Mary's garden. It is, as she says, a work in progress. The garden is a combination of Florida native and Florida friendly. For example, we have two crape myrtles which we love. They are not native to Florida. In addition, if you actually see our house, we tried to save every plant that The Villages had supplied. We did this primarily by moving them to other places around the house. Mary's goal was to encourage butterflies with a large combination of both host and nectar plants. At the moment, that seems to be working very well as we have many Monarch caterpillars on our tropical milkweed (but none on our native milkweed) as well as a growing number of Gulf Fritillary caterpillars on our passion flowers. The are many other creatures like bees, wasps, lady bugs, aphids, anoles, rabbits and more. While we have planted a number of things specifically to attract hummingbirds, we haven't seen even one. The same is true for Bluebirds. I will periodically add photos to the album with the link in a prior post. If you want to stop by, send me a private message. Mary loves to talk about the garden and she can answer many questions that I really cannot.