Florida Yards and Neighborhoods

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The secret to creating a successful landscape design is using a logical planning process. Follow the steps outlined below to develop your own landscape plan.

1. Decide why you want to landscape.
   • Most homeowners think of landscaping as a way to add beauty to their home or to improve the resale value.
   • Other reasons to landscape might prove more problem-oriented, such as trying to reduce noise, create a microclimate or lure wildlife to a yard.
   • The FYN program adds one more idea to the palette of reasons to landscape: to protect the environment. Appropriate landscaping stabilizes soil, prevents erosion, filters pollutants and reduces harmful runoff — all of which contribute to preserving Florida’s unique natural resources.



2. Set goals for use and maintenance. Determine how you will use your property.
• Do you need a play area for your children or pets?
• Is your focus on entertaining family and friends outdoors?
• Is your passion raising vegetables, or butterflies?
• Do you want to leisurely enjoy your waterfront view?
• Decide how much time you want to spend working in your yard. You may want to create a low-maintenance yard to save time and money.



3. Analyze the existing site.
• Walk around your property, noting conditions that make your yard unique.
• Does your site demand plants that are tolerant of cold, wind, full sun, shade, drought, occasional flooding or salt spray?
• Do you know your soil’s pH and nutrient content?



• Not sure what kinds of information to note as you walk your yard?
  • See the Tree Site Analysis Page for a list of ideas to get started.
  • Look at existing plants and decide which ones you want to keep. Plants that always seem to have one problem or another throughout the year are good candidates for removal.
  • For other tips on deciding which plants to keep or remove, see the Plant Sorting Guidelines.



• Soil plays a big part in any landscape project, determining the success of your efforts and influencing what plants will thrive in your yard.
  • Before beginning any landscape project, take a soil sample to your county's UF/IFAS Extension office for testing.
  • Read more about soil on the Soil Know-how Page



4. Draw a land-use plan. Don’t be nervous — you do not have to be an artist to tackle this step!
• Round up the tools you will need: a pencil, ruler and graph paper.
• If you have the survey completed for your mortgage, photocopy it — it is really helpful at this stage.
• On the graph paper, draw your house, penciling in existing trees and shrubs you want to keep.
• If your yard includes a septic tank, underground utilities or overhead power lines, include these on your drawing.
• If you have a sprinkler system, be sure to note the spray coverage.
• Once the yard’s “bones” are on your drawing, sketch where various activities will take place.



• Consider views: Is there a view from indoors that you want to enhance with plants that attract birds or butterflies? Is there scenery you would like to hide?


If you live on the water, place intensively maintained plantings, such as turfgrass and vegetable gardens, away from the water’s edge to reduce the potential for polluted runoff to reach surface waters.
• In many circumstances, a ”no fertilizer, no pesticide” zone of at least 10 feet along the shoreline significantly reduces pollution from runoff from upland areas.
• Never allow fertilizers or pesticides to enter water directly.



5. Add the landscape plan to the sketch.


Determine the types of plants you want in different locations.
• Do not worry about specific plant identification yet — just draw in where you want trees, shrubs, groundcovers or flowering plants.
• Keep plants away from buildings to give them room to grow and to make building maintenance easier.
• Note the ultimate plant height you desire in each area.
• Group plants according to their water needs. This makes watering more efficient and keeps plants healthier.



6. Incorporate an irrigation plan. In-ground irrigation systems are not necessary in every landscape, especially if you use drought-resistant plants.
   • Research your irrigation needs and determine which type of system, if any, you want to install.
   • Consider this tip: While plants are becoming established in your yard, you may want a temporary watering system. It is convenient and usually worth the effort.
   • Add any new irrigation plans to your drawing.
   • Read more about irrigation techniques and water conservation strategies in Module 3: Water Efficiently.



7. Select landscape materials.
   • When choosing plants, consider the limitations of your site, maintenance requirements and wildlife value.
   • Consult gardening books and plant lists specific to Florida (start with the plant lists on this website chosen especially for this area).
   • It’s wise to write both the common and scientific name (genus and species) into your plan; common names can cause confusion when it is time to buy plants.
   • Remember to list landscaping materials you may need for walkways, mulch or borders.



8. Buy quality plants.
   • Choose the healthiest plants you can find.
   • Slip plants out of pots to inspect roots. Healthy roots are white and smell like damp soil; diseased roots are brown to black and often have a sour or rotting odor.
   • Roots that are growing in a circle inside the bottom of the pot indicate a rootbound plant. Purchase another plant, if possible.


Take care to space and plant things properly.
• For trees, purchase the largest size you can afford.
• However,Shrubs, perennials, groundcovers, annuals and smaller size plants will grow just as quickly as their pricier counterparts in larger pots.
• Allow enough space for each plant to grow to maturity.



9. MAINTAIN.
   • Maintenance includes proper watering, fertilizing, composting, pruning, mowing, mulching and pest management.
   • The more thorough you are with the steps above, the less you will have to worry about maintenance.
   • It is possible to maintain an established landscape with minimal amounts of pesticide, fertilizers and supplemental water.
   • Watering efficiently, fertilizing appropriately and managing yard pests responsibly are all part of proper landscape maintenance.
   • Watering efficiently, fertilizing appropriately and managing yard pests responsibly are all part of proper landscape maintenance.



10. Enjoy! Photograph the evolution of your Florida-Friendly Yard, and share your knowledge with others. “Before” and “after” shots with captions are particularly useful to illustrate your success.