“Lawn out front, flowers in the back. It's the landscaping equivalent of a mullet haircut: Business in the front, party out back.

And it's headed the same way.

More homeowners are giving up on staid front-yard lawns and putting gardens front and center instead. Many choose native and Florida-friendly plants that, placed in the right spot, save time and money, water and fertilizer.

But not everyone's doing it just for the savings.”

Read the full article in this link

Penny Carnathan’s article in The Tampa Tribune Getaway on Sunday

 

Using Florida Friendly Plants as the article suggests has been a theme of ours for 28 years. Check out this post for a great plant that will add beauty and the savings discussed in the article.

 

Shrink the Size of Your Lawn Today!

 

Another low growing drought tolerant Florida Friendly Plant that is a perennial is the Ornamental Sweet Potato. It is a spreader that covers a lot of mulched area and requires minimal care.

 

One-potato-two-potato-three-potato-four!

 

Something to entertain you as you ponder the subject… Taking out the Grass is a Gas

 

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This Florida native plant is in the Iris family and is so drought tolerant that it thrives along our sunny roadsides, embankments and ditches throughout the state. It survives when submerged in ditches that stay filled with water for months at a time during our rainy season. It will grow in partial shade and spreads by reseeding and can easily be divided. You can also mow it as it survives the DOT mowing it gets just fine.

The heaviest bloom is in the early spring however it does bloom again less spectacularly in the fall.

Blooming is about 4-6 weeks late this year and it is putting on a grand show right now that should last 3-4 more weeks then the wild phlox and native tickseed will put on the next roadside show.

Blue-eyed Grass is available today in these Florida Home Depot garden centers. Try some and I am sure you will enjoy this long lived native wildflower for many years to come.

 

Use Blue-eyed Grass in place of thirsty turf as it never needs more than rain water to survive. It is well adapted to survive without fertilizer. You can also use it as the primary plant in a wildflower garden and sow phlox, tickseed, blanket flower and milkweed among them. These wildflowers do not require water or fertilizer either but need lots of sun to flower their best. Butterflies will dance happily in your garden when you plant these wildflower combinations.

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Dr. Gail Hansen and the folks at U of F Extension have produced many great documents at their Solutions for Your Life Website. If you want to evaluate your landscape take a look at this Publication.

Consider adding a border to tie your landscape together and give it a finished look. At most Florida Home Depot stores you will find SausEdgeTM. You can use this innovative tube to cut your work and cost in half and get an edge on your beds.

 

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Over the last 3 weeks I have traveled around the state and met with 600 Home Depot garden associates spreading news and knowledge about great Florida Friendly Plants. This excited team is chomping at the bit for good weather after all the freezes we have had. We did have a little sleet and snow on January 10th in parts of Florida. What an El Nino winter this has been! With climate change we know winter and summer precipitation will be greater as there will be much more water vapor in the atmosphere as the planet warms yet droughts in drought prone areas are worsening. Poor Australia! We gardeners will just have to take what mother nature sends our way.

 

 

A good percentage of associates are Florida Certified Horticulture Professionals (FCHP). Much of what I shared with the long time Home Depot garden associates (some as much as 20 year vets) is in the post  Successful Gardening in 2010.

New shipments of Florida Friendly Plants are arriving daily at most

Florida Home Depot garden centers.

 

 

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http://www.floridawildflowers.com/index.htm

Experience a beautiful garden and learn what grows well in Florida and how to grow it. Open 7 days a week for you to wander in and enjoy the park like setting while observing some very diverse garden and plant types.
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At most Florida Home Depot stores, SausEdge is a new way we developed to quickly and easily ...get an edge on your beds. The unique biodegradable paper covered tube of soil and roots holds together for guaranteed success. The tube dries out slower and breathes to maintain the proper water to air to root relationship for success. Bury the tube and mulch the bed for best success. Now is a great time to get a beautiful edge on your plant and flower beds to add the finished look to your yard. Try this new innovation and see just how easy and effective it is.

  4 feet of Plant Edging per package – Half the Work and Half the Cost of Container Plants

 

Cuban Gold Duranta - Very Popular - Easy to Grow Perennial – Ideal for Edging – Shear it to keep it the desired size. Reduce the amount of turf by adding SausEdge around all your beds and add continuity to your design by tying the bed together. Add color contrast and interest and give your home a major shot of curb appeal.

 

It is so much easier than planting individual pots and you will be so much more successful if you use SausEdge.

Dig a shallow trench or use your edger as a trencher. Cover SausEdge with soil and water daily until it is well established

Multicolor Joseph's Coat is durable and very Florida Friendly.

Slice your SausEdge TM into individual plants to stretch your dollars even further.

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Muhly Grass is a Florida Friendly native grass that is a spectacular fall bloomer.

This grass is widely adaptable to wet and dry areas throughout Florida

Look for them now in most Florida Home Depot stores.

Red Fountain Grass is the most popular ornamental grass. Use ornamental grass as a substitute for thirsty turf areas where you don't want to irrigate as much.

Ornamental Grass adds accent structure and height to a garden.

Fountain Grasses work well in containers. Be sure you cut back the old foliage and flowers in February to 4 inches above the soil line so all new foliage and flowers resprout to repeat the spectacular show again each year.

 

Movement is another design element that adds interest and is most easily attained with ornamental grasses sited to sway in the breeze.

 

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