A Florida-Friendly Yard

A very nice Florida-Friendly landscaped yard

Most people envision an expansive yard of lush green grass with a few neatly trimmed shrubs placed around the house. While it can be a pretty vision, it's not very practical anymore.

A large expanse of turf requires a lot of water, chemicals and mowing. Along with that comes a huge impact on our ever-dwindling water supply, and steady stream of chemical pollutants into our Florida waterways, which are already affecting our beautiful springs. And, I haven't even mentioned the hours of mowing and spraying the grass in an effort to eliminate chinch bugs.

It's time for Florida gardeners to put their 1/4 acre of a yard to better use and create a more diverse and productive landscape. Where do we begin?

The University of Florida extension has already done the work for us. They have developed these 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping Principles:

1) Right plant, right place
2) Water efficiently
3) Fertilize appropriately
4) Mulch
5) Attract Wildlife
6) Control Yard Pests Responsibly
7) Recylce
8) Reduce Stormwater Runoff
9)Protect the Waterfront

Click here to visit their site for more detailed information on these 9 principles.

Find the right plants by clicking here to visit the Florida-Friendly Plant Database.

Need some inspiration? Click here to take a look at these Florida-Friendly gardens on our Pinterest page.

Now get busy and create your own Florida-Friendly garden!