The Benefits of Native Landscaping

           Landscaping with native plants in Florida requires minimal maintenance, providing benefits such as water conservation, saving time and money, and helping to keep our waters chemical free. Native landscaping also provides habitat for wildlife that would otherwise be displaced, all while managing to keep your home beautiful.

            The use of native Florida plants for landscaping in Florida provides the benefit of minimal maintenance. Native plants are well-adapted to Florida conditions, such as heavy rain or drought and native insects. Thus, these plants require little to no watering, fertilizers, or pesticides. Less maintenance leads to more free time, and less time keeping up the yard, as well as less money spent on water bills or buying chemicals to keep your landscape looking healthy and beautiful. Thus, you save time and money by going native in your landscaping.

Less water and chemical consumption helps ensure that Florida keeps a sustainable quantity and quality of water. Consuming less water helps Floridians in our fight against water shortages, especially during our hot summers and during periodic droughts. Reducing the amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides we use on our landscapes, especially large lawns, helps to keep our surface and ground water systems clean. Healthy water quality is an important aspect to healthy Florida ecosystems and safe drinking water.

Native landscaping also provides plenty of natural habitat for our native wildlife which have been finding themselves without a home every time our development expands. Because we all need a place to live, why not decorate the outside of your home with some living space for birds, butterflies, and many other animals?

Getting Started

Many nurseries now offer the native alternative to most popular horticulture. These include flowers, vines, ground cover, shrubs, and trees. These native plants can create beautiful curb appeal to your home not only in their own individual splendor, but also in creative placement. You can get started by using many online resources for Floridian native landscaping, and you may also seek the services of your local nurseries for their horticultural expertise and knowledge. One great tool to get you started is http://www.floridayards.org/. This site provides helpful background information on native plants, a native plant database with a search engine specified to your location and landscape needs, and an interactive tool to help you personally design your landscape and place your native plants.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has provided a “Guide to Florida-Friendly Landscaping,” which you may request a hard copy of, or access online at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/nonpoint/docs/nonpoint/fyn_handbook.pdf. Also, the University of Florida IFAS Extension and Outreach Program is very helpful in providing more information on native plants. Their native plants website is http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_native_plants. 

Now, that you know where to start, and have read some of the benefits of native landscaping, get started on Going Native!

-Veronica Saavedra

Legal intern