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Florida Friendly Landscaping is a program intended to teach Floridian landscaping and lawn care practices that are both good for the environment and good for them. It highlights the nine key principles of caring for and maintaining your landscape.
This program specially integrates healthy, Florida-friendly landscaping practices into your regular lawn care maintenance. These principles keep in mind the environment AND your wallet.
The Florida Friendly website explains that there are nine principles to landscaping that one should follow. They outline them as such:
Some think that utilizing native plants limits their design aspirations. However, plenty of colorful, endearing, and eye-catching native plants are available to spice up your landscape while helping the ecosystem.
1. Cross Vine:
Also sometimes called Trumpet Flowers, these plants are identifiable by their flashy orange bell blossom.
They are well-off in any soil type, can handle drought conditions, and even attract hummingbirds and pollinators such as bees!
2. Coral Bean:
Coral bean plants are eye-catching and fun, and they also withstand a lot of the harsher weather conditions Florida has to offer.
They will grow during droughts and while directly exposed to the sun.
3. Tampa Vervain:
Tampa vervains are very cute and very hardy plants!
But rather than tolerating extreme conditions, these plants prefer them.
They grow best in full sunlight, dry clay soil, and little water. So, they are best saved for sun-exposed patches of lawn where a color splash would do nicely.
The Florida Friendly landscaping principles are easier to learn than they are to practice. These principles are guidelines, meant to be used along with regular professional maintenance services. There is helping to come with that, though. Landscaping professionals are aware of Friendly Florida landscaping Principles, but their exposure to various parts of Florida warrants them qualified to give you that yard-specific advice you need. They also prioritize native vegetation when making decorative decisions, so they can assist with the nine principles while benefiting Florida and your wallet.
To find out more about Florida Friendly, visit https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/.