Your home is your castle, but does your yard look more like a landscaped oasis or an overgrown jungle? If you don’t enjoy gardening — or if you live in an area of the state with severe water restrictions — maintaining your yard may be a daunting chore.
This year, consider Florida-friendly landscaping. With the state’s mild climate, there are numerous native plants that require only minimal watering and maintenance. Whether you live in North, Central, or South Florida, there are flowers, shrubs and trees that grow best in your region. But just because it’s for sale at your local garden center doesn’t mean it will do well in your yard.
To find out which plants thrive best in your area, check out FloridaYards.org. The website includes a database of Florida-friendly plants by region, plus an interactive yard program filled with suggestions for turning your yard into an eco-friendly and low maintenance space.
Conserving water used in gardening is important not only for your budget, but also for the environment. Besides choosing plants that need minimal water, installing sprinklers that are water-efficient save you both time and money. Spring showers and summer thunderstorms can water your lawn for you, so consider installing a rain sensor switch for your irrigation system so your sprinklers won’t be watering your yard when it’s raining. For more tips on how to conserve water outdoors, visit ProtectingOurWater.org.