Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Broward County

• Florida Friendly Landscaping

  The following documents can used as guides for creating a Florida Friendly Landscape™

  Florida Friendly Landscaping Program Website

  Create a Florida-Friendly Yard

  How to convert a yard to Florida-Friendly Landscaping™

  Florida Yards & Neighborhoods

  The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design

  Questions and Answers: 2009 Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Legislation

  Estimated Water Savings Potential of Florida-Friendly Landscaping Activities

  Florida Friendly Landscaping - Home Landscaping Checklist

• Right Plant, Right Place

  Having the right plant in the right place is the number one rule of Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FLL).  Know your plants! Think about:

  • sun requirements
  • drought/flooding tolerance
  • plant height and spread

  To simplify care, Install plants that have similar requirements together. Consider utilities when planning your FFL - don't forget overhead wires!

  Here are some resources to help you.

  Principle 1: Right Plant, Right Place

  Call 811 before you dig!

  Trees and Power Lines

  FPL Right Tree, Right Place

  Florida-friendly Plant Database

  Right Plant, Right Place: The Art and Science of Landscape Design—Plant Selection and Siting

  Landscape Design: Drawing a Planting Plan

  Edible landscaping

• Water Efficiently

  Landscape Irrigation accounts for over half of the water usage in Broward County.  With competing interests in how water is used, it is important that we learn how to water our landscapes efficiently. Remember water restrictions are still in effect.  Below are some helpful links to ensure you are utilizing water efficiently.

  Principle 2: Water Efficiently
  SFWMD WaterWise: South Florida
  Broward County Mandatory Irrigation Restrictions
  Watering your Florida Lawn
  Florida Lawn Handbook
  How to Calibrate Your Sprinkler System
  
  

• Fertilize Appropriately

  Keeping your lawn and landscape green and healthy can be a challenge here in south Florida.  Fertilizing appropriately is one way to improve the health and vigor of plants in your yard.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. The label is the law. Read and follow label instructions.  
  2. More is not better! Too much fertilizer can cause problems with plants and is detrimental to the environment.
  3. If possible, use fertilizers that have slow release nitrogen and low phosphorous.
  4. Don’t fertilize within 10 feet of any water body. Use a deflector shield to keep fertilizer away from water.

  Below are some helpful links.

  Principle 3: Fertilize Appropriately
  The Florida Fertilizer Label
  Homeowner Best Management Practices for the Home Lawn
  How to Calibrate Your Fertilizer Spreader
  Not All Landscape Palm Fertilizers Are Created Equal 
  
  

• Mulch

  The 4th Florida Friendly Landscaping Principle is Mulching.  Mulching is often used to make an area appear neat and helps with water retention, but did you know that mulching also has other benefits?  These include:

  • improving soil quality
  • controlling weeds 
  • protecting plants from some plant diseases
  • avoiding damage from mowers and weed eaters.

  The following links can utilized as guides for utilizing mulch in your yard/landscape.

  Principle 4: Mulch 
  Choosing and Installing Mulches 
  
  

   

• Attract Wildlife

  Attracting Wildlife is the 5th principle of Florida Friendly Landscaping.  You can do so by:

  • planting trees that have berries to feed migrating birds
  • planting pollinator gardens to attract butterflies and bees
  • setting up bat houses. 

  Below are some documents that will help you attract wildlife.

  Principle Five: Attract Wildlife
  Hummingbirds of Florida
  Threats to Florida's Biodiversity
  Dealing with unwanted Wildlife in an Urban EnvironmentButterfly Gardening in Florida
  Community Butterfly Scaping PDF
  Three Host Plants that will Bring Seven Butterflies
  Broward's Butterflies
  South Florida Audubon Society 
  North American Butterfly Association Broward 
  FWC Iguana Information
  Dealing with Iguanas in the South Florida Landscape
  
  

   

• Manage Yard Pests Responsibly

  Living in South Florida presents a unique challenge in fighting to keep our plants, trees and turf healthy.  Sri Lankan weevils, chinch bugs, and scales are just a few of the many pests that we try to control.  Managing yard pests responsibly is the 6th Florida Friendly Landscaping Principle.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when doing so:

  1. Identify your pest. Some insects, such as the lady bug larva (a very voracious aphid eater), look like a pest insect.  If you need help identifying an insect, bring a sample to extension or take a clear picture and email it to mastergardener@broward.org
     
  2. Try to use the least toxic pesticide possible.  
  3. Remember: the label is the law!  Follow the directions on the label and check to make sure that the product is labeled for use on your specific pest.
  4. Scout for pests and treat early.  Spotting a problem and treating it early can save you money and time. 

  Below are some documents and websites that will help you Manage Yard Pests Responsibly:

  Principle 6: Manage Yard Pests Responsibly PDF
  Landscape Integrated Pest Management
  Natural Products for Managing Landscape and Garden Pests in Florida PDF
  Lawn and Garden Care: Pest Management
  Natural Enemies and Biological Control
  
  

• Recycle Yard Waste

  The 7th Florida Friendly Landscaping Principle is Recycle Yard Waste.  Lawn clippings, fallen leaves, and pruned branches can all be used to provide much needed nutrients in the areas where our plants grow.  Here are a few points to ponder:

  1. Use a mulching mower blade and leave your clippings on the lawn.  This will return nutrients back to the soil.
  2. If you are collecting your lawn clippings and landscape material, place them in a compost pile/bin.
  3. Select slow growing trees and shrubs.  This will decrease the number of times you may need to prune.
  4. Remove diseased or insect infested materials by placing in a plastic bag and throwing them away.

  Here are some websites and documents that may be useful:

  Principle 7: Recycle Yard Waste
  Compost Tips for the Home Gardener
  Mowing your Florida Lawn
  Construction of Home Compost Units
  Vermicomposting by Sarasota Extension

• Reduce Stormwater Runoff

  The 8th Florida Friendly Principle is Reduce Stormwater Runoff.  Broward County rainfall averages 55-60 inches/year.  All this water sheds from roof tops to the ground and drains into the canals.  Here are some key points to keep in mind:

  1. You can collect rain from your roof using a rain barrel, and then use it to water plants during dry spells.
  2. You can plant a rain garden. Direct your downspouts to the rain garden to allow water to filter into the ground.

  Below are some resources that will help you reduce stormwater runoff:

  Principle 8: Reduce Stormwater Runoff
  Rain Barrels-SWFWMD
  Build Your Own Rain Barrel- SWFWMD
  Gardening Solutions- Rain Gardens
  Florida Field Guide to Low Impact Development: Rain Gardens
  

  ​RAIN BARREL Workshops

  UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Florida-Friendly Landscaping program can help you capture and use our abundance of free non-chlorinated soft water with a rain barrel for irrigating your landscape.

  The Broward County Extension is offering a series of Rain Barrel-Water Conservation Workshops. These workshops allow the residents of Broward County to learn essential water conservation issues, provide a rain barrel and teach how to construct and install their very own rain barrel. Schools, homeowners associations, and garden clubs can also request a presentation.

  If you have any questions please contact:

  Lorna Bravo
  Urban Horticulture Agent
  lbravo1@ufl.edu
  (954) 756-8529

• Protect the Waterfront

  Florida’s waterfronts are an important factor in our daily lives (clean drinking water), our recreational actives, and our local economy. Protecting the Waterfront, the 9^th and final Florida Friendly Landscaping principle, is important to keep our environment healthy and safe.  Here are a few points to ponder:

  1. All Stormwater grates lead directly to a canal, retention pond, or directly to the ocean. Do not dispose of any chemicals or waste products down them.
  2. If possible plant native aquatic plants to help prevent shoreline erosion. Check with your HOA or Municipality to find out what you are allowed to plant.
  3. If you live adjacent to a body of water, try to leave a 10 foot no-maintenance zone where you do not mow, fertilize or apply pesticides.
  4. Don’t allow grass clippings or pet waste to get into Stormwater grates or adjacent waterways. They can cause harmful bacteria and algae blooms to occur.

  To help you Protect the Waterfront:

  Principle 9: Protect the Waterfront

• Have Your Yard Certified

  The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) Program recognizes landscapes that use sustainable landscaping practices. Florida-Friendly landscapes minimize the use of potable water for irrigation, avoid the runoff of excess fertilizers and pesticides from the landscape, and provide habitats for wildlife. They can take any form, from more traditional to more natural. It's how the  landscape is designed and maintained that ultimately determines if it's Florida-Friendly. 

  Recognitions are offered for three different categories of landscapes: Home, Commercial, and New Construction. Landscapes are evaluated based on a checklist of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ practices. Florida-Friendly landscapes receive a yard sign to display and a certificate for the recognition at either silver or gold level.

  Show your commitment to protecting Florida’s water and natural resources by making your landscape Florida-Friendly and displaying your recognition sign.

  Review the FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING™ PROGRAM RECOGNITION PROCESS to determine if your yard is ready to be evaluated for certification.

  To request an FFL yard evaluation, please contact 

  Name: Lorna Bravo
  Phone: (954) 756-8529
  Email: lbravo1@ufl.edu 

   

• Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Certified Professional (FFLCP)

  The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program offers a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Certified Professional (FFLCP) designation to individuals who have completed the required training in FFL principles and are familiar with the latest UF/IFAS recommendations. These trained professionals have demonstrated the ability to recognize and address common landscape issues by using environmentally sustainable landscape management practices that help preserve and protect Florida’s water and natural resources. 

  Interested in becoming an Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Certified Professional?

  Please contact UF/IFAS Extension, Broward County, Urban Horticulture Program:

   

  Lorna Bravo

  954-756-8529

  lbravo1@ufl.edu 

   

   

• Native Orchid Project

  

  Broward County Native Orchid Project

  Encyclia tampensis Videos

  Site Selection, Installation & Care Requirements

  https://youtu.be/Z7Zas_7RKWQ

  Tree Selection

  https://youtu.be/8vYoLAQtbik

  Installation Demonstrations

  https://youtu.be/aaJxC12oE6I

  Oncidium ensatum Videos

  Oncidium ensatum

  https://youtu.be/5PvXkai1P70

  Brochure

  Native Orchid Project - Brochure