Florida Landscaping Ideas for Small Yards
Living Florida-Friendly begins with selecting the right plant for the right place. If you select suitable plants for your landscape and care for them according to Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles, they will likely thrive.
Florida is a diverse state which includes a variety of soil types, temperature ranges, and rainfall patterns that differ dramatically from region to region. A plant that thrives in a friend’s yard on the coast may freeze in your yard just a few miles inland. Different conditions often exist in the same home landscape. The front yard may be high and dry, while the backyard may be poorly drained and soggy.
Walk around your property, noting conditions that make your yard unique. Does your site demand plants that are tolerant of the cold, wind, full sun, shade drought, occasional flooding, or salt spray? Do you know your soil pH and nutrient content? Don’t forget to take into account where your septic system, power lines, and underground utilities are located. The following checklists will guide you through some important considerations you should take into account when designing a landscaped area.
1st: Determine Your Needs for an Area.
- Play area for children
- Veg./herb/fruit garden
- Screen home from road or neighbors
- Wildlife habitat/butterfly garden
- Water garden/aquascape
- Sitting garden
- Area for entertaining
- Pet area
- Storage area
- Pool, spa, hot tub
- Outdoor barbeque area
- Showcase the home
2nd: Determine Maintenance Level
Time needed for mowing, pruning, and weeding as well as equirements for water, fertilizers and pesticides.
3rd: Determine the Site Conditions in Your Yard
Time needed for mowing, pruning, and weeding as well as equirements for water, fertilizers, and pesticides.
- North FL
- South FL
- Central FL
- Well-Drained Soil
- Poorly Drained Soil
- Compacted Soil
- Alkaline Soil
- Acidic Soil
- Costal Soil
- Sandy
- Marl
- Clay
- Full Shade
- Partly Shaded
Your UF/IFAS County Extension office can provide you information on how to collect a soil sample for a pH, soluble salts, or complete analysis test. For more information on pH see:
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4th: Map Your Yard
Creating a low-impact, Florida-Friendly Landscape can be fun and rewarding. But where do you start? If you need help with the layout, viisit
