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The right plant in the right place.  Carefully planning and site evaluation are the first steps in applying this concept.  The following checklists will guide you through some important considerations and decisions you should make when designing a landscaped area.

1st: Determine your needs for
an area. (Some suggestions)

___ 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 the level of
maintenance you want.
(Time needed for mowing, pruning, and weeding. Requirements for water, fertilizers and pesticides.)

___ High ___ Medium ___ Low
.
FLORIDA YARD ACTIONS 
bullet Reduce the need for water, fertilizer, pesticides and pruning by using plants suited to the site conditions in your yard.
Credit:  2 inches
.
bullet Group plants according to their maintenance needs. For example, group drought-tolerant plants with low-water needs separately from lawn areas.
Credit:  2 inches
.
bullet Determine how much grass you need for children, pets and recreation. Use low- maintenance ground covers, shrubs, mulch or other porous surfaces where possible.
Credit:  3 inches
.
bullet Save energy by using trees and shrubs to shade the air conditioner compressor and eastern and western walls of your home.
Credit:  1 inch
.
bullet Use deciduous trees or shrubs on southern exposures to allow sun to passively heat your home in the winter.
Credit:  1 inch
.
bullet Help stop the spread of invasive exotic plants by removing them from your yard (i.e. Brazilian pepper, melaleuca, Australian pine and Chinese tallow.)
Credit:  2 inches
.
bullet Reduce yard waste by choosing plants that will not require frequent pruning when they reach maturity.
Credit:  1 inch
.
bullet Preserve native plants, especially trees, when building on a new site.  Maintain a protective "do not disturb" barrier under the dripline of trees.
Credit:  3 inches
_____Total Inches
.
3rd: Determine the site
conditions in your yard.
.
___ north FL
___ central FL
___ south FL

___ sandy
___ marl
___ clay

___ full shade
___ part shaded
___ sunny

 ___ well-drained
........soil
___ poorly
........drained soil
___ compacted
........soil

___ alkaline soil
___ acidic soil
___ coastal soil
Your county's Cooperative Extension Service can give you information on
how to collect a soil sample for a pH, soluble salts, or complete analysis test.

.
4th: Create your design plan

Follow the landscape design steps in the FY&N Handbook to draw plans similar to those below.  You can use graph paper.   Be sure to indicate where activities will take place, future plans for additions to the home, and your irrigation zones, if you have an in-ground system.
 

landscape1.gif (16537 bytes) landscape2.gif (20360 bytes)
      First indicate existing plants... 
...then note site conditions.

5th: Choose plants to meet all the conditions you've selected in this workbook. Note: Plants with the following characteristics will help reduce maintenance:
 

___ drought tolerant
___ pest tolerant		 ___ shade tolerant
___ freeze tolerant
___ salt tolerant		 ___ slow growing shrubs
___ groundcovers
.