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Our Florida Friendly Landscape topic for the month of April is Right Plant, Right Place.
Matching our plants to soil, light and water conditions in your landscape can help plants thrive more easily once the plants are established, with less irrigation, and decreased fertilizers and pesticides. A good starting place is soil testing to see if amendments are needed in your planting beds. Testing can be done at your county extension office. For a smaller area one soil sample should be enough, but for a larger areas samples should be pulled from multiple areas to get an average reading. Doing any soil amendments before planting will help to ensure that your plants will have the best chance to thrive.
Choosing the right plant should include light needs, soil Ph, water conditions, and growing hardiness zone. Keep in mind that not all plants available at area big box stores or nurseries will thrive in our growing zone. It is important to check the recommendations on the plant tags for those specific instructions. Light requirements will need to be matched while considering both morning and afternoon sun. Try to group plants with the same water requirements together. Planting a mix of perineal and annual plants for color and less maintenance will give your landscape variety. Think about using Florida native plants if possible and being mindful of staying away from those plants on the invasive species list.
For more information on invasive plants visit the IFAS website at:
UF/IFAS Assessment - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
ifas.ufl.edu
Choosing two or three colors that complement each other. Repeating the combination throughout the landscape area creates a scene that is visually appealing and will draw the eye through the planted area. Keep in mind different plants bloom at different times of the year, or have different leaf displays, have fruit or changing bark color. This variety will often keep your landscape colorful throughout the growing season.
Consider the mature height of the plants you choose. Always give plants enough room to grow to full size. Dwarf size plants are a better choice for smaller spaces. Think ahead for plants that may block windows or walkways or require significant trimming to maintain a manageable size.
Think about upkeep and maintenance. This would include watering, fertilizing, pruning, mowing, mulching and pest management. The more carefully you plan your landscaping the less you will have to worry about maintenance.
For more information about choosing plants, there is a plant list available on The Florida Friendly Landscaping web site at
FFL Plants
ifas.ufl.edu
It is easy to be intimidated when it comes to plant selection for our landscaping. The choices seem to be never ending. Start basic with things that you like. If you consider light, water, size and growing zone, success will be more likely. Don’t be afraid to move plants from one place to another for better growing results. The principles of Right Plant Right Place are a great guide for a beautiful landscape. So, pick out some plants and get busy. It's that time of year!
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