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I would like to convert my labor intensive front lawn from grass to a yard of native Florida plants. Fighting chinch bugs, fungus and fertilizing and watering AND cutting the grass will be to much for me in a few years and I would like to start converting my lawn. My yard measure 50x 150 and I already have six specimen palm trees, a magnolia tree , a Tabebuia tree and a clump of black bamboo. The area is covered by a well fed lawn sprinkler and I fear that as I start adding shrubs that the water will not reach some area and it will quickly look awful before I finish.
I am thinking of adding plants at the farther parts first and then work toward the house but after that wonder about plant heights and selection. I would appreciate any help or ideas the forum members have. I live in zone 9b right on the edge of zone 10 in Florida.
I want to kiss you! Not only will God bless you (my two cents), but the beautiful waterways in Florida will be cleaner because of your efforts.
I just read an article in Fine Gardnening about designing the garden to make it easy to navigate. It was for older people, supposedly but I have knee problems and a lot of the tips made sense to me. One tip was to put in wide, non-slippery paths. If you don't want to mow, you can get a contractor to put these in. Make sure the surface is non-slick when wet. I would plan these while designing the rest of the garden. I can't imagine concrete work or labor in Fla are that expensive...but I could be wrong. Then you can simply plant around the paths.
Up here in zone 7, I just cover parts of my lawn with cardboard, topsoil and then a layer of mulch, but you may have to include rocks and do a bit more planning if you get heavy rains in your area. Plants establish more quickly in your zone, right? At any rate, you want them to start growing in well before the rains wash them out.
Native plants should not need much water after the first year or two of deep watering to get them established. The following website has some information about native plants: Trees & Shrubs of Florida - Gallery 1
I am almost 70 and have a knee operation next week so we can relate. I moved from a postage stamp lot in New Orleans to a suburban corner lot with lots of grass on the front and side and a steep sloping front yard. Please tell me more about the paths. My front door is at the center of the lot and the walkway leads sharply to the right side of the house to the side entering garage/parking area. Although I have a rural style mailbox in front of my house I do not have a convenient way to get to it for several reasons: very thick St. Augustine lawn, a steep grade and a ditch(swail) at the bottom of the rise a 8 inch ditch and then more grass for four feet. It bothers my knee greatly walking just to get the mail so now I have to walk around the corner to get it doubling the distance. I really like the idea of walking straight out of my front door and down a curving path to the street- the drop is 15 feet. Soo, what are you thinking about paths. Your idea is fascinating and I need to know more.
I am almost 70 and have a knee operation next week so we can relate. I moved from a postage stamp lot in New Orleans to a suburban corner lot with lots of grass on the front and side and a steep sloping front yard. Please tell me more about the paths. My front door is at the center of the lot and the walkway leads sharply to the right side of the house to the side entering garage/parking area. Although I have a rural style mailbox in front of my house I do not have a convenient way to get to it for several reasons: very thick St. Augustine lawn, a steep grade and a ditch(swail) at the bottom of the rise a 8 inch ditch and then more grass for four feet. It bothers my knee greatly walking just to get the mail so now I have to walk around the corner to get it doubling the distance. I really like the idea of walking straight out of my front door and down a curving path to the street- the drop is 15 feet. Soo, what are you thinking about paths. Your idea is fascinating and I need to know more.
I just went upstairs to check, and I can't find the issue, but I do remember they recommended using a surface like concrete, but with some grit/gravel in it to help keep you from slipping. It also recommended making the pathways wide (maybe 4 ft) in case you need to use a mobility scooter or wheelchair.
I am not an engineer or a landscaper, but if you have a few bucks, you could contact several reputable companies for estimates. The best ones can give you options for re-grading or other ways reduce the slope AND make it safe for you to navigate.
But my two cents is...it is better to take the non-sloping path, although it is longer. If it is easier on your knee, that's benefit number 1, and benefit number 2 is walking. Walking is good for your health and circulation. Anyway, I hope this helped a little. If I find the article, I'll post the information. Best of luck with the operation.
I would like to convert my labor intensive front lawn from grass to a yard of native Florida plants. Fighting chinch bugs, fungus and fertilizing and watering AND cutting the grass will be to much for me in a few years and I would like to start converting my lawn. My yard measure 50x 150 and I already have six specimen palm trees, a magnolia tree , a Tabebuia tree and a clump of black bamboo. The area is covered by a well fed lawn sprinkler and I fear that as I start adding shrubs that the water will not reach some area and it will quickly look awful before I finish.
I am thinking of adding plants at the farther parts first and then work toward the house but after that wonder about plant heights and selection. I would appreciate any help or ideas the forum members have. I live in zone 9b right on the edge of zone 10 in Florida.
Sid
Quote:
Originally Posted by alsidw
I am almost 70 and have a knee operation next week so we can relate. I moved from a postage stamp lot in New Orleans to a suburban corner lot with lots of grass on the front and side and a steep sloping front yard. Please tell me more about the paths. My front door is at the center of the lot and the walkway leads sharply to the right side of the house to the side entering garage/parking area. Although I have a rural style mailbox in front of my house I do not have a convenient way to get to it for several reasons: very thick St. Augustine lawn, a steep grade and a ditch(swail) at the bottom of the rise a 8 inch ditch and then more grass for four feet. It bothers my knee greatly walking just to get the mail so now I have to walk around the corner to get it doubling the distance. I really like the idea of walking straight out of my front door and down a curving path to the street- the drop is 15 feet. Soo, what are you thinking about paths. Your idea is fascinating and I need to know more.
Many of the people who post here do not have anything near your yard conditions and don't have in depth knowledge of what can be planted and do well. You really need advice to be more local. With the knee problem and your age (and I am right behind you on both) it means much of the planting you want to do will need to be done very slowly or done by some form of landscape company. However, you can be the one to create the plan with a little help. That path can be made and and it sure sounds like a lovely idea. You may be able to get it done with simple stepping stones of cement or other rough texture to avoid slipping but the elevation change will require some consideration to avoid future injuries to the knees. Right now that long way around sounds far safer!
As to the kinds of plants you need look for sources of information for your part of FL (there are differences between northern and southern FL). Then look into things like xeriscaping. This is planting plants, shrubs and trees that are able to live without much watering and extra care and usually involves native plants, or plants bred from natives to the more tropical regions of the world. Here are some places to start looking:
Unfortunately some of the original FL university/ FL state information is off line right now. There used to be quite a bit of advice there that would have helped you find plants and designs to work with. You can try looking up Xeriscaping in Southern FL to see it if it comes back on line.
Once you have an idea of what you want to plant start with an overall plan and implement what is closest to the house first. It will be easier to water and maintain if you don't have to go to the far reaches of the property right off the bat. Make sure you leave paths for future movement of hoses and places for you to walk as you expand the garden later. If you have the path made that would be the easiest thing to work from as you expand outward and would be a natural focal point for pretty flowers and low growing shrubs.
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Anyway, I hope this helped a little. If I find the article, I'll post the information. Best of luck with the operation.
