Landscaping Basics for your Palm Beach Property

The University of Florida Extension has developed something called the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program, in which they list 9 principles for a healthy Florida property.

Those nine principles are:

  • Right Plant Right Place
  • Water Efficiently
  • Fertilize Appropriately
  • Mulch
  • Attract Wildlife
  • Manage Yard Pests Responsibly
  • Recycle Yard Waste
  • Reduce Stormwater Runoff
  • Protect the Waterfront

In this article, we will go over the landscaping basics of these nine principles for Palm Beach properties and how Coastal Gardens utilizes them in our estate landscape services.

Right Plant Right Place

Choosing which plants and trees to plant and maintain on your property starts with choosing the right plants for the right locations.

This refers to choosing plants that grow well in Palm Beach (we prefer native plants whenever possible), but it also means being careful to plant trees and plants in the spots of your property where they will do well.

Some examples of this include:

  • Planting a flowering tree in full sun
  • Ensuring a tree has room to reach its mature height and width and enough space for the roots to spread
  • Not planting a tree or shrub that produces a lot of litter next to pool areas
  • Knowing the mature size of a tree or plant
  • Understanding the soil makeup of your property and which plants do best in that type of soil
  • Removing any invasive plants from your property

Coastal Gardens Professionals is equipped for all manner of landscape installations, from adding a new tree to transforming an entire property.

We consider the entire area, including the property’s grading, drainage, irrigation, and more, to bring designs to life.

The Coastal Gardens Professionals use top-quality plants from our large nursery, located right here in Palm Beach.

In all of these areas, you can rest assured that the right plants are being planted in the right place on your property.

Water Efficiently

Water is a valuable resource and can be the difference between health or unhealthy plants on your property.

Watering efficiently means that you are using the proper forms of irrigation for different areas of your property, as well as ensuring that the water isn’t being wasted.

If a sprinkler set up is being used to water a lawn, for instance, but most of the water ends up on sidewalks, that is an inefficient use of water. Not only is it not beneficial for your plants, but it can be a waste of money, costing you more in water bills.

Other ways to use water efficiently include:

  • Using rain shutoff systems so that your property isn’t being overwatered
  • Reducing runoff to prevent fertilizer and other pollutants don’t end up in local bodies of water
  • Repairing any leaks in irrigation systems
  • Ensuring plants, trees, shrubs, and lawns receive the correct amount of water needed to thrive (not overwatering or underwatering)
  • Watering trees slowly and deeply rather than frequently and shallowly

Coastal Gardens Professionals can help you come up with an irrigation plan that ensures your landscape is healthy and well-watered.

Our experts can also assist with drainage, including brining in topsoil, fill, gravel or other materials to grade your property and ensure adequate drainage.

We know the watering needs for South Florida’s plants, trees, and lawns and how to best care for your landscape.

Fertilize Appropriately

Trees, plants, and lawns all need nutrients to grow and thrive. Unfortunately, most of the soil in developed areas (including Palm Beach), is lacking in these needed nutrients.

That is where the correct fertilizer used at the correct time can make a positive difference in the health and appearance of your landscape.

The Coastal Gardens lawn experts understand the nuances of lawn fertilization, and the plant health care specials know when plants or trees would benefit from additional nutrients.

Mulch

Speaking of nutrients, mulch is a great way for organic materials to add nutrients to your soil. Beyond that though, organic wood mulch is also great for regulating soil temperature (your plant and tree roots won’t get too hot or too cold), increasing and maintaining moisture levels, and preventing and controlling weeds.

Mulch can also bring a landscaped and neat appearance to your Palm Beach property, and is a good option for areas that are too shady for grass to grow.

A local bird near a Florida waterway is one example of Florida's diverse population of wildlife.Attract Wildlife

One of the benefits of using native plants on your Palm Beach property is the benefit it gives to local wildlife, including pollinators.

Florida is home to a large variety of animals, including birds, lizards, insects, and more.

You can help our local wildlife by:

  • Choosing native plants
  • Planting local wildflowers
  • Providing water (such as a pond or birdbath)
  • Include plants and trees that provide food for wildlife (seeds, fruit, leaves, or berries)
  • Limiting pesticide use

Some wildlife, including beneficial insects, can help control some landscape pests, and pollinators are necessary for flowering and fruiting plants and trees.

Contact the professionals at Coastal Gardens to learn how we can help you provide food, shelter, or water for our local wildlife. We can transform your property into an important part of the local ecosystem.

Manage Yard Pests Responsibly

When managing any type of lawn, tree, or plant pest, it is recommended to use as few chemicals as possible.

Again, choosing native plants means it is less likely that your landscape will be attacked by invasive insects. You can also choose pest-or-disease-resistant varieties of trees and plants and use preventative care to keep your landscape healthy.

Remember that any kind of poison can also impact animals that eat the pests you may be trying to eliminate.

Coastal Gardens Professionals provide Plant Health Care (PHC) services that include monitoring your landscape, trees, and soils for signs of distress that could signal pest, disease, or nutrient problems.

Our Plant Health Care experts can also proactively protect your landscape plants and trees from pests or disease.

A Coastal Gardens employee carries a trash bag and a rake to clean up yard debris.Recycle Yard Waste

One of the reasons that the soil makeup of urban and suburban properties contains fewer nutrients is because the “litter” that trees and plants create, such as dropped leaves, twigs, and flowers, are often raked up and removed from the property.

In natural settings, these organic materials are allowed to decompose and add needed nutrients back into the soil.

While you may not want to leave a tree or plant’s “litter” where it falls, you can use this organic material to mulch planting beds or to create a composting pile. In this way, the decomposing landscaping material is still used on your property, and your plants will receive the benefits that the material provides.

One of the simplest ways to implement this practice is to leave your grass clippings on your lawn when it is mowed.

This also means that less organic material will need to be disposed of or hauled away, your plants will need less fertilizer, and you will need to purchase less mulch from outside sources.

Contact your Coastal Gardens Estate Gardener to learn how we can implement reusing yard waste on your Palm Beach property.

Pavers on a Palm Beach property.

Reduce Stormwater Runoff

Instead of a property where rainwater flows towards driveways or roads, where it can’t penetrate into the ground, create a landscape where rainwater is utilized by the plants on your property. This not only reduces your water bill, but it also protects Florida’s waterways.

Other ways to reduce stormwater runoff include:

  • Utilizing porous materials like mulch
  • Using pavers or stones for walkways rather than concrete or asphalt
  • Creating rain gardens
  • Installing rain barrels below downspouts and use that water for your landscape plants
  • Planting turfgrasses and groundcovers to reduce erosion, capture rainwater, and filter pollutants

Protect the Waterfront

Many Palm Beach properties are on or near the ocean, and others are near other bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, or streams.

Being aware that anything used on your property can wash into these waterways may impact what pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers you choose to use.

Some property owners have created a zone between their landscape and the water where the plants are not fertilized, the grass is not mowed, and pests are not treated with pesticides. This barrier, which should be at least 10 feet wide, can prevent some chemicals from being washed into our Florida bodies of water.

Choosing low-maintenance plants, trees, and shrubs is another way to prevent the overuse of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals.

The Coastal Gardens nursery in Palm Beach, Florida.

Ready to Implement Florida-Friendly Landscaping on Your Palm Beach Property?

If these nine landscaping basics and principles sound like something you want to ensure is being done on your Palm Beach property, contact Coastal Gardens Professionals.

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