Many homeowners desire a beautiful landscape but are often discouraged by the lack of time and money needed to create and care for the garden of their dreams. Pleasing, low-care, low-cost Florida landscaping is possible, however, with careful planning, appropriate plant choices, and thoughtful design. Following are four basic time- and money-saving strategies for residential landscapes:
- Start with a good design. Use simple geometric shapes in the hardscape to provide structure and repetition for organization.
- Know your plants. Learn about hardy plants with interesting forms and foliage that thrive in your area.
- Know your soil. Choose plants that are compatible with your soil, or enrich and improve your soil with compost in selected areas when necessary.
- Don’t fight your climate or soil conditions. Learn to appreciate the perfect imperfection of nature. Don’t waste time trying to control every weed or errant twig on a shrub.
The goal is to do less trimming, weeding, and fertilizing and use less water, energy, and chemicals. The tips below for low-care, low-cost landscapes include ideas for plant selection and organization as well as hardscape selection and design.
