Jenna

Designed By: Owner and Change of Greenery

Installed By: Change of Greenery (Front yard) and Native Butterfly Flowers (Palm trees along sidewalk)

Started: October 2021

Percentage of Native Plants: 70%

Amount of Sun and Shade: Mixed sun/shade

Unique Features and Animals: I’ve got limestone hardscaping in the front yard, and a retention pond in the back yard. I am also working on adding a hedge row along the east side in the back yard, as a kind of living fence.

A variety of birds like Great Blue Herons, Glossy Ibis, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Anhinga, Belted Kingfishers, Red-Shouldered Hawks, Great Egrets, and all sorts of ducks, including Whistling Ducks. One special visitor that I’ve seen on rare occasions is the beautiful Luna Moth.

Landscape Description: I live in a standard lot in an HOA that has largely been supportive of my native landscape. The HOA approved my initial front yard design as-is, though I do occasionally get notices in the mail for weeds. And I do have weeds—managing the torpedo grass has been my biggest challenge. In fact, my neighbors often get to see me maintaining my landscape, but it’s not all drudgery. While I’m pulling weeds I get to see all the new growth in my yard, which is my favorite part of gardening. My focus has been planting trees and keystone species, and I’ve planted several varieties of oaks, pines, and plums. I’ve learned a few things working on the back and side yards, and amending the front yard, but I still struggle with “right plant, right place” and good landscape design practices (planting multiples of the same plants, planting in layers, etc.). Almost all of the plants in my yard are under three years old—the back has my only mature tree, a Gumbo Limbo. I benefit from my neighbor’s mature Sweet Gum trees, which provide shade in the back. My yard also faces a retention pond in the back. This doesn’t help my dry, sandy yard at all, unfortunately, as I wish I could plant some wetlands plants. Still, I get to enjoy watching the wading birds that visit the pond. My native yard has brought me so much joy, and I’m grateful to have found the Florida Native Plant Society to encourage and share this appreciation for native plants and for building habitat for wildlife.

Challenges: The biggest item that needed correcting was the lack of trees, which was addressed with my front yard installation by Change of Greenery along with my own supplemental plantings. Also, when we removed the turf grass in the front yard and planted natives I begun to realize how much torpedo grass I had, as it tried to overtake my mulched areas. Pulling it by hand on a regular schedule has seemed to keep it somewhat under control.

Certifications:

Parking Restrictions: Parking along the neighborhood street. I don’t live near the end of the street, so there should be adequate room for people to park.