Plant Sorting: To Keep or Not To Keep

Is it time for a change in your yard? Do you want to plant some plants that are more “Florida Friendly”? It is wise to keep some of the plants you already have. Whether dealing with a new home or an established yard, retaining some of those old trees, shrubs and perennials will save you money and also preserve wildlife habitat.

The question is, what should you keep? The first thing is, keep healthy plants that show good form and are growing in appropriate locations. Prune overgrown shrubs and trees as pruning is less costly than replacement.

Retain those trees with long life spans such as Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum). Consider taking out short lifespan trees such as Laurel Oak, Water Oak, Silver Maple and Cherry Laurel. Try to save clusters of trees and shrubs and ground cover growing beneath them as they are good wind buffers.

Remove unhealthy and invasive plants and it is a good idea to get rid of plants that take too much care. Take out foundation plants that are too close to walls as they block air currents and prevent access for home maintenance. Also, thin out or remove tightly spaced plants as they are more prone to disease and stress. Remove plants under eaves as they may not receive adequate rainfall and may be damaged by rainfall dripping from the roof edge.

If you have a new home site, consider removing any trees or shrubs that have excess soil from construction deposited over their root zone as they will eventually die; the same for plants whose root zones have been disturbed by heavy equipment. If you wish to protect trees in a construction zone erect barricades around the area at least out to the drip zone. Even though this does not protect the entire root system, it will improve your tree’s odds of survival.

Once you have sorted out those trees and shrubs you wish to keep do a landscape drawing incorporating the existing items with the new plants you will be adding to your yard. Try to use native trees and shrubs as much as possible to have a more carefree yard and cut back on water and pesticide usage. Keep grass area to a minimum and for a more carefree lawn use Bahiagrass.

If you are interested in having a Florida Friendly Yard please contact Ed Ayen at the Highlands County Extension Service office. Phone: (863) 402-6540 or email: edayen@ufl.edu . His office location is 4509 George Blvd. in Sebring, FL 33875-5837.

The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program is being implemented through your local county extension service in Highlands, Okeechobee and Glades County and is partially funded from Clean Water Act Section 319 funding from the U. S. EPA through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

More information is available on the Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on Florida Friendly Yards, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons.

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 09/18/2006 . This page is maintained by Dan Culbert

Gilman, Ed. "Urban design to encourage tree canopy." In: Urban Trees Website. Gainesville: Department of Environementla Horticulture, 2006.