UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

March 28, 2007

Feature Article - for release the week of  April 1, 2007

Angela Sachson - FYN Extension Program Assistant

 

This Florida Friendly Okeechobee Yard Has It All!

You’ve no-doubt heard the phrase “less is more.” One Okeechobee home has a whole lot of less, especially as it comes to the amount of problems and pollutants that come from the Yard.

The first Okeechobee County yard to be designated “Florida Friendly” by the local Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program is a great example.  Less, water, less pesticide, less fertilizer, less herbicide, less work, but  much more beauty.   Their practices allowed this yard to receive the highest level of recognition on the FYN Yard Recognition Checklist.

This landscape, under the care of John and Terri Lane, proves that a garden can be a fun and attractive place and still conserve energy, protect the environment, and attract desirable wildlife.

• Winding turfgrass paths surround soft rounded beds—eye pleasing and mower friendly.  The principle of right plant, right place is demonstrated with plants grouped according to light and water needs as well as according to color, texture, shape and height.

• Wildlife are welcomed with nectar and host plants for butterflies, plus shelter and berries for birds.  Humans are welcomed with comfortable benches here and there; pergolas, whimsical yard art and bowling-ball hose guides are found throughout this little piece of paradise.

• Plants with low water needs predominate and, once a plant is established, it gets a drink only when it looks thirsty. Native plants and ornamental grasses add texture and color and Bamboo provides height and shade.

• Lawn is not fertilized nor is it watered.  “I was skeptical about mowing high and leaving grass clippings,” indicates Terri; “but now I have the greenest grass around without any extra fertilizer use.”

• Nutrients for ornamental plants and the couple’s vegetable garden come from composted manure from the neighbor’s rabbits.  Sometimes this black gold is traded for Lane-grown oranges.

A scavenger by nature, John secures mulch from tree trimmers he encounters on the road.  “You can’t beat the price and they even deliver.” 

The Lanes have been tending this 4-acre property since they moved to Okeechobee in 2000.   The move from Illinois was “from gardening in soil to gardening in sand.” And John will tell you that Terri’s secret to success is compost, peat and mulch. Amend, amend, and amend.  Terri says every year the garden becomes easier to tend as the plants mature—excluding recent labor-intensive hurricane recovery and the occasional freeze.  

The nine principles of  Florida Friendly Landscaping

1. Right Plant, Right Place 2. Water Efficiently 3. Fertilize Appropriately 4.  Mulch 5.  Attract Wildlife 6. Manage Yard Pests Responsibly 7.  Recycle 8.  Reduce Storm water Runoff 9.  Protect the Waterfront

Other residential yards in Glades, Highlands and Okeechobee counties may also be recognized as Florida Friendly.  Commercial and public properties are also eligible for this recognition, and newly constructed properties may actually be Certified by the FYN program.  See the FloridaYards.org website or call your county Extension office for more information.

Terri is a University of Florida Master Gardener with the Okeechobee Extension office.   You can visit with her about her Florida Friendly Yard on Tuesday afternoons at the Extension office.  And, be sure to pick up a Florida Yards & Neighborhoods booklet.  We would love to help make your yard Florida Friendly!

There’s more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program, 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 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.   GO GATORS! 

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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: 04/04/2007 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

Links

Florida Yards Webpage - lots of self-help tools for Florida Yards and Neighborhood homeowners

FYN Yard Recognition Checklist - lists the practices and procedures used to recognize Florida Friendly Yards

Okeechobee FYN Webpage -  links to our local FYN programs 

UF Department of Environmental Horticulture  FYN webpage - other tools for Florida Friendly landscaping, including  downloadable (pdf) copies of the FYN Workbook and the detailed  FYN Handbook.