UF Florida Yards program logo

Florida-Friendly Landscaping™

 Program for the Okeechobee Region:

  Quick Links:  

Florida Yards.org  logo

 Contact Information   UF Links  Butterfly Garden!  FYN News Articles  Program Partners County Partners    Other FYN websites  So What?  Final Report

Objectives of the FY&N program:

  • reduce stormwater runoff
  • decrease non-point source pollution
  • conserve water
  • enhance wildlife habitat
  • create beautiful landscapes

Upcoming Programs:  

[click here to go to calendar page]

  Jaycee Park Pier, Lake Okeechobee

UF Links:

Florida Friendly Landscaping ProgramTM Home Page

Solutions for Your Life - Lawn & Garden page

EDIS - UF/IFAS Extension Bulletins          for online publications

UF/IFAS Bookstore - to buy books

Florida Master Gardener Home Page  

Program Partners:

County Partners     FL DEP   US EPA    SWFWMD

SFWMD -Lake Okeechobee Region

Angela Sachson

Many thanks to our former FYN Program Assistants!

Angela Sachson (above)

Ed Ayen (below) 

Ed Ayan and Rain Barrel

 

Ice Plant as a groundcoverRain falls on yards, roads and parking lots, flows from the gutters into storm drains, and then washes into tributaries and lakes or estuaries, carrying pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, soil, petroleum products and other pollutants. Scientists have discovered that fertilizers and pesticides from residential areas are serious threats to the health of Florida's water.Speckled Perch

Runoff containing nitrogen from fertilizers or toxic substances from pesticides can damage aquatic plants and animals that live in fresh  water environments.

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping ™ Program encourages homeowners to water efficiently, mulch, recycle, select the least toxic pest control measures, put the right plant in the right spot, fertilize only when necessary, provide food, water andMaster Gardeners Measuring irrigation water shelter for wildlife, protect surface water bodies (i.e., bays, rivers, streams, ponds, etc.) and minimize stormwater runoff.

By using Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles in your yard, property owners can  protect the natural environment around us for future generations to enjoy.  

 

 

FYN News Articles by Angela Sachson    

Click on title to go to article!  

Make Room for Vertical Vegetable Gardening December 18, 2008
Edible Landscaping November 19,2008
Grow Cool Season Crops in Containers November 14, 2008
Scary Plants  (Invasive weeds)  October 6, 2008
Simple Tips for Florida Garden Design September 18, 2008
Help, my drought-tolerant plants are very wet ! September 10,2009
Control ‘Root-Knot Nematodes’ in the Garden August 15, 2008
Crape Myrtle for Florida Yards & Neighborhoods August 8,2008
Landscape to Save Energy Costs! July 16, 2008
Water, Water everywhere? July 11, 2008
Get ready, Get Set, Plant! (Vegetable gardening) July 3, 2008
Plant Nutrients for Free (compost) June 9, 2008
Summer Color May 23, 2008
Florida Yards Program Surveys Okeechobee Residents May 8, 2008
Cool Blue in the Landscape (Blue flowers) April 30, 2008
Spring in Florida Yards March 27, 2008
Got Shade?  (Shade Gardening) February 28, 2008
The Great Backyard Bird Count 2008 January 23, 2008
Where have all the Honey Bees gone? January 16, 2008
This Year I resolve to ...  (gardening resolutions for 2008) December 21, 2007
The Gift of Gleaning December 19, 2007
Showy Amaryllis Comes Inside for the Holidays December 5, 2007
A Thirsty Thanksgiving (Drought tolerant Plants) November 14, 2007
Ornamental Grasses are Right for this Place October 25, 2007
Ten Top Ways to Make Your First Garden Hassle Free   September 26, 2007
IPM De-Mystified September 19, 2007
Okeechobee is Florida Friendly (Yard survey) August 29,2007
Florida Friendly - Not just about looks August 1, 2007
Create a Rain Garden July 19, 2007
The Evening Garden June 27, 2007
Local man recognized for gardening talent  June 21, 2007
Drought-Tolerant Beauties  (Xeriscapingtm) June 6, 2007
Right Plant, Right Place:  Florida Friendly Bougainvillea Has Everything-- Looks, Personality May 9, 2007
We all can help the Watershed (FYN survey) April 26, 2007
This Florida Friendly Okeechobee Yard Has It All! (Yard recognition program) March 28, 2007 

Beautiful, Deadly Plant Terrorizes Florida Natives (Brazilian Peppertree)

March 7, 2007
Florida Friendly Landscaping Program Aimed at Reducing Water Pollution in Okeechobee Region January 17, 2007
 

FYN News Articles by Ed Ayen    Click on title to go to article!  

Florida Friendly Landscaping for Developers & Builders 9/26/06
Proper Tree Planting 9/18/06
Plant Sorting: To Keep or Not To Keep 9/12/06
Stormwater Kidneys 8/28/06
Save our Beautiful Shade Trees 8/23/06
Vegetable Gardening in South Central Florida 8/15/06
Landscaping with Native Plants to Attract Birds 8/8/06
Micro-irrigate to Save Water and Improve Landscape  8/2/06
Turn Lawn into a Butterfly Garden 7/25/06

Incredible Edible Native Plants of Central Florida

7/19/2006

Do I Really Need All That Lawn?

7/10/2006

Reduce Stormwater Runoff 

6/2/06

Recycling Yard Waste

5/16/2006

Manage Yard Pests Responsibly

4/26/2006

A Wildlife Sanctuary in Your Yard 

4/4/2006

Fertilize Appropriately

3/6/2006

Does Your Yard Measure Up?

2/15/2006

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch 

2/16/2006

Here's the Dirt on Your Dirt

1/26/2006

Healthy landscapes discussed at meeting 

1/13/2006

Water Efficiently

12/19/2005

Right Plant, Right Place: When Landscaping, create a mosaic

12/5/2005

FYN: The First Line of Defense 

11/02/2005

 Click here for more newspaper articles on Florida Friendly Landscaping

 

Links  

Right Plant, Right placeFlorida Friendly Plant lists:WaterWise Plant Guide Cover

2006 FYN Plant list   (80 page pdf from UF/IFAS)

Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM Pattern Book:  Sample plant lists and designs for Florida regions USDA Hardiness Zone 9B, South Central Florida .   38 pages, pdf file (4.9 KB.)

UF Fact sheets:         680 Trees       514 Landscape Plants  individual landscape plant information

"WaterWise: South Florida Landscapes" Plant Guide from Water Management Districts

Water EfficientlyWater Resources:

 Irrigation Evaluation website 

 

 Pond Appeal website 

 

Lake Okeechobee & Estuary Recovery

Commercial Landscapers: 

Get your Florida Fertilizer license now!   Its the law in 2014, and in some places, sooner

Visit the Green Industry - Best Management Practices website to learn how and where.

Florida GI BMP Manual   [1.1 MB  pdf document - 68 pages, 2008 revision]

Mulch

Recycle

Attract Wildlife

Take a visit to the Okeechobee FYN Butterfly Garden  

Reduce Stormwater Runoff

Pest Management  

Homeowners:  Here's a link on the Basics of IPM

Landscapers:  For information on the Limited Certification/ Commercial Landscape Maintenance Certificate, go here 

 

Other county FFL/ FYN websites:

Central Florida FYN        Hillsborough County

Martin County                 St. Lucie County             Palm Beach County

Polk County           Miami Dade

Our Florida Friendly Yards:  

Congratulations! The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program recognized these landscapes :  

FYN Butterfly Garden   Belle and John Schmidt    Judy and Ralph "Wendy" Watts

Terri & John Lane      Joanne & Harold Mounts    Don Ingram

Click on their names to learn more about their Yards.

 

Yard Recognition sign

This sign is displayed by Florida Friendly Yards.  To see what it takes, click on the sign to go to the checklist.

So What?   Our program conducted a pre/post survey of homeowner practices to determine what people have learned.  Click the links below to find what  people learned about being Florida Friendly:[logo] US EPA

Initial survey:     Okeechobee is Florida Friendly  (Yard survey results)      Florida Department of Environmental Protection logo graphic

Follow-up Survey:     Cover Letter       Follow-up Survey     Results (in final report)

Project Summary: Final Project Report (11 page pdf)

return to Okeechobee Extension home pageThe 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.  Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean   Last update: 03/21/2011.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

For further information contact:  Okeechobee County Extension Office  Phone: 863-763-6469 swamp with Gator