Create a Florida Friendly Yard

A Florida Friendly Yard requires less maintenance than traditional green lawn landscaping since it replaces your lawn areas with drought-tolerant and/or Florida native plants. You can have a yard that is more compatible with Florida's fragile environment. As an added bonus, you'll save water and help to protect the environment through the reduced use of pesticides and fertilizers.

The following landscape choices can tolerate the Florida sun as they are drought-tolerant. This means they can withstand long, dry periods without water, once established.

These plants will also attract butterflies

• Porterweed (Purple, Blue, Coral)
• Pentas
• Milkweed
• Tropical Sage

Be sure to include these colorful plants in your landscape plans:

• Firebush
• Firespike
• Firecracker
• Golden Dewdrop
• Plumbago
• Lantana
• Thryallis
• Cassia

Shrubs:

• Walter's Vibirnum
• Coral Porterweed
• Purple Porterweed
• Firebush

Ground covers:

• Beach Sunflower
• Coral Honeysuckle
• Blue Daze

Vines:

• Passion Vine
• Pipevine
• Confederate Jasmine
• Star Jasmine

Native grasses can add variety to your landscape:

• Fakahatchee
• Dwarf Fakahatchee
• Muhly
• Purple Lovegrass.

Shrubs:

• Native Firebush (including a dwarf variety)
• Walter¹s Viburnum
• Necklace Pod
• Marlberry
• Beauty Berry
• Lantana
• Wild Coffee
• Golden Dewdrop
• Buttonwood ( green or silver)
• Simpson Stopper.