Florida Waterwise Landscapes - Alliance for Water Efficiency

Seagrapes and coonties fill this coastal landscape.
WHAT TO PLANT
Plant lists should be generated for the different
areas of the landscape based on growing conditions
and desired characteristics.
Plantings should be placed with consideration for
changes which will take place over time. In natural
plant communities, these changes are called
succession. Succession is the orderly process
of community change. It is the sequence of
communities which replace one another in
a given area.
In most landscapes, succession is halted by
deliberate maintenance practices. Yet plants tend to
strive toward succession. By planning for each plant’s
mature state, a dynamic landscape can be planned to
include natural changes.
When plants are first put into a landscape, the
area should look unfinished, as the landscape must
be given space and time to grow. Plan to replace
sun-loving plants with shade-tolerant plants as the
larger elements in the landscape such as trees and
shrubs grow and create shade.
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Remember, many so-called shrub species are
actually 20-foot multi-trunked trees. Select plant
species that will mature to a height and width that
will fit the planting location. If you want a shrub that
only grows 2–4 feet tall, find a dwarf variety or use
ornamental bunch grasses or flowering perennials
like pentas and scarlet milkweed.
Publications about Florida’s plant communities
are available through your local library.
PLANTING FOR EFFICIENT WATER USE
Group plants according to their water needs and
soil conditions. If plant placement is done correctly,
once plants are established, little to no supplemental
irrigation will be necessary.
NATURAL ZONE — In this area, place plants that have
adapted to the wet and dry extremes of Florida’s
climate so that regular watering (once plants are
established) won’t be necessary, except during
prolonged drought.