Florida Native Plant Society Blog

You may recall the fight between two gardeners and the Village of Miami Shores in 2016 [1] . The two gardeners were growing vegetables in their front yard which violated the Village's zoning code Sec. 536 (5): "Vegetable gardens are permitted in rear yards only." [2] The case almost made it to the Florida Supreme Court [3] but the justices refused to hear it [4] . They were represented by attorney Ari Bargill of the non-profit Institute for Justice[5]. Florida State Senator Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island) has taken up their cause this session, filing SB 82: Vegetable Gardens last week. Relevance to Native Plant Enthusiasts Ordinances restricting gardens in front yards reflect a reliance on outdated standards of landscaping that favor manicured green lawns that are ecologically sterile and provide little habitat for native bees, butterflies, and birds.  Ordinances and zoning codes restricting ecologically or nutritionally beneficial landscaping are often justified b...

Submitted by Sonya Guidry The Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society recently held a South Volusia Landscape Tour that included many of the native landscapes  that will be featured on FNPS Conference Fieldtrip "K" Landscape Bus Tour on Thursday, May 19th. They ended their yard tours at the Marine Discovery Center , the location for the  Kayak (paddle) - Lagoon Restoration Tour , FNPS Conference Fieldtrip"I" ,  on Thursday, May 19th.  Here is a glimpse of some of the  tour's native yards, and the Marine Discovery Center... Renee Luedke's Port Orange home.   Surprise, her front yard has no grass to mow!   Elizabeth ponders the diversity of plants in Renee's front yard. Most of the 16 tour visitors are gathered around Renee as she talks about her landscape.   Mike visiting from the UK notes Renee's creative bird feeders... including the log filled with peanut butter suet. Elizabeth Flynn will be ...

By Marlene Rodak Creating Bird and Butterfly Habitat at Middle School A tiny butterfly on bloodberry ( Cordia globosa ), which is one of the native species that will be planted at Fort Myers Middle Academy on Tuesday   The school corridor to be planted A spectacular event will take place the morning of Tuesday, July 28 at Fort Myers Middle Academy.  Florida Forest Service employees and volunteers from the Florida Native Plant Society are planting hundreds of native plants in an outdoor corridor, which will transform the area into important bird and butterfly habitat.  This planting will demonstrate how natural, native landscaping functions in the environment by providing food and shelter to wildlife.  Best of all, the entire project is provided to Fort Myers Middle Academy and Lee County Schools FREE OF CHARGE! FNPS Coccoloba Chapter President Martha Grattan shoveling mulch at Fort Myers Middle Academy Florida Native Plant Society is c...

The Mexican firebush, Gumbo-limbo tree, and stokes aster may not seem similar but all three plants are featured in either of two botanic gardens situated at the University of Florida/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center near Fort Pierce. The plants are native to Florida, require a minimum amount of care and were carefully selected and strategically placed for high aesthetic value. More than 100 plants will be studied in “Florida Native Landscaping,” an upper division environmental horticulture course, the plants may be used in a wide array of landscapes. Offered to degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students at the UF Fort Pierce campus, many industry professionals, nursery owners and state employees have completed the course. Registration for “Florida Native Landscaping” is taking place now for spring semester 2012. The course will begin Wednesday, Jan. 11, 3:30 until 6:30 p.m., and will continue each Wednesday through mid-April. “Florida Native Landscaping” is...

Lu:  We were sitting outside, talking about a picture we had seen on Facebook that was labeled “Occupy the Tundra,” when Forrest said he had thought about making a similar photo for “Occupy North Florida.” My mind started spinning, and I came up with “Occupy Your Lawn with Florida-Friendly Plants.” Here are the results of a no-water, no fertilizer, no pesticides largely native yard! Boooooring   and a resource drain! When I bought the house, we agreed that the lawn was too big and we wanted to replace it, over time, with mostly native plants. Our primary motivation was that we didn’t want to spend all our free time mowing, but Florida’s water issues were a motivation, too. Forrest:  We do not water, fertilize, or use pesticides of any sort on the lawn, so in that respect it’s low maintenance. It does require mowing about once a week at the height of our long growing season, however. Each mowing session expends at least three hours of precious leisure time and c...