1. Right Plant, Right Place
Achieving a healthy, low-maintenance home landscape starts with putting the right plant in the right place. Select plants that match a site’s soil, light, water, and climatic conditions.

2. Water Efficiently
An efficient irrigation system conserves water and helps to ensure that fertilizer and other pollution doesn’t flow into water bodies. 

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3. Fertilize Appropriately
Proper fertilization enhances growth, increases flowering or fruiting, corrects nutritional deficiencies, and enhances the plant’s appearance.  Improper fertilization can damage plants and the environment.

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4. Mulch
Mulch helps retain soil moisture, protects plants, and inhibits weed growth. It gives your landscape a neat, uniform appearance and is a great Florida-Friendly choice for hard-to-mow areas and shady spots.

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5. Attract Wildlife
Select plants with seeds, fruit, foliage, flowers, or berries that provide food.  Supply sources of water, such as a rain garden or bird bath.

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6. Manage Yard Pests Responsibly
To prevent disease and insect outbreaks, select pest-resistant plants and put them in suitable locations. When problems do arise, remove the affected leaves or plant parts, or pick the insects off by hand.

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7. Recycle Yard Waste
Decomposing organic matter releases nutrients back to the soil in a form that plants can easily use. Using yard waste for composting is a sustainable way of creating organic fertilizer.

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8. Reduce Stormwater Runoff
Fertilizers, pesticides, debris, and eroded soil carried in stormwater can wreak havoc on our water quality.  Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ seeks to retain and use as much of the rainfall and irrigation water that lands on our home landscapes as possible.

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9. Protect the Waterfront
Florida boasts over 10,000 miles of rivers and streams, about 7,800 lakes, more than 700 freshwater springs, and the U.S.’s second-longest coastline. Establishing low-maintenance zones along the waterfront is an important step to protect Florida's water quality.

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