48 FANN Wholesale <strong>Native</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> & <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Directory</strong> | Fall 2013 - 2014 REAL FLORIDA LANDSCAPES TM Inaugural Design Competition Winners FANN invited landscape pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and students from around the state to be bold, creative, different and wild – and were they ever! In February 2013, three winning native landscape designs were selected from 16 submissions to our first ever Real <strong>Florida</strong> Landscapes Design Competition. Proposals included a variety <strong>of</strong> residential spaces, entryways, a bioswale, a rain garden, an edibles/medicinals garden and an innovative evaluation criteria Aesthetics Creativity Diversity <strong>of</strong> plant material Right plant/right place Support for wildlife show education chair Craig Huegel, Ph.D., Ecological <strong>Service</strong>s Associates Judges Jeff Caster, FASLA, RLA, State Transportation Landscape Architect at the <strong>Florida</strong> Dept. <strong>of</strong> Transportation George Fogg, FASLA, RLA, IBIS Landscape Architect Raymond Jungles, FASLA, RLA, Raymond Jungles Inc. Stephen Pategas, ASLA, RLA, Hortus Oasis Scott Redmon, ASLA, RLA, Redmon Design commercial connecting space. Winners included landscape architect Larry Teague <strong>of</strong> Zamia Design; Sara Kovachich, University <strong>of</strong> <strong>Florida</strong> graduate landscape architecture student, and landscape designer Monica Higgins, Habitat <strong>of</strong> Course. Submittals were required to be 100% native in composition, were encouraged to use a variety <strong>of</strong> species with limited use <strong>of</strong> mulch and hardscape, be appropriate for one <strong>of</strong> three broad regions <strong>of</strong> the state (North, Central or South) and once installed, had to fit within a 300 square foot space. This last requirement was added so that winning landscapes could be “installed” on the floor <strong>of</strong> FANN's <strong>Native</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> Show April 4-5, 2013. This small landscape size was a challenging requirement that will be removed from future competitions. Central <strong>Florida</strong> Winner: Sara Kovachich, University <strong>of</strong> <strong>Florida</strong>, coastal entryway or backyard Heads up, the Gators are coming to transform our landscapes! FANN and our competition judges were thrilled to receive several high-quality submissions from students at the University <strong>of</strong> <strong>Florida</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Landscape Architecture. More than two years away from completing her graduate degree in landscape architecture, Sara Kovachich managed to beat other students and some pr<strong>of</strong>essionals with a distinctive and varied combination <strong>of</strong> color, textures and forms in a low maintenance, high performance coastal landscape. Sara focused on selecting plants that could be successfully used on an oceanfront property and would provide significant habitat for pollinators, birds and other coastal wildlife. Judges also praised the design’s ability to create a very special human experience in the landscape. A native <strong>of</strong> South <strong>Florida</strong> herself, Sara hopes to blend her interest in art, the environment, and practical design into an outdoor career with plants. She has a B.S. in environmental science and plans to graduate in May 2015 with a master’s degree in landscape architecture. South <strong>Florida</strong> Winner: Monica Higgins, Habitat <strong>of</strong> Course, portion <strong>of</strong> residential landscape This farmer’s daughter from Kansas credits her mother’s love <strong>of</strong> gardening and native wildflowers for sparking her original interest in native plants, and entitled her landscape “Prairie's Edge.” Moving to <strong>Florida</strong>, she has been
With their winning designs on the floor <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Native</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> Show are at left, Larry Teague, Zamia Design and right, Sara Kovachich, University <strong>of</strong> <strong>Florida</strong> graduate student. No photo available for Monica Higgins, Habitat <strong>of</strong> Course. www.<strong>Florida</strong><strong>Native</strong>Nurseries.org | www.<strong>Native</strong><strong>Plant</strong>Show.com 49