A Guide to Florida-Friendly Landscaping - Charlotte County ...

Florida Neighborhoods:Connecting Our Yardsto Florida's WaterOur yards and neighborhoods arechannels to our waterways. Your yardis the first line of defense for preservingFlorida’s fragile environment. Thehealth of Florida’s estuaries, rivers, lakes,springs and aquifers depends partly onhow you landscape and maintain youryard. You don’t even have to live on thewater to make a big difference. Rainthat falls on yards, roads and parkinglots can wash into waterways or leachinto ground water, carrying pollutants— including fertilizers, pesticides,animal waste, soil and petroleumproducts. Improperly applied fertilizersand pesticides from residential areaspose a serious threat to the health ofFlorida’s waters.Photo by: UF/IFASWe are all connected to our water resources,and what we do in our yards can have great effects onthe quality of our water.For decades, Florida landscaping has been portrayed as picture postcards oflavish resorts, tourist destinations and tropical gardens. But the pictures ofnatural Florida are quite different. The Florida Natural Areas Inventory identifies82 different natural ecological communities in Florida, from wetlands to xericuplands. Unfortunately, much of the state’s original rich diversity has beenFYN Glossary BoxXeric uplands: very dry, well-drained, high areas of sand withplants adapted to dry conditions; xeric uplands are home to manythreatened and endangered speciesImpervious: resistant to penetration by fluids, such as rain orirrigation water, or by rootshttp://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/reports/floridawaters/5