Guidelines for Landscapes

Proposed Guidance for
Residential Florida-Friendly Native Plant Landscapes

In support of our Chapter vision:  “The Villages becomes renowned for its extensive use of native plants and award-winning native plant landscapes”, FNPS The Villages Chapter has prepared the following draft Guidance for Residential Native Plant Landscapes.

At the state level, FNPS encourages local landscaping practices and policies that preserve Florida's native plant heritage.  On the local level, each of us has chosen to live in a high-density deed-restricted development that sets expectations for external appearances. Our chapter seeks to find a balance between the extremes of traditional turfgrass and gravel dominated landscapes that are unsustainable and low environmental benefit, and natural wildscapes that do not have the expected tidy aesthetic. Each of us should strive to create a “look” that neighbors would want to emulate, with a palate of native plants that have a high ecological value. To this end, we provide the following guidance for creating and maintaining attractive residential native plant landscapes that conserve water, reduce the need for toxic chemicals and fertilizer and are more in balance with the local ecology.

Summary Guidance:

1. Practice the 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles 
2. Follow good landscape design practices
3. Plant with natives; accent with ornamentals
4. Obtain approval
5. Maintain the landscape

Detailed Guidance:

1. Practice the 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles 
2. Follow good landscape design practices
3. Plant with natives; accent with ornamentals
4. Obtain approval
5. Maintain the landscape

Detailed Guidance:

1. Practice the 9 Florida-Friendly LandscapeTM Principles
   1. Understand the potential size and space accordingly
   2. Follow proven design practices to create aesthetically pleasing landscapes suitable for the setting.  Seek professional assistance as needed.  Some fundamentals include:
      1. Provide for some open vista or “lawn like appearance”
      2. Create a clean, organized layout that is easy to read 
      3. Use multiple beds with clear edges
      4. Group plants into masses of the same, or similar species
      5. Build layers of ascending height
      6. Include a few larger specimen shrubs or trees that have a clean growth habit
      7. Consider installing stone / block raised beds for the strong linear horizontal lines and definition of landscape beds
      8. Large planter(s) add a focal point, add lines and contain plants
      9. Keep the size of landscape beds and trees/shrubs in proportion to the property
2. Plant with natives; accent with ornamentals
   1. Maximize the landscapeable area that is occupied by native species.  
   2. Select plants for their ecological function not just for their appearance.  
   3. Use an appropriate level of plant diversity that balances aesthetics with environmental benefit and maintainability.
3. Obtain approval
   1. Always obtain any approvals needed before proceeding
   2. Ensure that all requirements are met during installation.
   3. Have utilities marked before digging
4. Maintain the landscape
   1. Meet local maintenance requirements, such as maximum height of groundcover or shrubs
   2. Maintain the landscape to an appropriate level of tidiness for the setting.
   3. Control “weeds” (out of place plants)
   4. Keep edges trimmed
   5. Foundation shrubs should not touch the sides of the house or be taller than the eves
   6. Keep a small gap between groups of plants, or plants of different species
   7. Deadhead flowers, trim dead material, and replace annuals / perennials as needed
   8. Maintain a line-of-sight from the street with the doors and windows