Gardeners: Go native

Environmentalists offer tips for growing a Florida-friendly landscape

 
Charlotte Sun
Aug. 31, 2008

By NEIL HUGHES
Staff Writer

In Florida, pride applies to God, country, family and lawn.

Having a beautiful lawn is held in high esteem in the Sunshine State, where a subtropical climate allows almost anything to grow and prosper — with enough water, that is.

The price of beauty has led to a plethora of exotic plants — most of which require more water than rainfall can provide, and some that crowd out and kill off other species.

And as drought conditions in Southwest Florida continue every year, nonnative gardens and lawns contribute to an even larger, looming problem, said Bobbi Rodgers of the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center and Cedar Point Environmental Park.

“You think of gas being high-priced? Wait for water,” Rodgers said, “We’re going to run into the same water wars we have with gas wars.”

So why plant native? Plants that have inhabited the region for thousands of years have adapted to the local climate. Typically, once a native plant is established after a month or two, it doesn’t require watering besides typical rainfall.

Besides, some exotic plants can also attract pests that feed on them and become a headache for gardeners.

And if invasive exotics get out of control, they can crowd out native wildlife, noted Al Squires, president of the Mangrove chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.

“They grow so densely that our native animals won’t even move in,” Squires said.

For those who choose to plant native — known as Florida-friendly landscaping — it can be difficult. Try visiting a typical local nursery and searching for plants that are native to the state.

“They don’t separate them out,” Rodgers said of most nurseries. “There are a lot of category 1 invasives in there.”

Category 1 invasives, as ranked by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, are the worst type of exotic plants. Extreme examples of them include Brazilian pepper, an exotic shrub that has caused nightmares across Florida for being notoriously difficult to remove.

But Category 1 invasives are also popular plants that are sold virtually everywhere, such as the Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana).

“You put it in your yard, and in a year you’re going to have a whole yard full of it,” Rodgers said.

The key when planting a garden is to do research and make sure to choose native plants, or at least exotics that do not require excess water and fertilizer or pose a threat to native plants.

For an attractive purple flower similar to the Mexican petunia, without all of its problems, opt for the Carolina wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis).

Rodgers recommends visiting the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Web site at www. fleppc.org for an annually updated list of invasive plant species that gardeners should avoid.

She also does speaking engagements to help educate the public about invasive exotic plants. At her talks, Rodgers provides a list of bad plants, as well as replacement plants for those undesirables.

Giving people alternatives, Rodgers noted, is the best way to encourage smart gardening.

“If they’re given a choice or they know there’s something they can replace that with,” she said, “I think that helps a bit.”