Eco-friendly Landscaping Practices

April is the month of spring and Earth Day! This Earth Day we here at From Under a Palm Tree attended the 8^th Annual Eco-fest in Tampa! Just like most local festivals, it had everything from local organizations and companies, food trucks, to vendors selling homemade goods. Everything was geared toward spreading awareness of eco-friendly practices. This was by far my favorite local festival I’ve ever attended.

There were booths specifically about recycling, water treatment and conservation, veganism, and Florida plants; the list goes on and on.

The best part was getting to talk to all of those vendors and learn about the environment. As with anything, it is important to continue to educate ourselves, especially about an ever-changing entity like the environment.

In the first of a 4 part series, I want to share some of the interesting information I learned at Eco-fest this year. This first post is all about eco-friendly landscaping practices courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District.

9 Eco-Friendly Landscaping Practices:

1. Right Plant, Right Place – Be selective with plants and where you choose to plant them. With specific sites in mind, certain plants will only require small amounts of water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Related: 10 Flowering Plants Toxic to Dogs and Cats
2. Water Efficiently – Water your yard only when necessary. This is the key to the balance of a healthy lawn as well as water conservation.
3. Fertilize Appropriately – Overusing fertilizers can be more harmful than helpful. In fact, during the rainy season in Florida, we have implemented a fertilizer ban to prevent runoff pollution. For more information on the ban check here. And here is more information about what you can do instead of fertilizing.
4. Mulch – Maintaining a 2’’-3’’ layer of mulch helps prevent erosion and suppress weed growth as well as retain soil moisture.
5. Attract Wildlife – Incorporate plants in your yard and garden that attract local wildlife such as butterflies and bees. Related: 5 Ways to Keep Birds Safe and Healthy
6. Manage Yard Pests – Beware of the pesticides you use. Irresponsible use can harm pets, beneficial organisms, the environment, and humans.
7. Recycle – Reduce waste disposal by recycling yard clippings, trimmings, and leaves on-site.
8. Reduce Stormwater Runoff – Water runoff can carry all kinds of pollutants such as soil, debris, fertilizer, gasoline, and pesticides which can impact water quality. Click here for more information on reducing stormwater runoff.
9. Protect the Waterfront – Whether on a river, pond, stream, bay or beach, it’s important to take care of the plants and coastline to maintain marine ecosystems and water quality.

For more information on each these subjects, you can visit the Southwest Florida Water Management District website. They expand more on each tip for protecting and maintaining Florida Landscapes. Even if you don’t live in Florida, most of these tips still apply to anyone with a yard or even a porch with plants on it. Every little bit helps the environment, remember that next time you plant a garden or clean up your yard.

Related: 7 Tips to Improve Your Environmental Paw Print

What did you think of these tips? Let me know in the comments below.

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Christina

Christina is a twenty-something living with her beagle, Mash, and husband, Nate in their van. She loves traveling, shopping, art, and photography. She’s also a vegetarian, pop-culture enthusiast, book-lover, and Dave Matthews Band fanatic. Catch her somewhere around the country in a converted camper van or at home in Florida for a visit.