Home 2 - Fort Myers

Canal Front Living

BEFORE                                                                                                           AFTER

What a dramatic difference, from a monoculture of sod, to a great diversity of trees, shrubs and groundcover.  Don't let the size of the trees and shrubs discourage you.  It takes about 5 years in south west Florida for trees and shrubs to attain a mature look.  Most of the ones you are seeing in this pictures have been in the ground for a year or less.  We will update them for you to see the progress.  With most Florida native trees and shrubs, we will encourage you to start with a 3 gallon plant.  At this size the plant spends a shorter amount of time establishing the root system and can get around to the business of growing.  Typically, the bigger the gallon size you plant the longer you must supplement with water to establish the root system.  Sometimes, if the plant is a slow grower, you may desire to start off with a larger specimen.  In the foreground of the after pictures, the low colorful flowers are blanket flowers.  Blanket flowers, thrive in sandy, hot conditions with little to no water!  They can be found growing wild on beaches and along roadsides, and they are very salt and cold hardy!

Washed crushed shell was used to create a walkway to the boat dock.  Look closely you will see the crushed shell is not placed around the plants.  Organic mulch is used around the plants.   Around the pool cage,  tropical sage is intermixed with blanket flower and Bahama cassia.  The tropical sage and blanket flower will reseed and fill in this planting area!  The Bahama cassia, which is a host for several sulfur butterflies, and the other species will remain under 3 feet tall and keep the water vista open!

Washed crushed shell is also great for around your home, next to the base of the house.  This area will be kept clear of planting material and provide ample space to do home maintenance projects, including exterior painting.  The planting material for this side is tall and provides awesome shade for the house.  Shade strategically placed around the home can drastically reduce electric bills!  Slash pine trees are a favorite of this home owner.  Pines are wonderful for small yards or side yards; they provide height with a small canopy; they are more columnar in their growth pattern.  Slash pines are also the  favorite nesting tree for bald eagles and many bird species choose pine as their favorite for cavity nesting, including the red-headed woodpecker.

What a difference these shrubs and groundcover make.  The boundary of the yard is well defined and many species of small trees, including slash pine, East Palatka Holly were utilized to provide habitat and food for many species of birds.

In the before picture, you notice the vinyl fence that has been used to hide trash cans  But in the picture below, you notice the shell path and shrubs of various sizes.  The small shrubs in the foreground to the left of the path are horizontal cocoplum.  A Jamaican caper is used as an accent piece along the front corner of the home.  Jamaican caper is one of our most gorgeous native trees.  The blooms are intricate, and change colors as they age, and they are quite fragrant!

From this angle you can see that the vinyl fence is being softened by Key West morning glory.  The shell path provides walking access through the yard and to the left of the path, shrubs are placed that will get larger and provide privacy and shade.

Looking back at the lattice fence, you can barely see the fence now.  The Key West morning glory is softening the bright white fence.  In the left corner of this picture you can see how tropical sage intermingling with beach dune sunflower to make a nice arrangement of low ground cover.