Home 1- Naples

This home landscape was started in 2007.  There are only a few before pictures, but you can certainly get the idea.  Before we had the cabbage palms installed there was no landscaping at all in this backyard.

This picture is of the same cabbage palms above but from the opposite angle.  There is a small seagrape that has recently been planted and a slash pine waiting to put in ground.

Unfortunately there are no before pictures of the front yard; it was as barren as the backyard.  The pictures below were taken in August 2011 and show the amazing amount of growth that native plants provide for you in four short years.  Below wild coffee is tucked in the left bottom corner in the shade of the house.  You can see muhly and fakahatchee grass.  Large cabbage palms were used in the front yard as they were in the back yard as the canopy. 

Large shrubs were placed along the curb of the front yard to create privacy to the homeowners.  Some of the plants utilized were firebush, sweet acacia, saw palmetto, and slash pine.

As you progress up the driveway closer to the home you can see a crushed shell pathway which allows you to meander through the garden to the back yard. 

Below is the symbol of Florida life, a hammock, tucked secretively away where no phones or lawn mowers can bother you as you enjoy the gorgeous sunshine and the sounds of all the birds wrestling in your garden!  A varnish leaf throws shade on this hammock to provide some relief from the afternoon sun!

Continuing around the corner of the house into the backyard, do you remember the cabbage palm and the small seagrape in the before pictures.  A short four years later look at the size of these seagrapes!  To the left of the cabbage palm there is a gorgeous necklace pod.  Also notice there is a crushed shell pathway through the garden into the backyard.

When you plant a native garden you are providing food and habitat for all kinds of birds and butterflies.  One of the most important features of the garden, is providing space for the home owner to enjoy what he has created and all the wildlife that will utilize the garden.