Transform Your Landscape Into A Beautiful Oasis

The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods (FY&N) Program is helping homeowners and property managers across the state transform landscapes into beautiful oases that will not only conserve precious water resources and reduce pollution, but will also save time, energy and money. The FY&N program was developed to address serious issues, such as disappearing habitats, by enlisting property owners in the battle to save our natural environment. This program provides special educational and outreach activities directed to communities to help residents reduce pollution and enhance their environment by improving their ability to effectively manage their landscape.

The FY&N program has multiple objectives: reduce stormwater runoff, decrease non-point source pollution, conserve water, enhance wildlife habitat, and create beautiful landscapes. Many areas of Florida are being transformed from rural areas that support plant and animal life to urban communities with more impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads, and parking lots. This change results in fewer areas where rainwater can be stored before it seeps below ground to recharge the aquifer. The rain that falls on yards, roads and parking lots, flows from the gutters into storm drains, and then washes into tributaries, lakes or bays, carrying pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, soil, petroleum products, as well as other pollutants. Runoff containing nitrogen from fertilizers or toxic substances from pesticides can damage aquatic plants and animals that live in fresh and salt water environments.

FY&N encourages property owners to water efficiently; mulch; recycle; select the least toxic pest control measures; put the right plant in the right place; fertilize only when necessary; provide food, water and shelter for wildlife; protect surface water bodies (which includes bays, rivers, lakes, streams, etc.) and minimize stormwater runoff.

The FY&N program staff is available to conduct workshops to educate condominium and home owner association members on proper care of their landscape investment. These workshops provide associations with the knowledge they need to ensure that their landscape maintenance service is using sound maintenance practices to produce a beautiful “Florida Yard”.

To be certified as a “Florida Yard,” an FY&N team will inspect each landscape at no cost and award points, using a checklist, based on the practices that are currently being implemented. Your yard measures up, if your property receives a minimum of 36 inches (points) out of a possible 96 inches. Properties that pass the inspection receive a sign to post that reads “Certified Florida Yard”. As a follow up, the FY&N county leader will provide each property manager, condominium or home owner association with a list of recommendations on how they can bring areas that score low up to standard.

The FY&N program is available in 47 of the state's 67 counties. To see whether your county offers FY&N yard certification, visit the FY&N website at http://hort.ufl.edu/fyn/, or call your local County Extension Office to request a workshop or have a team visit your property to certify your landscape.

By Dr. John Pipoly
Urban Horticulture Extension Agent
Broward County, 954-370-3725
jpipoly@broward.org