Florida gardening

Xeriscaping is a practice of landscaping with drought-tolerant plants, which conserve water and save maintenance time. The name comes from the Greek word zeros, which means dry.

Using this theme, you place plants that need more water closest to the house. Those that need little or no irrigation can be planted farther away or at the lot's farthest points.

Xeriscaping makes use of many plants you may already have, such as cactus, asparagus fern, camellias sasanquas, and Shumard oaks. A full list of drought tolerant plants for Florida can be found at  http://www.floridata.com/lists/drought_tolerant_plants.cfm

Container plantings and annuals need more water and should be planted closest to the house and the water source.

To xeriscape more of your property, consider increasing the size of a patio, creating a stone walkway, or turning one or more sections of your lawn into an area for attractive, drought--resistant bushes and plants.

Spring is the time to plant and we have books to help you. There are many books on gardening in Florida in the 635.9 nonfiction section of the library.