It's important to select the correct Plant, Palm and Trees for your landscape.
Don't be fooled by what you see at the home improvement stores. Unfortunately, everything they carry will not grow well in our Southwest Florida area.
There are a lot of things to consider:
- Is this a new landscape or a renovation? The initial landcaping for a new home requires what is known as a "Code Package", Depending on where you live, you'll be required to plant a specified number of shrubs and trees which meet their size requirements. In most areas you'll need to submit a landscape proposal to the HOA for approval before work can be done.
- What kind of look do you want? Manicured or a natural look?
- How much room do you have for plantings? You'll also want to choose plant material that will fit into your yard.
- Do you want color in the leaves or flowers? Scented flowers such as Gardenia?
- Will you take care of the landscape yourself or will a service maintain it?
There is a large variety of Palms that will grow well here. Some are slow growers, while others mature very quickly. Adonidia (Christmas), Foxtail & Royal Palms are self cleaning. This means they will drop their fronds when ready and don't have to be cut. Queen Palms grow very fast, are inexpensive, but because they get so tall, it's often necessary to hire a tree service to clean/trim them.
Some Shrubs can also be trees, whether single or multi trunk, it's all in the initial planting and trimming. Some examples are Buttonwoods, Crape Myrtle, Guava & Ligustrum.
Trees such as Mahogany, Royal Poinciana & Oaks will grow quite large, approximately 40-50' tall by 40-50' wide. That's a lot of tree when your lot is only 80' wide!
Fortunately, we have many choices for our landscapes. Whether you prefer a lot of color, all greenery, manicured or natural look, it comes back to planting the right Shrub, Palm or Tree for the area.
The following pages will show pictures of plant material we recommend for Southwest Florida. Information is included to help you with your selections. Click on any picture to see more!
We can help you put together your landscape design and the right plants for your lifestyle!
