Landscape design

This oak tree is planted only 3 feet from the foundation of the home. How far away should it have been planted?

Canopy tree shall mean a species of tree  that  which  normally grows to a mature height of  forty (40) feet or more.   (Florida ordinance)

Builders and developers are mandated by municipal building codes to plant a determined amount of canopy trees per property. The builder documents on submitted landscape plans where the trees are to be planted. The plan is approved. Why are builders allowed to plant canopy trees in the wrong location?

This oak tree, depending on the species, will grow 40’ to 60’ high and 60’ to 120’ wide. The tree in the photo above is planted 3’ from the foundation of the home. This very common practice is landscape malpractice to the ultimate degree. It puts the onus of the unknowing homeowner to pay for the cost to remove or transplant the tree to a proper location.

April 25th is National Arbor Day and everyone is encouraged to plant a tree. Please research to find out the mature width of your tree and plant it where it can grow to be its healthiest and live a long life.

Despite its cute little conical-shaped canopy, the oak tree above should be planted at least 30’ away from the home just like the oak trees in the background.

Who’s to blame? Whoever in the building code department who is signing off on the submitted landscape plans of new communities. They should know better - they write the rules.

A faux gate enhances the ambiance of my client’s garden to attract birds and butterflies and enjoy the conservation area view.

Create A Gate Faux Every Garden!

An interesting way to add an entrance (or an exit) to your garden is to install a faux gate. Even if you don’t have a fence, a faux gate will create the illusion of an entrance. Depending on your garden theme, it can be an old-fashioned crickety wooden gate created by tying branches together, or vintage rusty (safely sealed) metal gate, or a modern frosted glass panel between two columns.

Your gate can show where to walk in your garden. It can be at the end of your journey to a garden bench or meditation area. They can be placed at the beginning of the walkway, or midway along the path to indicate entering the next outdoor room, or at the end of the garden to allow visitors to leave with flair. Faux gates are easy to install between two complementary posts. Match the material of the gate. Make sure the posts are stable by using concrete bases in the ground or metal rods to secure them. Do not let them wobble!

Where can you find a faux gate? You can check out antique shops, Etsy, Facebook sales, garage sales, thrift stores, and vintage furniture stores. Or make your own from all the wood you collect on a hike during your vacation.

Instead of placing a beautiful antique gate on a wall, or featured as a piece of art, make them a purposeful piece of art, “thriller”, or just whimsy, just so you have a faux gate. Where would it lead you?

Plants to Hide Utilities – A/C, Well, Electrical Panels

  1. Podocarpus ‘Pringle’ – Podocarpus macrophylla ‘Pringle’

  2. Small Leaf Clusia – Clusia guttifera

  3. Dwarf Simpson Stopper – Myrcianthes fragrans ‘Compacta’

  4. Camellia spp. ‘Yuletide’, ‘Pink Perfection,’ ‘Kramer’s Supreme’

  5. Black Diamond Crape Myrtle – Lagerstroemia indica ‘Black Diamond’™

Teresa's Design Tips - Plotting For More Turkeys

Photo credit: Jeanette Mazza

I received a timely design question this month.

“Teresa: I live in a rural part of Central Florida and would like to have more wildlife, especially turkeys. What can I plant? “

Great question, Jim. Turkeys need three things: protected roosting sites, year-round food sources, and nesting cover. Being out in a rural section with lots of trees is also a preferred environment for turkeys. The wooded perimeter of cow pastures are also habitat for turkeys. Thick trees with understory of shrubs provide a sense of security where they can quickly run to escape a predator. Turkeys roost in trees at night for security.

To encourage turkeys to stay year round, supply food sources such as berries and fruits, insects, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Oak trees with a turkey’s favorite food of acorns are ideal for turkey plots. A stand of Long Leaf Pine trees is also a good start. If your plot is within a mile of a lake or river that can provide water will also be helpful.

When choosing plant selections, diversity is important to remember. Three types of vegetation is optimal: groundcovers, taller grasses, and grains. Turkeys prefer lower groundcovers and grass when they forage. Grasses and small plants also necessary for turkeys to strut their stuff. Oops… I shouldn’t use the word stuff, should I?

Here is a nutritious menu for turkeys:

  • Grains: millet, oats, rice, soybeans, sorghum, and wheat.

  • Grasses: chufa, muhly grass, weeds,

  • Groundcovers: alfalfa, clover, legumes, rye grass, wildflowers,

  • Fruits and Vegetables, Insects, and Snakes.

The size of your turkey plots should be at least one-half to two acres bordering the edge of wooded conservation area or forest. Level the ground before any seeds are planted. Do not use herbicides to remove weeds or wait for the label’s instruction on timing to revegetate the area.

Leave an open strip of sand around the outside of your turkey plot. This will help turkeys dust themselves. Dust baths will help turkeys with itching, skin irrigation, maintain the feathers, and allows them to clean themselves.

Like wildflowers, Spring and late Summer is the best time to plant your turkey plot.

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