Front Yard Landscape Design in Orlando Winter Park for No Lawn Landscaping or Florida Xeriscaping A Project Analysis

Project Analysis: Front Yard Landscape Solution to Eliminate Lawn Care using Florida Friendly and Native Plants, or Florida Xeriscaping in Orlando Winter Park.

Before Pictures

Creating a landscape design in the Orlando area without a lawn is one of my favorite styles to work in. While a lawn is normally associated with a rich, lush landscape, I see water, chemical, fertilizer, and fuel consumption/emission related to the care of a lawn. Thoughfully using plants in a landscape design that eliminates the need for a lawn can result, long term, in a landscape that needs minimal maintenance.

There is a bit of an investment to install this type of landscape. There is also a bit of an investment in time to establish this type of landscape but once you do, you’ll have a landscape that requires little or no irrigation water, no chemicals, no fertilizer (unless you choose to do so), and best of all – no mowing. You’ll have flowers and foliage and pollinators and the ease of knowing your yard contributes to the health of the local fauna we depend on for agriculture.

When I first met with this particular client, he’d expressed his disdain for having to spend thousands every year replacing his lawn, and how hard it was to find a decent chemical and pest management company, how hard it is to find a reliable lawn mowing company, and how expensive irrigation water had become. When we discussed options for solutions, we landed on a the idea of eliminating the lawn entirely in favor of using all plants, but plants, flowers, and shrubs that are tough. Once established, these plants, flowers, and shrubs would need minimal maintenance.

Landscape Design Solution Orlando Winter Park for no lawn Xeriscape

Success in this style of landscape revolves around plant selection. If you choose plants that have known problems or require constant watering, the goals of a Florida xeriscape simply won’t be met. My job during the design and consultation phase is to break down the steps required to get the new landscape to the point of requiring minimal maintenance; and then advise my clients on how to implement them.

During the project…

Earthwise Horticultural Services during landscape design project Orlando Winter Park Fl progress video after prep and grading setting up landscape plants for Florida xeriscape.

Earthwise Horticultural Services during landscape design project Orlando Winter Park Fl progress video setting up landscape plants for Florida xeriscape.

Completed Project

The short and long term care is a bit different. You’ll have more weeding to do, especially at first. Over time, weeding will diminish. The extra time is well spent because in the future it will result in massive reductions in landscape maintenance, watering, and chemical management. No landscape can be maintenance free, but once established, this style is about as low maintenance as it can get.