Hey everyone! I’ve been lurking here for a while to get inspiration for landscaping our yard. Our main goal has been to eliminate as much grass as possible, and so far we’ve cut mowing time from 2.5 hours down to just over 1 by adding hardscaping, extending the lanai, and more!
Now we could use some advice from the hive mind. My house sits on a berm (Florida—built up to stay out of the flood plain). The first two photos (#1 is perpendicular to the street, #2 is parallel) don’t quite capture how steep it is, but dragging the mower up and down is a real workout. We're not old old people (yet!) but we're also not spring chickens! Some parts are too steep to mow across, so we'd like to replace that grass with literally anything else.
The only limit (besides budget) is that we can’t extend landscaping all the way to the street because of a county easement for the swale. The third photo shows some of the landscaping we’ve already done for reference, with the berm off to the right.
What would you do with a space like this?
by innaDifferentLeague
2 Comments
Photo one looks like you have a vacant lot next door, yes? I see some native Bushy Bluestem. It’s that tall grass that is currently in bloom right now. I would plant this slope and the swale between the properties with Muhly Grass. It’s a native and give a great pop of colour going into the fall. It loves being wet so it is perfect for a swale along the street. It also stays relatively short so you don’t need to worry about blocking street views when pulling out of the driveway. Mix in some Bushy Bluestem on the side property line, especially in the bottom of the swale to get some verticality.
Both plants will go dormant in the dry season. Cut them back hard in the spring just before rainy season.
For summer colour get some Simpson Stoppers. They bloom all summer and produce lovely orange berries. They can be shaped into a large bush. The berries are edible
American Beauty Berry will also add colour all summer long and takes up a good bit of room. It will bring birds into the yard. This can be cut back hard in the spring.
There are also three varieties of cocoplum which can be shaped into a a small shrub. The berries are edible. Horizontal Cocoplum generates a white fruit and I think it has the best taste of the other cultivars.
Green Island Ficus, if you can find it, does not produce a lot of colour but can be kept as either a small to large shrub.
If you want to venture into non natives, Golden Thryallis is a stunner all summer long. *Jatropha integerrima* will grow into a small tree and provide red all summer.
I’m not sure I understand. Hardscaping usually refers to patios and stuff. I think xeriscaping might be the word you want?
In either case, professional garden designers bring in a lot of soil to build berms like that. You’ll probably be able to create a lot of privacy and curb appeal by planting on it. I would mark out the area using a long hose so you can get some natural curves and then solarize or sheet mulch it.
I know nothing about Florida gardening, but look for a garden designer or coach or even design student to come give you ideas.