Blogs

After moving to Florida “from up north”, I was immediately struck by the sheer boring-ness of everyday Pinellas County. One strip mall oozes into the next while dense traffic slowly lumbers along between slow changing traffic signals. I knew there must be more to this place, both culturally and ecologically and I set out to the local library to dig into some material that pre-dates the 1970’s era homogeny that plagues this and so many other sub-urban counties.

Water is a dwindling resource. I once met a lawn care guy that was convinced this couldn’t be so since the planet is a closed loop that water can’t escape. That’s sort of true however, three important reasons conservation is necessary are: 1. Florida’s population continues to grow while the amount of water available remains, at best, constant, 2. We have been in a drought for the past three years, and 3. many of our most vulnerable ecosystems (swamps, wetlands, marshes, etc) rely on sufficient water levels to provide habitat and services like water purification and storm surge buffering.

When I was young, I took butterflies and moths for granted. I didn’t know about their amazing migrations, service as pollinators or unique capacity to amaze children, drawing them into science and nature like few other animals can. It wasn’t until just before graduate school that I first saw someone raising a monarch in a netted enclosure, serving it daily rations of fresh milkweed leaves, that the depth of public sentiment became clear to me.

When I meet with clients, they often have ideas in mind for what the landscape should look like. If this is the case, a designer may not be necessary. However, there are certain tricks that may help complete the project with fewer problems. Here’s a check list of things to consider if you want to lay out a native or Florida Friendly design for the yard yourself.

A critical first step in designing a native landscape is understanding what the right plant for the right place is. This concept is central to ecosystem function as the particular characteristics of “place” often determine what plants will be successful. Shady or sunny, sandy or loamy, near a stream or high and dry. We want to help create functioning ecosystems and defining the system and its parts comes before laying out a palette of beautiful and unique natives.

People have one of two reactions when they hear the word “cracker.”

Many respond with an uncomfortable, blank stare that says: “Do you mean like… the race-related cracker?” ”Cracker” is slang for poor white settlers in rural southern climes, and it’s important to acknowledge the additional weight bearing down on this word from decades of racial tension in both rural and urban quarters of America. It can and should be uncomfortable in that context.

Welcome to the commentary section of Florida Cracker Land. This is the place where I discuss topics relevant to our mission.

What is our mission? Hm. Hmmm.

Well, we work with urban and suburban homeowners to reduce their impact on the environment. Pinellas County is purported to be the most densely populated county in all of Florida; if I’ve learned anything from Disney movies, it’s that people seem to screw things up for clown fish and penguins and zoo animals on the lam. So this seems like a geographically appropriate place to start.

1. Intro: How I view design
-co-mingling of function and aesthetics
-should be considered in that order (functionality=commitment) but a good design will mask that priority
-Particularly important to native landscaping (wild misperception)
-thus important to Urban Sustainability

2. Assess major landscape functions
-Ideas??
- play, laundry, entertaining, relaxation
- wildlife, water conservation, biodiversity, home food

3. Identify functional zones
a. Utility buffer
b. Garden placement
c. Compost placement
d. Zone most in need of help (sod replacement)