20 Jun Florida Landscaping Ideas for Your Custom Home

If you are building a new custom home in Florida, landscaping ideas are an important consideration. What you see when you drive up to your home will set the stage for what’s inside your home, allowing your to achieve the feel you want from your new dream home.

And let’s not for get the backyard. If you are the type who likes to entertain, you’ll want to consider landscaping the supports the mood you want for your outdoor living area.

If you are relocating to the state, Florida Landscaping will be a new challenge. In addition to understanding your options, it is also important to understand the impact of water restrictions in Florida.  The Southwest Florida water Management District  has created the Florida Friendly Landscaping™ website to provide guidance to using low-maintenance plants and environmentally sustaineable practices.

To help you get started developing your landscaping desires for your new custom home, we have compiled some tips and ideas:

Florida Custom Home Landscaping Tips and Ideas

Given Florida’s climate and lack of seasons Florida Friendly landscaping should be at the heart of your thinking. With that in mind, there are several options for creating a yard that you can be proud of and fits your personality.

Our climate clearly lends itself to Tropical Landscaping. Then again, Florida heat can be very tough on a yard in the summer months. Desert Landscaping is an alternative to consider. Another avenue might be front yard landscaping with rocks. It maintaining a yard is not a joy for you, consider a low maintenance yard that requires minimal trimming. A popular back yard approach includes an outdoor fire pit.

Front Yard Tropical Landscaping

With Florida’s moist, humid environments, Tropical plants are ideal for your landscaping plan. Lush green foliage will create a beautiful, Tropical look. Look for plants with large, broad leaves. Brightly colored flowers will also set it off right. Here are a few examples:

• Palm trees
• Canna lilies
• Bird-of-paradise
• Bromeliads
• Monstera
• Elephant ear

Landscaping with Rocks

Natural stone in our landscape design can work with a variety of styles and themes and will add dimension and texture to your front yard. Here are some examples of rocks that will work:

• Decomposed granite or crushed granite
• Terracotta stone
• Mexican beach pebbles
• Black lava rocks
• Gravel

Desert Landscaping Ideas

Florida heat can really take a toll on a yard, especially years with drought conditions when summer rains are less frequent than normal.  Opting for a drought-tolerance landscape can eliminate the need for irrigation, saving you money in your lawn upkeep. You can create a desert-style landscape with these low-water plants:

• Bougainvillea
• Cactus
• Succulents
• Saw Palmetto

Low-Maintenance Landscaping

If working in the yard to maintain your landscaping is not your thing, consider choosing slow growing plants and shrubs that require minimal trimming. You’ll spend less time working in the yard, and won’t require hiring someone to do it for you. Low-maintenance ideas include:

• Juniper
• Crown of thorns
• Agave
• Alexander palm
• Selloum philodendron

What about that back yard fire pit?

Fired pits are a very popular idea in Florida back yard landscapes. They add a cozy, ambient feel to yoru patio or backyard. There are several ways to go here:

• Wood burning fire pits
• Natural gas fire pits
• Propane fire pits
• Tabletop fire pits

With all these choices, you may want some help punching up the exterior of your new custom home. At Devonshire Custom Homes, we’ll help you work on achieving the look you want, but here are some thoughts to get your started:

1. Determine your needs? What will you need in your outdoor areas? Do you need room for kids to play? Are you committed to the fire pit idea? Will you be doing a lot of outdoor entertaining or barbecuing? Will you want a pool? If so how will it fit into your landscape plan? Do you want to create a Rock and Tropical Oasis around the pool or a more traditional pool space?
2. What kind of lawn do you envision? St. Augustine and Floritam are popular grasses. You might also consider Bermuda grass, Bahiagrass, Centipede Grass or Zoysia Grass. Unless, of course, you are more interested in the Desert Landscaping idea.
3. Where will your greenery go? you will want to create a focal point in your front and back yards. Your greenery and colorful florals should be built around that focal point, where its a water feature or a flower bed.
4. Be Consitent in Your Design. Once you have considered the layout for your front and back yard plan and the needs identified in #1 above, work with your builder and a landscaper to create a landscaping plan that will compliment your home and won’t clash with your outdoor spaces.

Creating a Florida-Friendly Landscaping plan that gives your home great curb appeal is the goal. With the right plan and the proper materials, you can create and outstanding look for your new home. If you are ready to talk with a builder about your dream home vision and a landscaping plan to match, we’d love to talk with you. Just use the handy button below to schedule a no strings attached consultation with our team.