Native Florida Landscape Design Part 1 - Why Go Native with Karina Veaudry

This is the first of a three-part series with Karina Veaudry. This introduction to Florida's incredible biodiversity and the problems Florida faces will show you what's at stake for planting natives. Includes an overview of common invasive landscape plants, ideal ecological corridors, insects and bird migration, why to not hire a lawn service company, examples of yard transformation, the trouble with turfgrass, examples of functional lawn spaces, and examples of residential and commercial native landscapes.
Karina Veaudry is a Landscape Architect and the President of the Pine Lily Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.
Chapters:
00:00 what is a native plant
1:54 what is a non-native plant
2:34 Florida's biodiversity & ecosystems
7:05 plant natives
13:07 Florida ecosystems tour
14:55 threats to native species
18:40 invasive species - Category I
20:20 invasive species - Category II
21:41 the case against lawns
24:57 how to do a lawn the right way
26:23 water quality problems caused by lawn maintenance chemicals
28:18 native landscaping to prevent water pollution
32:29 Q&A

[@ivylarsen5355]

Thank you Karina, I learned so much from you and these lectures are so well organized.

[@elizabethcuevas-neunder6158]

Thank you so much, I have been fighting the Huntington Pointe subdivision in Sarasota, HOA. They have turned our lake disgusting swamps. This people coming from other states don’t understand our Florida environment and ecology.

[@tomwessling7065]

This is a paradigm shift!

[@jims6687]

Thank you for putting all of this valuable info in one place!!!

[@floridanativeplantsociety]

You are so welcome! We're glad it's helpful.

[@mollieobrien6499]

I own my own home now and it has one huge lantana (highly invasive) in the middle of a monoculture of typical grass. I hate having to mow my lawn. The lantana is feeding at least 30 different butterflies and 2 hummingbirds. So I don't want to remove it until I have native flowering plants to replace it with. But dang, I want some plants that can carpet my lawn that I don't have to spend 2+ hours of my time mowing 2-3 times a month in 90f+ heat. Thank you for the video, it is inspiring me to find a solution to my laziness while also improving the ecosystem around me. I don't have a hoa or anything like that, so I won't have to jump through any loops when I finally decide to take action and remake my yard.

[@floridanativeplantsociety]

Thanks for sharing your experience so far, Mollie. Check out our plant database to find native groundcovers that are right for your situation: www.fnps.org/plants. Enjoy the process and good luck!

[@ssss3301]

Have you considered frog fruit for twin flower as a native ground cover?

[@QbnAmCan]

Great information!

[@floridanativeplantsociety]

Thanks for watching! We're glad it was helpful.

[@christieperry9221]

Xeriscape with native plants and trees for your area.

[@memartin2188]

My house has close to 50 crepe myrtles and I would love to replace them with natives that have similar shape and growth habits. What can I plant?

[@fuxan]

Yeh my neighbors did not like it when I did a controlled burn especially in an HOA. HOA's are hard to change from the inside out. I cant even get to a point that I would like in order to show what can be done. And yes fill dirt is horrific to me mostly because of transfer of non-native invasives like cogongrass. All along 301 and areas around the villages are being overran by cogongrass just spilling out from the fill dirt along the roads.

[@wglenbatemanjr9729]

Thanks for sharing. ✌️
...oh yeah, LET YOUR LAWN DIE! Sunshine Mimosa! Controlled and informed succession 🤙.
edit- When will invasives be banned? ANY BILLS IN TALLAHASSEE? Nurseries and retailers should HEAVILY FINED. Developers and builders must be AWAKENED

[@DawnLauryn]

I love Sunshine Mimosa and put a ton of money and effort into trying to get it to grow, only to end up with pretty much nothing. That's back when I had good health and a disposable income. The only groundcover I had any luck with was Asiatic Jasmine which is still thriving and spreading to this day. I'd love to hear about native that will actually work though. I did have some luck with perennial peanut, but it dies off in the winter. Any other ideas for a good, native ground cover that I can walk on, never have to mow, and can kill the lawn tractor? I'd love to have native for the wildlife to be able to sustain themselves on, regardless of the plant's purpose (groundcover, ornamental, whatever). If ticks/mosquitos/chiggers don't like it, even better.

[@ssss3301]

@@DawnLauryn Dawn, have you considered frog fruit or twin flower as a native ground cover?

[@DawnLauryn]

@@ssss3301 Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them!

[@karinaveaudry9479]

I definitely agree! Too many people making money on this bad industry

[@fuxan]

I cant help but feel overwhelmed. Every day I feel berated for having a yard that is native with very minimal area mowed (frogfruit and pennywort etc).
And our HOA wont let me remove the invasives on HOA property.
Disconnection from nature is a real thing. I need help.

[@marlenekrantz843]

Should I trim a coffee plant or let it grow wild?

[@karinaveaudry9479]

Never trim native coffee. Never trim any native plant really.

[@BackyardFlorida]

I don't use any fertilizer or insecticide.

[@floridanativeplantsociety]

Thank you!