Citrus: Hate lawn mowing? Might try this

This is an alternative to the traditional lawn. A green lawn may be beautiful, but it's hard work, consumes too much water and contributes to fertilizer runoff pollution, according to some landscapers.

The point is to get away from the wasteful cycle of watering, mowing and then watering again only to mow again all summer long.

Marion Knudsen teaches the fundamentals of drought-tolerant landscaping at workshops at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Knudsen is a naturalist and stresses landscaping techniques that use native plants. She and a squad of about five other volunteers are responsible for maintaining the gardens at the park. She also maintains a large tree farm and is an active gardener at her home by the Halls River.

Knudsen (The "K" is not silent. She pronounces it ka-NUD-sen), gave two workshops this month at the park that were attended by about 25 people.

"Unless gardening is your all-consuming passion, you would be wise to make it as simple as possible," she said. "Summers in Florida are hot, and they seem only to get hotter as you grow older."

Her main concepts are to use mulch areas and ground cover as much as possible as an alternative to grass. The advantages are simple: no mowing, much less watering and no fertilizing. She also is quick to add her environmental viewpoints.

On mulching:

"Lots of mulch," Knudsen said.

She prefers to use eucalyptus mulch, but it is very expensive. Her next choice is pine bark nugget mulch or oak leaves. She disdains the cypress mulch stacked like small hills at garden supply shops.

"They don't replant cypress, so what is the point of using it all up as mulch?" she said. "Pine is replanted."

And for the red designer cypress mulch?

"Well, if you've got a gas station or a motel to run, do as you please. But here?" she said, indicating the gardens of the state park. "I don't think so."

Knudsen hands out a brochure listing the many kinds of vines, ferns, trees, shrubs and flowers that are native to Florida and can withstand the brutal summer with little care and water.

Many of the plants can be found at local nurseries and there is a nursery in San Antonio which sells only native Florida plants.

For trees, Knudsen recommends dogwoods, cypress, redbud, red maple and pine.

"It all depends on where you live," she said. "Across the river from me there are plenty of dogwoods, but I've never had any luck on my side of the river with them."

The key to many landscaping designs are shrubs and flowers. They add contrasting shapes and that all-important splash of color other than green. They also attract bees and butterflies

There are many native shrubs which can be used in landscaping. The park has a pair of beautiful golden dewdrops gracing the entrance to the Homosassa River observation dock. Nearby, a coral bean plant displays its long tubular red blooms. Other shrubs are lantana, wax myrtle, sparkleberry and buttonbush.

Flowers that do well in Florida's climate are spiderwort, lantana, coreopsis, salvia and gaillardia. Almost any local nursery has these.

"I love spiderwort," Knudsen said. "I just let it grow as ground cover and mow around it."

If enough people change over to Florida friendly landscaping, it would benefit the water, Knudsen believes.

"This is my lecture against nitrates: Most people use way too much lawn fertilizers. You should only do it in the spring and fall and sparingly. They did away with DDT and I hope that soon they will be able to ban nitrates in fertilizer. Nitrates have ruined many a body of water."

There are books about Florida gardening. Knudsen recommends Florida Plant Selector, Florida Flowers and Florida Trees and Palms by Lewis S. Maxwell. Two others are: Wild Flowers of Florida by Fleming, Genelle and Long, and Wildflowers by Richard Parker.

Back to Citrus County news

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

From today's
Citrus Times

Citrus slices

Hate lawn mowing? Might try this

Drug Court comes at a cost