Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Florida Native Plant Society 2013 Landscape Awards Program  Purpose:  The Florida Native Plant Society Landscape Awards Program aims to: · Promote the use of Florida native plants in all types of landscapes, both new and existing. · Increase public awareness of the benefits and savings provided by native plant landscaping. · Recognize citizens who have taken action through use of native plant landscaping to improve and restore the environment. · Reward skilled professionals who execute quality designs and installation. · Encourage landscape designers, contractors and architects to use Florida native plants in their projects. Application Process and Forms:  All interested designers, project managers, installers and homeowners must complete the FNPS Landscape Awards Application Form. Please read the application form completely as projects that do not meet the entry rules will not be judged! Click here for an Application and additional information. Deadline f...

Top: aerial image taken before the MacClendons moved in Bottom: aerial taken approximately one year ago by Laurie Sheldon It was a dairy farm for 20 years, and before that, a farm farm - you know, with plows and crops and the like. In early 2005 the MacClendons purchased the property hoping restore its native plant communities and create a more natural landscape for it to remain in indefinitely. I checked out an aerial of the site, but had a hard time wrapping my head around just how big it was. To put it in perspective, I decided to go to the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser’s website to see what the lot dimensions were at the address where I grew up. I remembered it as being large - we had a pool that ran long-ways into the yard with sizable patio surrounding it, and still had room for a shed, a play house, a jungle-gym type of structure to climb on, and enough lawn left over for our dogs to run around at full speed. “Oh,” I said aloud, reading the folio data on my comput...

Do you have a pet native plant project that needs recognition or some funds to get it off the ground? Now is the time to apply... Native Plant grants FNPS is inviting researchers on Florida native plants to apply for small grants to support their research.  Research grant applications are granted on the basis of importance to the protection, preservation and restoration of Florida native plants and subject to funds availability.  The deadline for the 2013 grant cycle is March 1, 2013.  For more information on the grants and submittal process, please view and download the award application .  For examples of past grant recipients, please see: http://fnps.org/what-we-do/research . Native Plant Conservation Grants FNPS invites you to apply for a Florida Native Plant Conservation Grant. When funding is available, grants will be awarded to applied plant conservation projects that will promote the preservation, conservation, restoration, and/or protection of F...

Here is a landscape that is an award winner in so many ways! John and Nancy Henkelman received this year's Award of Excellence in the Residential-Amateur/Homeowner division from the Florida Native Plant Society at the Annual Conference this May.  From the very beginning of their adventure in landscaping, the Henkelmans  knew they wanted to be able to share their home with friends, Boy Scouts, and garden lovers of many kinds. They wanted to provide space for the Scouting activities of their three sons, and they wanted as much habitat as possible for wildlife. They worked over many years to protect and maintain the existing scrub, wetland and lakefront ecosystems on their land,  while building a home and striving to to showcase the beauty of wild and natural Florida. The Henkelmans were fortunate to have a three acre parcel to work with, and their first decision was to clear an area that was only twice the footprint of the house. After construction, elm, oak, cypress...