Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Applications are open now for the competitive FNPS Landscape Awards State of Florida, July 5, 2023.-- The Florida Native Plant Society board and volunteers are gearing up to accept applications for the 2023 landscape awards. Gardeners, businesses, government agencies, HOA’s, and community groups are invited to apply for the annual awards. Professionals and amateurs can showcase a landscaped project or their own garden. The 2023 awards underwent some revamping to streamline the categories and highlight sustainable garden practices. Applications can be found at the Florida Native Plant Society website, fnps.org. Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2023. Winners will be announced on October 1, 2023, to kick off Florida Native Plant month in October across the state. Categories include single-family residence, multi-family and non-residential sites, butterfly or wildflower gardens, and restoration projects. One first place “Native Garden of Excellence” may be awarded in each category an...

Everyone in your FNPS chapter is a winner when you encourage Landscape Awards applications submissions from your region.  Help People Showcase the Beauty of their Florida Native  Landscapes… That’s why we are members of FNPS, right? Native plants bring life to this landscape! Here’s all you do… Check out the categories and criteria for the 2016 Landscape Awards . Select a landscape or two in your area to represent your chapter. Get moving – the deadline is March 18th. . Here’s what is in it for you… STAR Chapter recognition at FNPS Annual Conference in Daytona Beach May 19-22. Prestigious local press release promoting your chapter. Esteemed recognition in FNPS publications and website. Increase your odds of success… Print out the first two pages of the Landscape Awards application (back-to-back on the same sheet of paper) and create awareness by distributing to local organizations including: Chapter meetings and events Garden Centers ...

Thank you to everyone who took the time to apply for a Landscape Award this year. By going native, we ALL win. Congratulations to the following award recipients: Page Field Aviation Terminal, Lee County FNPS Landscape Award of Merit      Designed to blend with the Southwest Florida environment, this new aviation terminal opened for business in August of 2011. Airports typically do not fit in with a community setting so an important part of this project was design it to blend in with the urban setting and enhance the aesthetics of the airfield, while still enabling safety and aviation protocol. Choosing the landscape plant materials for an airport is challenging because the plants and trees should not attract birds or other wildlife that could interfere with aircraft. This is the opposite of why we typically plant native landscapes. The challenge was to choose native palms and trees, shrubs and perennials that not only added to the beauty of the site, but also d...

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...

Richard Stauffer and Julie Wert, who live just south of the Hernando-Pasco line in Aripeka, won the Florida Native Plant Society’s second-place award for amateur residential landscaping at the 2011 annual conference in May. Julie Wert states, "This article was in the St. Petersburg Times recently about our yard. The columnist, Dan Dewitt, was concerned that the Hernando County Commission had allowed twice a week watering rules again. He heard about our award from FNPS and came out to use it as contrast to typical suburban yards. I sent him home with a copy of Doug Tallamy’s article in American Forester and “Bringing Nature Home”. I just heard the article was picked up by newspapers in Indiana and South Carolina."  Read the article online at: www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/florida-yards-can-be-natural-habitats-too/1178553 From the article: "Their yard, 1½ acres of coastal uplands just south of the Hernando-Pasco line in Aripeka, recently won the so...

FNPS 31st Annual Conference will be held on   May, 19-22, 2011 in Maitland Patios, Preserves and Public Spaces: Making Connections Hosted by the Cuplet Fern, Lake Beautyberry, Pine Lily and Tarflower Chapters Join us in May, 2011 for this exciting and comprehensive conference that connects Florida's natural values and conservation with the landscapes that we create in our personal and public environments. Registration begins 01/01/11 with discounts offered to FNPS members.  Now's a good time to join as our chapters have started their programs for the season.  Then by the time May rolls around, you'll have a head start.  See https://www.fnps.org/pages/conference/  for a preliminary list of field trips, social activities and workshops.  The conference offers opporunities for sponsors and vendors.  Hope to see you there!

If you've been working on including more native plants in your landscaping project, here are two ways to gain recognition: (The beautiful photos are some of the 2010 award winning landscapes.) 1) Apply by August 30th to be part of AFNN's Florida-wide media campaign. In partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the Association of Florida Native Nurseries (AFNN) is launching the Plant Real Florida statewide media campaign promoting the use of Florida native plants in residential landscaping. FDACS will produce a 30-second televised public service announcement that will run statewide on cable television from March through December 2011. Viewers will be directed to a new AFNN-sponsored website that enables homeowners to locate a variety of local resources, including AFNN native nurseries, landscape specialists, FNPS chapters and other Real Florida Gardener resources. AFNN is particularly interested in landscaping that echoes or mimi...