As land is developed in Florida the native flora is removed and usually replaced with non-native vegetation. Wildlife habitat is reduced, water, fertilizer and pesticides usage increases, and the appearnace of Florida is altered. But urban and suburban dwellers can reduce the damage being done to our ecosystems by viewing their yards as part of the natural system. This means using native plants and doing it in a way more attuned to natural places.

This small book will help you make a plan that will work for your yard and choose the native plants that will thrive there with minimal care. You will have the joy of creating an aesthetically pleasing, life-supporting, and environmentally sensitive landscape.

Dan Walton and Laurel Schiller have spent the last ten years growing Florida native plants and using them for landscaping out of their nursery called Florida Native Plants in Sarasota, Florida. They have transformed many yards into shady, plant-rich oases with local wildlife.