Florida Summer Landscape Check

Florida summers bring intense heat, high humidity and frequent heavy rainfall. While water is essential to a healthy landscape, too much water—or water moving in the wrong direction—can damage plants, weaken turf and create problems around the home.

A successful Florida landscape must be designed to manage both irrigation and stormwater.

Begin with the home

After a heavy storm, inspect the areas surrounding the foundation. Soil grades, downspouts and drainage systems should carry water away from the home and toward an appropriate, lawful discharge or retention area.

Look for:

• Water collecting beside the foundation
• Mulch or soil washing away
• Downspouts discharging into planting beds
• Erosion along walks and driveways
• Standing water that remains long after rainfall ends
• Runoff moving toward neighboring properties

Depending on the property, the solution may involve grading corrections, catch basins, channel drains, French drains, swales or underground conveyance. The correct method depends on elevations, soil conditions, existing drainage patterns and local requirements.

Adjust irrigation during the rainy season

An irrigation schedule that works during Florida’s dry season may provide far too much water during summer.

Frequent rainfall does not always mean the entire property is receiving equal moisture. Some areas may remain saturated while covered patios, large tree canopies or isolated beds receive very little water. Each irrigation zone should therefore be evaluated independently.

Homeowners should:

• Reduce unnecessary watering during rainy periods
• Confirm that the rain sensor is functioning
• Check the sensor’s shutoff setting
• Inspect zones for broken heads and improper coverage
• Correct sprinklers spraying pavement or structures
• Avoid watering already-saturated areas
• Review the controller after extended rain

A rain sensor can prevent unnecessary irrigation, but it cannot diagnose poor drainage, mismatched plant material or uneven coverage.

Identify areas that retain moisture

Take a walk around the property after a substantial storm and again 24 hours later. This reveals how water actually travels through the landscape.

Watch for:

• Persistent standing water or saturated soil
• Thinning or yellowing turf
• Fungal growth or root decline
• Plants wilting despite wet soil
• Algae developing on pavement
• Mosquito-prone areas
• Repeated mulch displacement

These symptoms may point to excessive irrigation, compacted soil, poor grading, restricted drainage or plants that are unsuited to the location.

Select plants for actual site conditions

Not every wet area must be forced to behave like a dry planting bed. In appropriate locations, the better solution may be to select plants that tolerate periodic moisture.

Plant selection should account for how long the soil remains wet, whether the area is periodically flooded or continually saturated, sun and shade exposure, salt exposure, soil composition, mature plant size, maintenance expectations and nearby structures or utilities.

Drainage corrections and moisture-tolerant planting are not mutually exclusive. The strongest design may use both.

Design with water in mind

At the Dubois Residence, the architecture, turf-inlaid travertine driveway, tropical plantings, irrigation, grading and stormwater movement demonstrate how every part of a landscape should be considered as one coordinated system.

Beautiful landscapes perform best when grading, drainage, irrigation and plant selection are coordinated from the beginning.

Serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Siesta Key and surrounding Florida communities.