Each time that we visit the yard of our Chapter Treasurer Martha Willoughby, we are inspired by her ever diminishing areas of turf grass, her beautiful beds of native wildflowers, her use of attractive native grasses, her shoreline plantings that protect the Indian River Lagoon, and her ability to select the right plant for the right place. Martha does not use commercial fertilizers but does “recycle” plant material. Only the small, functional areas of turf grass are irrigated.
This functional turf grass area in the back yard is surrounded by a graceful bed of wildflowers, including …
Beach dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis) …
Fall-flowering dotted bee balm (Monarda punctata) …
and the very red-flowered tropical sage (Salvia coccinea) …
Well-placed shrubs include sun-loving necklace pod …
…. the white-flowered native lantana commonly known as wild sage (Lantana involcrata) …
… Florida privet (Forestiera segregta), which Martha described as the very first plant to recover from the devastation of hurricane Irma …
Martha’s yard demonstrates the need to select the right plant for the right place, so that supplemental irrigation, fertilization, and pesticide application are unnecessary to a beautiful and inviting landscape.
