What YOU can do River Friendly Yards Beds and Buffers

Beds and Buffers

  • Honey, I shrunk the lawn.

    Create or expand beds using native or low maintenance plants next to water bodies, streets, driveways, and sidewalks. This will create buffers to help prevent runoff and keep fertilizers and chemicals on your lawn. In addition, this will reduce the size of lawn that you have to maintain, saving you time and money!

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  • Use the right plant in the right place.

    Select the plant based on the conditions in your yard and the requirements of the plant (soil type, amount of sunlight, mature size of plant, etc.). Select plants that can rely mostly on normal rainfall conditions. Native plants are often a good choice because they are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions.
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    For more information about selecting the right plant for the right place, check out the St. Johns River Water Management’s Waterwise Landscaping handbook or the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods handbook.

  • Use an organic mulch (not cypress)

      around plants to retain moisture and slow runoff. Leaves, wood chips, pine bark, and pine needles are examples of recommended mulches to use. The Florida Native Plant Society advises against using cypress mulch, because valuable cypress trees are destroyed for the sole purpose of creating a mulch product.
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