Choosing the right grass is the foundation of a beautiful Florida lawn. Here are the top 3 options:

🥇 St. Augustine Grass — Most Popular

• Best for: Full sun to partial shade
• Watering: 2-3x per week in summer, 1x in winter
• Mowing height: 3.5 to 4 inches
• Pros: Thick coverage, chokes out weeds naturally
• Cons: Needs more water, susceptible to chinch bugs

🥈 Zoysia Grass — Low Maintenance

• Best for: Full sun, drought-tolerant
• Watering: 1x per week once established
• Mowing height: 2 to 2.5 inches
• Pros: Dense, chokes weeds, handles foot traffic
• Cons: Slower to establish, goes dormant in winter

🥉 Bahia Grass — Most Economical

• Best for: Large areas, full sun
• Watering: Minimal once established
• Pros: Very low maintenance, drought resistant
• Cons: Coarser texture, not as lush looking

💡 Palm Tree Tip: For most Winter Garden & Ocoee homes, we recommend St. Augustine for its lush appearance and weed resistance.

Florida's climate is unique — hot summers with frequent rain and mild dry winters. Here's the ideal irrigation schedule:

☀️ Summer (June–September)

• Water 2-3x per week early morning (5–8 AM)
• 15–20 minutes per zone
• Skip when rain is forecast (use a rain sensor!)
• Watch for fungus — avoid evening watering

🍂 Fall & Spring (Oct–Nov / Mar–May)

• Water 1-2x per week
• 10–15 minutes per zone
• Monitor rainfall and adjust

❄️ Winter (December–February)

• Water 1x per week or less
• Grass grows slowly — less water needed
• Protect system from rare frost nights

💡 Pro Tip: Install a smart controller (Hunter or Rain Bird) to automatically adjust based on weather. Can save up to 30% on your water bill!

Central Florida's warm climate is perfect for tropical plants. Here are our top picks:

🌴 Palms (Always a Winner)

• Royal Palm — Elegant, fast-growing, great focal point
• Areca Palm — Perfect for privacy screens and clusters
• Washingtonia — Tall and dramatic for driveways

🌺 Colorful Accents

• Bird of Paradise — Stunning orange flowers, low maintenance
• Heliconia — Tropical look, great for borders
• Ixora — Year-round red flowers, perfect for hedges
• Hibiscus — Florida's signature flower, many colors

🟢 Low Maintenance Choices

• Agave — Drought resistant, architectural look
• Croton — Colorful foliage all year round
• Bromeliad — Easy to grow, adds color instantly

🌱 Spring (March–May) — Best Planting Season

• Plant most trees, shrubs and tropical plants
• Start lawn from sod — ideal temperature
• Apply pre-emergent herbicide for weed prevention
• First fertilization of the year

☀️ Summer (June–September)

• Avoid major planting — heat stress risk
• Fertilize lawn every 6-8 weeks
• Watch for pests: chinch bugs, sod webworms
• Mow frequently — grass grows fast

🍂 Fall (October–November)

• Second best time to plant — cooler temps help root establishment
• Plant winter annuals (pansies, petunias)
• Last fertilization before winter
• Great time for landscaping projects

❄️ Winter (December–February)

• Minimal planting — growth slows
• Good time for hardscaping projects
• Protect tropical plants on frost nights (rare in Central FL)
• Plan and design spring projects

Want privacy without a fence? These shrubs grow beautifully in Florida and create natural screens:

🥇 Clusia (Most Popular)

• Growth: Fast — up to 3 ft per year
• Height: 6–20 ft
• Pros: Salt tolerant, very low maintenance, stays green all year
• Best for: Full sun to partial shade

🥈 Podocarpus

• Growth: Moderate — 1-2 ft per year
• Height: 8–40 ft (can be trimmed to any height)
• Pros: Dense, elegant, handles drought well
• Best for: Full sun, formal hedges

🥉 Viburnum

• Growth: Fast — 2-3 ft per year
• Height: 6–12 ft
• Pros: White flowers, attracts butterflies, very dense
• Best for: Full sun to partial shade

Also Great:

• Simpson Stopper — Native, wildlife friendly
• Wax Myrtle — Native, fast growing
• Areca Palm — Tropical privacy screen
• Ixora — Colorful and dense

💡 Palm Tree Tip: We recommend Clusia for most Winter Garden properties — it's the fastest, most carefree privacy hedge in Florida!

🦟 Top Lawn Pests in Florida

• Chinch Bugs — Yellowing patches in full sun areas. Use bifenthrin or imidacloprid
• Sod Webworms — Brown patches, small moths flying at dusk. Use Bt or spinosad
• Grubs — C-shaped larvae under sod. Use imidacloprid in spring
• Mole Crickets — Tunneling damage. Use fipronil baits

🌱 Common Weeds & Control

• Crabgrass — Pre-emergent in February/March
• Dollar Weed — Reduce watering, use atrazine on St. Augustine
• Sedge (Nutsedge) — Use Sedgehammer or Dismiss
• Chamberbitter — Pre-emergent + hand pulling

⚠️ Important: Always read labels before applying chemicals. Some herbicides damage St. Augustine grass. When in doubt, call us!