Enchanted native garden in St. Augustine

Our clients wanted a natural front yard full of native and Florida friendly plants. A large oak tree dominates the canopy, so the space is full of variable light conditions. The existing turf in the area is waging an unfair battle against the dominant oak tree with its mature canopy and root system so the clients wanted a design that would shrink the grass footprint and replace it with a more sustainable garden design.

Since our client’s house has fantastic mid-century vibe we wanted to avoid formality as well as an overly lush design to help accent the beautiful simplicity of the homes’ architecture. We used a handful of specimen trees and shrubs and accented them with colorful perennials and foundational plants to create an arboretum style woodland garden.

These type of gardens inherently require less maintenance. Soil amending and general soil disturbance causes a flush of weeds and occasional pruning to encourage proper growth is advantageous with any newly planted garden. Compared to weekly mowing and all the other requirements of traditional landscapes the natural beauty of this garden reigns supreme.

Our plant pallet is ever changing and every client gets a unique perspective. For this design we decided to pull out some old favorites to match the classic vibe of this beautiful property. We chose a redbud ‘flamethrower’, Chickasaw Plum and a southern red buckeye. We are incredibly excited to watch this garden flourish as the seasons change!