Florida Friendly

I frequently use a local road called Calliandra Drive, the quickest route to Beneva  Road which I use to get to Church, to the Supermarket and Bank, and to just about anywhere.

Calliandra Drive was "developed" some thirty five years ago when the fashion was to have houses built way back from the road, with vast expanses of lawn in the front, and pocket handkerchief  yards (gardens) at the rear  (who knows why?).

 It all makes for a dreary and barren frontage



 It is also environmentally bad.  Florida is not the place for grand lawns.  They waste so much precious water - just so they can "look good".

Their need for fertilizers and noxious pest control chemicals is problematic.  If it rains soon after their application, the run off is very bad for our retention ponds.   If it does not immediately rain the nasty chemicals can leach into our aquifers.

Then come the lawn mowing machines, edgers, trimmers and leaf blowers which fill the air with exhaust fumes, dirt and dust.

All this for "lawns" which have to look good, but upon which  human bums never sit.

There is one home on Calliandra Drive where the owner/s have created a Florida friendly and ecologically sound front yard.  I admire it every time I drive by,

Earlier today I saw a man who was attending to this Florida friendly yard.  I stopped my car and thanked him for creating such a beautiful and Florida appropriate front yard,   He responded with gratitude.

Here it is


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