Landscape consultation from Wilcox Nursery

When we moved here, I was interested in native plant landscaping. Found Wilcox Nursery that way. I was excited that one of the few nurseries that seemed legit on the subject of native plants was right here in Largo.

You can arrange for a consultation with their designer, Jason Beck for a small fee. I got the chance to identify what all my plants were and get an idea of what we should do. I will call him back when I get ready to do my front courtyard. We will want to move the birds of paradise around a little and see what other bushes we might use there.


For now, I will probably clean out the front planting areas, remulch it (he recommends pine needle mulch). There is a plant by the front door I think I will just get rid of. There are some perennial flowers I think I will also get rid of and just leave the big plants there. I will move my firecracker plants to the front between the jutropha and bird of paradise and move the little plants (crape myrtle I think shown below) that are there around the corner and see if they do better.

Found out that the bushes in front of my house with the pretty red flowers are jatropha. We talked about planting some more of those with some pretty grasses "facahachi, muhli grass and sandcordgrass in some planting areas on the front lawn. (see the pictures in beginning of post but the red grass I really like that is the muhli grass) Also two rock gardens to balance out the one we need in front of the house to keep cars from running up the lawn. We have some hedges of sweet viburnum along the fences that will stay for now.

He recommends crushed shell too, which I like. We might do the driveway temporarily in that.

Also we are going to remove the edging around the palm tree and fertilize it with 8.2.12. I think we will have to wait for the fertilizing till spring, but I also think I will temporarily move the plants on the front and side of the house a bit and remulch it, put in a new border with those blocks I am removing from the front.

He recommends a new ground cover around the plantings sunshine mimosa.  You can mow it and it has pretty flowers.

We are going to move the red sister and a tree thing on the wall near my front door (I have already forgotten which plants those are but Brent our gardener was there and I hope he remembers!). Also, he mentioned ixora, and not sure if I have one or he recommended it.


In the back, I have jasmine vines which I want to encourage to grow by removing the other stuff. We want to clean out the bamboo stands. There is a little cherry laurel along with the bromelads by my really cool tree and I love that.

I ended up with a rough design which I was happy with and feel like i can go forward. So money and time well spent.