Planting Florida native plants is one way to reduce our carbon footprint
By Yvonne Swanson, Times Correspondent
In Print: Saturday, September 19, 2009
The sustainable garden of Mike Jeffers of Seminole is on the Florida Native Plant Society tour. Jeffers co-founded fast-food chain Evos, which centers on healthy eating.
Are you a bigfoot when it comes to gardening, carelessly consuming water, dousing the land with chemicals and operating gas-powered mowers and blowers? Or do you tiptoe your way through your yard as a steward of our precious ecosystems and natural resources? • Everybody has a carbon footprint, a measure of each individual's demand on Earth. The more you consume, the larger your footprint.
Scientists at the University of British Columbia created the ecological footprint concept in 1990. Today it's used worldwide to monitor resource use by individuals, businesses, municipalities and whole populations. Based on consumption, it should be no surprise that many Americans have really, really big feet. In fact, if everyone on the planet lived the average American lifestyle, we would need five planets to support them, according to the Global Footprint Network. (Calculate your personal footprint at footprintnetwork.org.)
But there are those among us who are treading lightly. Michael Jeffers is one of them. A co-founder of the Evos healthy fast-food chain and an avid eco-friendly gardener, Jeffers is walking his talk — professionally and personally.
"I enjoy trying to be as sustainable as possible and have as little impact on the environment as possible, both in business and my personal life," says Jeffers, 41, who lives on a quiet cul-de-sac in Seminole with his wife, Susan, and two children. Their property, which features native and Florida-friendly plantings, vegetable and herb gardens, a fruit orchard and a grape arbor, entertainment areas and a play area for the children, is the model of sustainability in a consumption-crazy world.
There aren't any water-guzzling plants, rotating irrigation spray heads that waste volumes of water or synthetic fertilizers or pesticides in the garden shed. You won't find an elaborate lighting system with energy-zapping incandescent bulbs, fountains or swimming pool. Forget the swing set and trampoline in the play area; instead, there's a simple black tire swing hung from a large oak and a small (organically treated) patch of lawn for playing ball and tossing the Frisbee.
"Part of the design was to provide shelter for wildlife, food production for wildlife and drought-tolerant plants that will thrive," Jeffers says. "My favorite thing is connecting with the plants and Earth and having an appreciation for the whole process."
The family grows vegetables in three 4- by 10-foot raised beds that are equipped with irrigation heads for efficient watering. A variety of lettuces, tomatoes, vegetables and herbs are grown organically. Muscadine grapes and fruit trees — loquat, mango, orange, grapefruit and lime — provide food throughout the year.
The landscape was designed and installed by Wilcox Nursery in Largo, which specializes in Florida natives. The Jeffers' property features a wide variety, including Walter's viburnum, firebush, beautyberry, sensitive plant, muhly grass and saw palmetto, notes nursery owner Bruce Turley. The yard blends natives with non-natives, which professionals refer to as a "hybrid landscape."
"I do a lot of blending, but quite frankly I prefer all native when possible," says Turley, who works closely with homeowners to identify whether plants have productive value or not. In Jeffers' case, a mature evergreen podocarpus hedge that provides privacy from a busy street was preserved. Several fragrant ornamentals favored by the homeowners — tea olive, gardenia and sweet acacia — were planted, although they're not natives.
Jeffers' property is certified as Florida-friendly by the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program and is a featured property on the Florida Native Plant Society's garden tour next weekend, where more than a dozen like-minded homeowners will share their advice and tips for creating sustainable native landscapes).
Everyone can start reducing their ecological footprint, experts say. Sometimes you just need to begin with baby steps.
Yvonne Swanson is a freelance writer based in St. Petersburg. She can be reached at yvonnesgarden@gmail.com.
. IF YOU GO
Native Plant Landscape Tour
Michael Jeffers' property and 13 others throughout Pinellas County will be open for tours during the third annual Native Plant Landscape Tour sponsored by the Florida Native Plant Society's Pinellas County chapter. The two-day event features eight properties in St. Petersburg, Seminole and Largo from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 26, followed by six properties in Palm Harbor, Dunedin and Clearwater from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 27. The cost is $5 per day. You can register and receive a tour booklet with maps at Wilcox Nursery (12501 Indian Rocks Road, Largo), Twigs & Leaves Nursery (1013 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S, St. Petersburg) and Nice, Green & Beautiful Landscaping (2001 Bayshore Blvd., Dunedin). You also can register on the day of the tour at the following locations: 7:30 to 9 a.m. Sept. 26 at Twigs & Leaves Nursery and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at Wilcox Nursery. For more information, visit fnps.org or call (727) 733-2928.
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