Land O'Lakes Water Wise award winner touts Florida-friendly yards, water conservation

LAND O'LAKES — Pardon the dried-up plants in Tom Ungaro's yard. It's just that time of year.

"It's ugly right now," the 59-year-old information technology project manager supervisor said during a tour of his lawn, which includes peanut plants for turf and a variety of Florida- friendly trees and vegetation. "Come spring it'll all grow right back."

And with little to no work on the part of Ungaro, whose landscaping won him a Water Wise award and a stepping stone.

"You've created a monster," he joked last week while receiving his award at the Pasco County Commission meeting. "This is my passion."

The annual awards are sponsored by Tampa Bay Water, its member governments and the Cooperative Extension of the University of Florida. The judging panel, horticulture and water conservation experts from each member government area, select the winner based on the points from the application.

Ungaro's lawn was chosen from among nearly 10 applications.

"His was sort of a pilot in his community," said B.J. Jarvis, director of the Pasco County Cooperative Extension. "And it's been a big success for us."

Ungaro, who lived in Chicago, Washington state and New Hampshire before moving to Florida, began his project at his home in Wilderness Lake Preserve about a decade ago after taking a master gardener course. He started one piece at a time until the whole property was done. It now has a cistern and several rain barrels. He has an irrigation system but hardly ever uses it.

His yard contains a host of potted plants, including milkweed, which the monarch butterflies use to lay eggs. Butterflies fluttered about as Ungaro showed off his lawn.

"It looks overwhelming, but you can just do a small section at a time," he said. It's also not necessary to completely give up your traditional lawn. Areas can be left for play or pets. Ungaro still has a little sod on the sides. "Even a little bit saves a lot of water," he said.

Ungaro now trains homeowners associations about the benefits of Florida-friendly landscaping. Most are embracing it.

"For the older ones it's a bit of tough sell," he said.

Jarvis said homeowners don't have to copy Ungaro's lawn or go the extremes that he did.

"You can change the theme," she said. "If you want to go more tropical, you can have more palms."