Florida Friendly, Guilt Free

Don't accuse John Korycki of failing to practice the environmentally-friendly landscaping techniques he preaches.

Korycki, the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Coordinator for the Hernando County Extension Service, just completed a lawn overhaul at his own home in Inverness.

When he leads a seminar on Florida-friendly landscaping design this Friday, he'll have the firsthand experience and photos to back it up, so don't hesitate to ask to see his handiwork.

"I'll be talking about the principles and will explain how I used them," Korycki said.

The seminar is slated for 10 a.m. to noon at the utilities department office at 21030 Cortez Blvd. in Brooksville. It's the first of the annual Water Awareness Series sponsored by the Hernando County Utilities Department and the Citizens for Water.

Admission is free. Reservations not necessary but requested.

"Florida-friendly" describes an approach to landscaping that protects the environment by saving water and minimizing or eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilizer.

Korycki used those tenets as he tackled the beautification project on his recently-purchased home. With just an "old, overgrown" azalea bush and a sago plant infested with a bug that turns the thing white and crusty, the yard needed the attention, he said.

He used just four plants on the half-acre lot, including magnolia trees and a small shrub called an Indian Hawthorne. For color, he planted an African yellow bulbine, which grows about a foot tall and produces yellow, star-shaped blooms.

He installed a drip irrigation system that conserves water, put down pine bark nuggets for a renewable, organic groundcover, and fed it all with a slow release fertilizer.

Korycki did the labor himself. The total bill: $400.

Korycki said he tries to instill two lessons when the landscaping talk turns Florida-friendly.

"The number one message is that there are a lot of good appropriate plants for our area and your individual site, it's just appropriate to a little research before you buy," he said. And, he added: "Florida-friendly does not mean expensive and ugly."

To study up on the principles, visit www.floridayards.org.

Friday's landscaping seminar is the first in the seven part series. The rest of the dates and topics: "Avoiding the Most Common Landscaping Mistakes," Dec. 12; "It's Easy Being Green," Jan. 9; "Lawn Care 101," Feb. 4; "Irrigation Technology," March 6; "Water Reuse 101," April 6; and "Hurricane Preparedness," May 1.

If you go

WHAT: Florida-friendly landscaping seminar.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Nov. 7.

WHERE: Hernando County Utilities Department, 21030 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville.

ADMISSION: Free; reservations requested but not necessary.

CONTACT: Alys Brockway, 540-4368, ext. 35139.