Landscape Design in Tampa Bay

Landscape designer or landscape architect

In Florida the two titles mean different things in law. Chapter 481, Part II of the Florida Statutes covers landscape architecture. It defines the practice as planning and design work such as setting grades, shaping and contouring land, determining drainage, and providing for storm drainage and irrigation systems.

The same section defines a separate term, landscape design, as consultation for and preparation of planting plans drawn for compensation. Those plans may include only recommendations for the conceptual placement of tangible objects. Another section says the landscape architecture part of the law does not prohibit any person from practicing landscape design, and designers may not use the protected title.

In plain terms, a designer can draw a planting plan without the state license. A landscape architect holds the license, and the statute's definition of that practice includes grading and drainage. The statute does not say how large a residential job must be before an architect is needed, so ask your landscaper which of the two the job calls for.

To check a license, use the state's licensee search run by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Your landscaper who calls back can tell you who does the design work and under what license, if any.

What a design visit covers

The first visit is mostly questions and measuring. The designer walks the whole property and looks at:

• Sun and shade. Which areas get six hours of direct sun, which get less, and how the trees will change that.
• Water. Where rain collects after a storm, where the downspouts empty and whether any bed stays wet.
• Soil. Whether the ground is sandy, compacted or fill. A soil test shows pH and nutrients.
• Salt and wind. Exposure to bay or Gulf spray matters for plant choice if the property is near the water.
• Irrigation. What zones exist, where the heads are and whether the system has a working rain shutoff, which Florida law expects of automatic systems.
• Rules. HOA covenants, historic district review where it applies, and utility lines or easements.
• Use. Pets, kids, a place to sit, how much upkeep you want and how the yard looks from the street.

The result is usually a concept plan or a planting plan with a plant list, and for larger jobs a phased budget. Design fees usually cover the plan only. Installation is quoted separately, as the cost guide shows.

Plant palettes that suit Tampa Bay

The lists below are low-maintenance natives for the Tampa Bay area. Heights are approximate. A designer will adjust any list for your light, soil and exposure.

A sunny, low-water bed

Muhly grass (about 4 feet tall), coontie (4 feet by 5 feet), beach sunflower (a low spreader), firebush (up to 20 feet), saw palmetto (about 10 feet) and porterweed (about 5 feet). These help pollinators as well as keeping upkeep low.

Trees and canopy

Cabbage palm, live oak, sea grape and red maple are good tree choices here. Live oak reaches about 80 feet with a 60 foot spread, so it needs room, and a designer should check where roots and branches will go.

Near salt water

Wax myrtle, sea oats and bougainvillea are examples of salt-tolerant choices. Tolerance varies by plant, so placement matters, and windbreaks such as fences or sturdy shrubs help shelter other plants.

Why a plant list is not enough

The same plant can thrive in one bed and struggle in the next. The UF/IFAS program calls this right plant, right place, and it is the first of its nine principles.

What to ask your landscaper

Bring these to the first visit:

• Who prepares the design, and is that person a licensed landscape architect or a designer?
• What does the design fee include, and does it apply toward the installation if you hire the same company?
• Will the plan list plants by name, size at planting and spacing?
• How were sun, shade, drainage and salt exposure checked?
• Does the plan meet HOA rules, and who submits it for approval?
• What does the quote leave out, such as old plant removal, irrigation changes or permits?
• Which plants will need extra water during the first months, and how does that fit the watering rules?