Rain has been scarce, but this Florida-friendly yard can take it
By PHYLLIS HODGES
With the prolonged drought in this area, lawns in many neighborhoods are looking quite dismal. Not so with the yard at 1606 N. Pebble Beach Blvd. on North Lake; it is one of the exceptional area ones that is flourishing with little or no watering.
Mary Duncan and John Revill moved to Sun City Center from Connecticut in 2010. They started shortly thereafter to transform the lawn of their new home into something special. Duncan has been the driving force behind the project although Revill provides valuable moral support and heavy lifting. She said neither of them knew anything about flora suitable for this region when they moved here so the first step was to learn about the plants already on the property. The lawn service guy helped with that; then she turned to Hillsborough County for a crash course in Florida landscaping.
The county is still a valuable information resource, as is the Sun City Center Elegant Garden Club with its program speakers, garden tips and members always willing to exchange information. At the Audubon Club, where she is president, she learned about encouraging or discouraging types of wildlife (especially birds and insects) that can help or harm your plants. She used Google a lot, too.
Asked if she had a master plan seven years ago, Duncan laughed and said, “No. There was no grand scheme. I just knew that we wanted to get rid of the grass and that I wanted walking paths. It just kind of grew from there. At every step, I would think, ‘I am done,’ but then another idea kept us going.”
Duncan and Revill enjoy having friends come by to admire the results of their efforts. They also have a group that comes regularly for meditation strolls. Duncan does not consider herself a landscaping expert, but she is happy to have visitors with advance notice (813-260-3322).
BILL HODGES PHOTO
Mary Duncan and John Revill, 1606 N. Pebble Beach Blvd. completely transformed a very sad lawn to this one that features Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ and walking paths in both front and back.
