Protecting Your Waterfront – Part 1 or 2:

Landscaping Considerations
By Joe Wolf
Polk County Master Gardener

Florida’s lakefronts are one of the

most precious resources of our state.
A lakefront is a highly desirable
property feature and many people pay
extra for the privilege of living on a
lake. Protecting the lake then
becomes the responsibility of the
homeowner. The Florida-Friendly
LandscapingTM program and the Polk
County Fertilizer Ordinance of 2013
strongly recommend a ten-foot buffer
area between any water body, lake,
canal or pond, and your lawn. No
fertilizer, pesticide or herbicide should
be used in this buffer. This buffer Beach Sunflower
absorbs pollutants from storm water from land further from the lake that would otherwise reach and
pollute the lake or pond. It will also trap sediments, control erosion, add to the beauty of the lakefront
and provide a place for wildlife.

The area by a lake or pond can be one of

the most challenging areas in the yard to
landscape. You must consider a large
number of factors: how much the water
level fluctuates with the seasons; the
structure of the soil both on the bank and
under the water near the shore; the slope
of the bank and lake or pond bottom; light
available; erosion control; and the use of
the lakefront.

If the area is currently a wetland or you are

altering the flow of surface water then you
must contact the Florida Department of

Scarlet Rose Mallow

Environmental Protection Environmental
Resource Permit (ERP) Program for any necessary
permits. See their web site:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/erp/ .

Waterfront plants that are useful for landscaping

fall into several categories. The first category is
where the plant grows: in the water or out of the
water. The second category is emergent plants.
They grow near the shore in the water have their
roots in the lake bottom and then emerge out of
the water. A third category is made up of plants
Crinum Lily
can grow either in or out of the water.

The slope of the lake or pond bottom is

important. It will determine how far out in the
water body you can plant and what plants you can
use. Plants that grow in the water often have a
limited range of water depth. Deeper areas need
different plants than shallow areas. By state law,
you must only use plant native plants in the
water. Before you remove any existing plants, be
sure to check with the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission, and obtain any
necessary permits. See their web site:
http://myfwc.com/. Gaillardia

The soil under the water can cause serious problems for growing plants. A very mucky soil is too soft to
provide an adequate anchor for plant roots. Muck can also release chemicals that are toxic to plants. A
sandy soil with some organic matter is best.

Waterfronts provide beautiful views that the homeowner prizes. Use low growing plants in those areas.
Taller plants, such as bald or pond cypress, might work well at the edge of a yard, where you want
privacy, at the lowest part of steep bank, or where you want to frame a view. Always use the full-grown
height and width of a plant when considering what to plant. Plants that grow in clumps often look best
from a distance as usually seen at a lake.

The height of the bank and the slope to the water determine what plants can be used in specific parts of
that bank. Areas close to the water, especially if the slop is gentle, need plants that grow in or out of the
water. When the water level is up, they will be under water, while when the level is down, they will be
dry. Some plants that fit this bill are bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), pond cypress (Taxodium
ascendens), lanceleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia), native golden canna (Canna flaccida),
 Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), spike rush (Eleocharis
spp.) blue flag Iris (Iris virginiana) or swamp rosemallow
(Hibiscus grandiflorus).

If the slope of the bank is steep, you need plants with good
root systems to keep the bank stable. In places that the
water does not reach, a ground cover such as perennial
peanut(Arachis glabrata), asiatic jasmine(Trachelospermum
asiaticum), beach sunflower(Helianthus debilis), or
ornamental grass work well. On a very steep bank, mini-
baffles (landscape timbers or bio-logs) used below plants
will hold the soil for the plants. Alternatively, porous
landscape fabric such as jute or burlap will hold the soil to
prevent erosion before root systems develop.

You need also consider the height of the bank above the

Bald Cypress water. Plants away from the water or high above the water
can be the same as you plant in the rest of your landscape.
These are generally upland plants and are suitable to dryer areas.

As with all gardening in central Florida, you must consider the light sensitivity of the plants you use:
does the plant require full sun, partial sun or full shade? Most plants suitable for the waterfront or in
the water require full or part-sun. Large trees with a spreading canopy can provide too much shade.
One trick is to plant tall trees on the north side of your area so that the shade is on the shore rather than
in the water. Smaller trees that work near water are river birch, dahoon holly, red maple and cypress.

Part 2 of this article on suitable plants for the waterfront will be published in a week or two. For more
information on this topic see: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP47600.pdf, and
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FA/FA00700.pdf