Landscape designs in Tampa season the hedge-and-lawn backbone of traditional English colonial designs with a healthy dash of tropical flavor. Palms, big-leafed evergreens, and ferns are staples, commonly juxtaposed with boxwoods (or boxwood-esque shrubs, like the Natal Plum). Boldly colored flowers and accent plants like Cordyline and Croton also feature heavily. Lushness and rich coloration are the default, appropriately evoking the humid, verdant character of the regional landscape. Modern minimalism has less of a hold here than in the west – rather, we see undulating lines, luxurious stone paving, warm neutral hardscape tones, and traditional flourishes like tiered water features.

Tampa landscapes are built for outdoor living, regularly featuring outdoor kitchens and dining areas, flexible lounge spaces for entertaining family and friends, and even outdoor showers. Swimming pools of all sizes along with simpler decorative water features are popular and effective choices for keeping cool, whether or not you actually get wet. Shade trees, shade sails, umbrellas, and pergolas are also frequent requests. Pergolas are particularly popular for their multifunctionality, creating breezy outdoor rooms that double as ready-made focal points. Surprisingly, fire pits and hot tubs – also popular landscape elements – are also great amenities to beat the summer heat, offering a fun activity to get you outside during the cooler evening hours. Fire pits and hot tubs work double-duty, providing a heat source to keep you outside through the odd cold snap that hits the city. Landscape lighting is a top request for similar reasons, helping to create a welcoming environment for comfortable evenings outside.

Regardless of where you live, native plants are a fabulous choice for your landscape. Having evolved to thrive in the local climate, native plants typically require fewer inputs of water, fertilizer, and maintenance than species introduced from elsewhere. If you’re looking for great plant performance with less expense and fuss, natives are a great place to start. At the same time, native plants offer unrivaled habitat value for local wildlife. They also help designed landscapes feel connected to the broader regional landscape. Looking for a few natives to get you started? Beautyberry, the sabal palm, firebush, wild lantana, and bald cypress trees are all excellent landscape plants with a strong regional identity. And for those looking for hedges, the Southern wax myrtle makes for a great native option.

Despite the wet summers, drought can be a serious issue in Central Florida, including the Tampa Bay region. Drought tolerant plants, especially drought tolerant natives, can withstand dry spells and will save money on irrigation to boot. Sabal palm, passion flower, and pink Muhly grass are a few of many drought-tolerant natives available for landscapes in the Tampa area. Wind and salt tolerance are other factors to consider. To avoid damage to your planting designs, opt for plants like beautyberry, which can withstand hurricane winds, or sea grape and sea-oxeye daisy, which have high salt tolerance. Heavy rains also can raise drainage challenges. Utilizing proper stormwater management techniques can capture water in desirable locations, recharging groundwater while minimizing the mess that unchecked stormwater can spread across a property. Given the abundant heat and sunshine, solar exposure should be accounted for – avoid exposing outdoor spaces to harsh afternoon light by positioning shade trees or structures to their south and (especially) west.

Now! Any time of year is great to begin work on a landscape project. When possible, we suggest utilizing the winter to work through the design phase – this sets you up to get on contractors’ books early in the build season, so you can have your design installed and ready to enjoy in time for summer. If winter has passed, don’t worry, it’s never too late in the year to begin work on a landscape design project.