When it comes to landscaping, sustainability can mean a lot of different things. Whether it be lower water consumption, lower maintenance requirements or less chemical intervention, all improvements to sustainability are a step in the right direction. These benefits are only a start. Sustainable landscapes with a focus on native plant materials help revive our ecosystems and can provide meaningful solutions to complex problems as our state faces increased population growth and increased strains on natural resources. For the past two years Cherrylake has been working collaboratively to learn and model how our industry can transition towards these sustainable landscapes.

Learning Through Landscape Trials

In January of 2021, we began the design of our first Florida native landscape trial named The Edge. We partnered with universities, landscape architects, researchers, native nurseries, and Florida native specialists to create an edge planting along the perimeter of the ornamental farm located in Groveland, Florida. The selected site was 14,000 square feet of bahiagrass with no visible wildlife of any kind, yet strategically located to be viewable from the public roadway on Cherry Lake Road/CR 478. The landscape’s functional design incorporated plants that would rotate in their blooming seasons so there would be food and flowers for pollinators year-round. The aesthetic design sought to create a natural landscape feel, contrasting with the more traditional organized designs typically seen in Central Florida.

Florida native, Muhly Grass, in bloom during the fall season at The Edge 1.

Our Construction Group mobilized in the spring of 2021 to install irrigation, as well as several 1400-gallon Live Oaks and Miss Chloe Magnolias to provide an immediate sense of maturity and beneficial natural shade. The addition of nearly 5,200 Florida native plants – mostly grown by Cherrylake’s Production Team – completed the meadow landscape design of The Edge.

In the fall of 2021, The Edge 2 was planted. Instead of the dynamic “designed by nature” feel of the first Edge landscape, this planting was designed to provide an ideal roadside landscape planting reminiscent of more traditional landscapes. The broader structured plant masses of similar species presented more color and uniformity, while also being more easily appreciated by interstate travelers moving at high speeds. Wider spacing and higher use of evergreen plants were selected to promote sustainability and structure long term.

The moment that the very first trailer of plants arrived at The Edge, so did the pollinators. What the team witnessed over the next several months was nothing short of amazing. Honeybees and several generations of bumblebees scoured the 1/3 acre of new blooms, foraging nectar and pollen for their colonies. Numerous species of butterflies began showing up, laying eggs on their host plants and producing plump, nutrient-rich caterpillars that songbirds fed to their young. Subsequently, several clutches of Bluebirds have also flourished. No doubt we’ve learned much by monitoring, maintaining, and trying new things since that first planting was installed.

"The moment that the very first trailer of plants arrived at the Edge site, so did the pollinators. What the team witnessed over the next several months was nothing short of amazing."

In spring of 2022, the wildflowers in The Edge and The Edge 2 sprung to life and grew at an incredible rate to fill-in and create a more lush and mature appearance than in year one. Bumblebee populations increased exponentially, gopher tortoises have set up residence, and the entire dynamic of the site has evolved dramatically. What was once nothing but bahiagrass is now teeming with life. It has become a vibrant food chain that is literally restoring this plot of land to what it may have been hundreds—or even thousands of years ago.

Transitioning to Development: The Tavistock Partnership

In late 2020, Cherrylake and Tavistock began to explore a partnership that included University of Florida and University of Central Florida with the intent to ensure that the landscaping in the 24,000 acre Sunbridge development would be sustainable and beneficial to our ecosystem. The developer for this planned community across Orange and Osceola counties saw the permitting opportunities that resulted from lower water consumption of their landscapes, as well as the branding opportunities around native and ecological stewardship. For Cherrylake and our partners, it provided a unique opportunity to trial more native landscapes and gain further understanding of what is needed for adoption by the end-users. We began by creating sixteen equal test plots to evaluate 26 species of plants to grow in the native soil at the Sunbridge site. These trial research plots were planted at the Sunbridge “BaseCamp”, the Information & Sales Center for the Sunbridge Community.

In January of 2022, the Cherrylake Construction group installed the plant material in the research plots as well as at 6 model homes. The use and effectiveness of compost was trialed, with half of the plots amended to include it. Overall, the plants have performed well, and the plots with compost are clearly more healthy and productive than the plots without compost. The research plot format provided valuable insight, and the model homes have shown that the knowledge gained from the plots have improved the outcomes on the residences. Our Maintenance Group continues to be involved maintaining the research plots and model homes, continuously learning along the way.

Positioning for the Future

These projects have given Cherrylake the opportunity to explore and better understand sustainable landscapes. It has given our Construction Group the opportunity to explore irrigation systems, soil amendments, and plantings that are specific to this landscape – all while our Project Managers are intimately involved with the designs and construction of these landscapes. It has given our Maintenance Group an opportunity to learn how to garden these native plants and landscapes, which is dramatically different from the traditional “mow and blow” model of most Florida landscapes.

Looking forward, we see tremendous opportunities to align ourselves throughout our operations. At the farm, we will continue to review our Master Plan to incorporate more natives in our plant pallete and our vision for agritourism includes education around sustainable landscapes. Our Construction Group will continue to cultivate partnerships with targeted developers, homebuilders and landscape architects as we position ourselves as the premier installer of these landscapes. Our Maintenance Group will continue learning the most efficient ways to care for these native landscapes and provide meaningful career growth through horticultural training of our staff.

Our learning has been exponential, and is positioning us as a forerunner in a growing and new market that values the ecological conservation, aesthetic beauty and quality of life that sustainable landscapes provide. The steps we take on a local level have global repercussions. The choices we make today will directly impact the world of tomorrow. By creating landscapes that work with, instead of against, our environment, we’re beautifying the world for generations to come.

OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative: Shifting the Florida Landscape Paradigm

In addition to improving our own sustainability practices, our company is also dedicated to inspiring other Florida movers and shakers in the landscaping community. We founded OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative in 2019 with the goal of bringing people together to collaborate on what we can do to shift the landscape paradigm in Florida.

Cherrylake started the initiative and soon others joined in, including University of Florida, Dix.Hite, University of Central Florida, and Tavistock. OUTSIDE Collab hosts an annual conference every fall attracting hundreds from across the state to attend in person and virtual workshops, keynotes, and tours. Our involvement in OUTSIDE is helping brand Cherrylake as the large scale, premium supplier of native plant material as well as an expert for building and maintaining native landscapes. Putting us as a forerunner in a growing and new market.

This article was written with contributions from Jimmy Rogers, Sustainable Landscape Coordinator.