|Your Outdoor Project, Simplified.
Expert landscaping advice, design inspiration, and local insights to help you create and maintain beautiful outdoor spaces across Florida's Gulf Coast.
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City-by-city guides for Gulf Coast markets
Florida Water & Irrigation
SWFWMD rules, compliance guides & water conservation
Maintenance Tips
Florida seasonal care + pest & fertilizer guides
Design Ideas
Lighting, fencing, outdoor living inspiration
Project Guides
Cost guides, material comparisons & buyer's guides
Hiring Guides
How to evaluate, compare & hire a landscaping company
County-by-county breakdown: trees, fences, hardscape, irrigation, and site clearing. What actually requires a permit on the Gulf Coast.
The complete SWFWMD watering-schedule series — universal rules that apply across all four Gulf Coast counties plus county-specific enforcement, community CDD requirements, and rain sensor law guidance.
4-county comparison table, universal rules, water shortage phases, rain sensor law, and establishment exemption walkthrough. The authority page for the entire series.
Covers
4 Counties
Max irrigation
2× / week
Rain sensor
FL 373.62
Sod exemption
30 days
Wellen Park · Palmer Ranch · Venice · Siesta Key
Bradenton · Lakewood Ranch · Parrish · Anna Maria
Tampa · Riverview · FishHawk Ranch · Apollo Beach
St. Pete · Clearwater · Tierra Verde · St. Pete Beach
Featured Articles
Coastal landscaping on Bradenton Beach & Anna Maria Island requires salt-tolerant plants, proper drainage, and wind-resistant design. Learn what thrives on barrier islands.
Hurricane season in Tampa Bay demands proactive preparation. Learn how to protect your landscape and recover quickly after severe weather.
Native plants in Sarasota & Tampa Bay require less water, resist pests naturally, and support local wildlife. Discover the best species for Central Florida.
Debating artificial turf vs sod for your Tampa Bay or Sarasota property? Here's the honest comparison — cost, water use, maintenance, heat performance, and long-term ROI for Florida's Gulf Coast climate.
Choosing between travertine, concrete, and porcelain pavers for your Florida pool deck, patio, or driveway? Here's the definitive comparison for Gulf Coast conditions.
Landscaping costs in Sarasota range from $500 for basic maintenance to $50,000+ for full outdoor living transformations. Here's a complete 2025 guide to what Sarasota homeowners and investors actually budget.
Artificial turf costs in Florida range from $8 to $22 per sq ft installed. Here's the complete 2025 pricing breakdown for Tampa Bay, Sarasota, and the Gulf Coast — including hidden costs, grade comparisons, and ROI analysis.
Choosing pool deck pavers in Florida means balancing heat, slip resistance, salt air, and aesthetics. Here's what actually performs best on Gulf Coast pool decks — from Anna Maria to Tampa Bay.
The best pool deck ideas for Florida homes aren't just pretty — they handle 95°F heat, daily splash zones, salt air, and year-round barefoot use. Here are 6 designs dominating Tampa Bay and Sarasota pools right now.
Sod installation costs $1.00–$2.50 per sq ft installed in Florida. St. Augustine, Bahia, and Zoysia pricing with Tampa Bay and Sarasota market data, soil prep costs, and the honest break-even comparison vs. artificial turf.
A hyperlocal deep-dive into Sarasota landscaping — neighborhood-specific plant guides, Siesta Key coastal specs, HOA requirements by zip code, SWFWMD rules, and what the Sarasota market expects from premium outdoor spaces.
From South Tampa waterfront estates to Westchase and New Tampa suburbs — a hyperlocal breakdown of Tampa landscaping by neighborhood, covering soil types, SWFWMD rules, HOA requirements, and what Hillsborough County's market expects.
Six landscape lighting design strategies built for Florida's Gulf Coast — path lighting, uplighting, pool deck accents, smart controls, and 2026 pricing for Sarasota, Tampa Bay, and barrier island properties.
A hyperlocal guide to Bradenton landscaping — from Palma Sola coastal salt specs to Braden River inland soil conditions, Manatee County HOA requirements, SWFWMD rules, and STR market considerations across each Bradenton neighborhood.
SunWest isn't a landscaping contractor — it's a coordination company. Here's the 5-step process: one point of contact, vetted independent contractor partners, and full project management from estimate to sign-off.
Looking for the best landscaping company in Tampa Bay? Here's how to compare general contractors, referral marketplaces, single-trade subs, and coordination companies — with a frank look at what each model actually delivers.
Comparing landscaping companies in Sarasota County? Honest breakdown of 5 approaches — with HOA ARC guidance, SWFWMD rules, barrier island coastal specs, and 2025 pricing benchmarks.
12 essential questions answered — licensing verification, permits, SWFWMD compliance, pricing expectations, contractor evaluation criteria, and hiring model trade-offs for Tampa Bay to Sarasota homeowners.
Comparing landscaping companies in Venice, FL? Honest breakdown of 5 approaches — with Sarasota County permit timelines, SWFWMD rules, Venice Island coastal specs, Wellen Park HOA guidance, and 2025 pricing benchmarks for South County homeowners.
Comparing landscaping companies in Clearwater? Honest breakdown of 5 approaches — with Pinellas County pricing benchmarks, SWFWMD rules, Clearwater Beach coastal specs, and DBPR licensing guidance.
Comparing landscaping companies in Bradenton? Honest breakdown of 5 approaches — with Manatee County pricing, SWFWMD rules, Lakewood Ranch HOA guidance, Palma Sola coastal specs, and 2025 red flags.
Which paver material actually performs best on St. Pete pool decks, driveways, and patios? Full travertine vs. porcelain vs. concrete comparison with Snell Isle coastal specs, CCCL permits, neighborhood-by-neighborhood recommendations, and 2026 Pinellas County pricing.
A hyperlocal deep-dive into Clearwater landscaping — Island Estates coastal specs, Clearwater Beach barrier island requirements, Pinellas County HOA rules, SWFWMD irrigation compliance, and what the Clearwater market expects from premium outdoor spaces.
A hyperlocal guide to St. Petersburg landscaping — Snell Isle CCCL coastal specs, Old Northeast historic review requirements, Downtown permeable paver rules, Pinellas County HOA guidance, and 2025 pricing for Pinellas County outdoor improvements.
Choosing pool deck pavers in Sarasota? Complete guide to travertine, porcelain, and concrete performance in Sarasota County — with Bird Key salt-air specs, Palmer Ranch HOA requirements, CCCL considerations, and 2026 Sarasota pricing.
Southwest Florida Water Management District irrigation rules explained for Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties — watering days, restricted hours, rain sensor law, and what compliance actually means for your property.
Sarasota County SWFWMD irrigation rules — watering days, restricted hours, rain sensor requirements, HOA overlap at Palmer Ranch and Lakewood Ranch Sarasota villages, and new sod establishment exemptions.
Manatee County SWFWMD irrigation rules — watering days, hours, rain sensor law, Lakewood Ranch CDD ARC documentation overlap, Bradenton enforcement, and new landscape establishment exemptions.
Hillsborough County SWFWMD irrigation rules — Tampa watering days, restricted hours, rain sensor mandate, Westchase HOA overlap, and how to stay compliant across all Hillsborough municipalities.
Pinellas County SWFWMD irrigation rules — Clearwater, St. Pete, and reclaimed water nuances, watering days, restricted hours, rain sensor law, and how PCU enforcement differs from standard SWFWMD schedules.
More Articles
Florida's wet summers and dry winters require intelligent irrigation. Learn about smart controllers, drip systems, and water conservation.
From outdoor living rooms to sustainable xeriscaping, discover the design trends shaping Florida landscapes this year.
Heavy rainfall and flat terrain create drainage challenges. Learn about French drains, grading, and rain gardens that actually work.
Travertine vs. porcelain for your Florida pool deck? These are the two most popular premium choices on the Gulf Coast, and the decision matters. Here's the honest side-by-side for Tampa Bay and Sarasota homeowners.
Lakewood Ranch spans Manatee and Sarasota counties with 30+ villages, each governed by its own HOA ARC. Here's the hyperlocal guide to what's approved, what's not, and what actually thrives in each community.
Siesta Key's world-famous quartz sand beach hides a set of landscaping conditions that trip up most mainland contractors. Here's what actually survives the salt air, sandy soil, and deed restrictions on Siesta Key.
South Tampa, Davis Islands, and Harbour Island represent the highest-spec residential landscaping demand in Hillsborough County. Here's what the market expects and what actually performs at this tier.
Wellen Park is one of the fastest-growing master-planned communities in Florida — and most new homeowners don't realize their builder landscaping barely meets the minimum. Here's what to upgrade first.
Florida's Year-Round Law prohibits certain fertilizers June–September. St. Augustine, Bahia, and Zoysia each have different schedules. Here's the complete fertilizing calendar for Gulf Coast lawns.
The right mulch type, depth, and timing can make or break your plant beds in Florida's wet-dry climate. Here's what Gulf Coast homeowners need to know before their next mulch installation.
The right landscape lighting transforms a Gulf Coast property after dark. Here's how to plan path lighting, architectural uplighting, and pool deck lighting for Florida's outdoor-living season.
Privacy, wind resistance, salt air durability, and HOA approval — Gulf Coast fence design has to solve all four problems at once. Here are the fence styles and materials that actually work across our service area.
