St. Pete Beach couple shares Water Wise landscape
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - In Deborah Rothenberger's yard, you will find a lot of native plants but no grass to mow.
"Why keep a lawn? It's so much work. It's so much expense," said Deborah.
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She and her husband, Dan, have ditched the lawnmower in favor of a water-thrifty landscape. The initial motivation was butterflies.
"How I learned about native plants was when I was teaching kindergarten, because I was teaching children the life cycle of a monarch butterfly. That's what all of our native butterflies are looking for, our native birds are looking for, when we have birds migrate through here, they are looking for our native plants," said Deborah.
They also use a rain barrel.
"Just get the watering can instead of having to turn on a sprinkler system. So, it's a good way to conserve water, and it's almost like having free water here to use," said Deborah.
There's no fertilizer or pesticides.
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"We love the water. We love the sea life and I know that we aren't having an adverse effect on it," said Deborah.
Not only are they proud of what they have created at their home, they are celebrated for it. The decorated stone at their front door is their Water Wise community award from Tampa Bay Water.
"Use minimal amounts of water beyond natural rainfall and are also Florida friendly, meaning they're adapted to this climate, and they help to support wildlife. This landscape looks beautiful and healthy because it can survive in low water conditions," said Amelia Brown with Tampa Bay Water.
"This house is very special because they really follow all the nine principles of Florida-friendly landscaping, which is putting the right plants in the right location and also watering only as needed," said Florida Friendly Landscaping Coordinator Doris Heitzmann. "We feel like it gave us an opportunity, more of an opportunity to talk to people who'd maybe never heard about it before."
And there's savings.
"The irrigation system was transformed or retrofitted from high volume to low volume or drip irrigation, which saves a lot of water," said Heitzmann.
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"We probably cut our irrigation down at least a third or to a quarter of what we used to use, which is very significant," said Dan Rothenberger.
"You aren't having to buy fertilizer. You don't have to buy pesticides," said Deborah.
The Rothenbergers want to show others that the grass can be greener without the grass.
"We thought more people need to know about this, and we looked at it as a way to spread the word to other people about, you can do this. And it's beautiful, and it's just so good for the environment," said Deborah.
If you live in Hillsborough, Pinellas or Pasco counties and you think your landscape could be a Water Wise winner, Tampa Bay Water is taking contestant entries through the end of June.
For more information about entering the Tampa Bay Water Wise contest, https://awards.tampabaywaterwise.org/enter-your-landscape/
For more information about water wise landscapes, https://awards.tampabaywaterwise.org/best-practices/
