Florida-Friendly Landscaping in Sebastian, Florida

In Sebastian, Florida-Friendly Landscaping means a yard built on nine UF/IFAS principles that save water and keep fertilizer and runoff out of the Indian River Lagoon, a set the City of Sebastian Natural Resources Board adopts on its Florida Landscaping page.

The term has a legal definition that applies in Sebastian as everywhere in the state. Florida Statutes section 373.185 describes Florida-friendly landscaping as quality landscapes that conserve water, protect the environment, are adaptable to local conditions, and are drought tolerant (Florida Senate, s. 373.185). The same section lists the principles in law: right plant in the right place, efficient watering, appropriate fertilization, mulching, attraction of wildlife, responsible pest management, recycling yard waste, reduction of stormwater runoff and waterfront protection.

The teaching side belongs to the University of Florida. The UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program is supported and sponsored in part by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Indian River County Extension office delivers it locally. City Hall picks up the thread through its Natural Resources Board, which says supporting landscaping that promotes a healthy, native ecosystem is an essential part of the Sustainable Sebastian Initiative (City of Sebastian).

Sebastian City Council backed that program by resolution. The board page states that the Sustainable Sebastian Program was supported through the adoption of Resolution R-19-30 and that its tasks are championed by board members (Natural Resources Board). The board has 7 members and 2 alternates and meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street.

State law also protects the choice. Under s. 373.185, a deed restriction or covenant may not prohibit any property owner from implementing Florida-friendly landscaping, and a local government ordinance may not do so either (Florida Senate). That applies to every lot in the Sebastian Highlands and along Indian River Drive.

The nine principles run from plant choice to waterfront protection, and in Sebastian several of them carry hard numbers: watering days set by the city, a June to September fertilizer ban and a ten foot setback from the Indian River Lagoon shoreline.

Plant choice comes first. The Right Plant, Right Place page says to select plants and turfgrass that match a site's soil, light, water and climate, and that once established they need minimal supplemental water, fertilizer or pesticides. On the sandy lots of the Sebastian Highlands that is the difference between a bed that survives the dry spring and one that needs daily water.

Water and mulch work together in a Sebastian bed. The Water Efficiently page says a rain shutoff device should be installed and maintained to prevent irrigation after a rain event. The Mulch page calls for a 2 to 3 inch layer on plant beds and at least 2 inches of space around tree trunks to prevent rot, and states that the program does not recommend cypress mulch because it may not be harvested sustainably. Mulch and other grow supplies are listed among the garden supplies on Digital Towns Market.

Rain is the bigger force on Sebastian yards. The Reduce Stormwater Runoff page notes that Florida receives almost 50 inches of rainfall each year and recommends shallow rain gardens, berms and swales so water soaks in. The Protect the Waterfront page adds a minimum 10 foot low-maintenance zone beside any water body, with no mowing, fertilizing or pesticides inside it.

Two Florida-Friendly principles are enforceable law in Sebastian: watering is limited to two set days a week by city ordinance, and fertilizer is restricted by the City of Sebastian ordinance and, in unincorporated areas, by Indian River County Ordinance No. 2013-012.

The watering rules came from the water management district. The City of Sebastian adopted an amended water restriction ordinance to comply with St. Johns River Water Management District regulations (City of Sebastian Watering Restrictions). Landscape irrigation at odd-numbered addresses may only occur on Wednesday and Saturday, and at even-numbered addresses or properties with no address only on Thursday and Sunday, never between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. City Council can tighten the schedule by resolution declaring an emergency.

The county fertilizer rules date to Aug. 20, 2013, when the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners approved Fertilizer and Landscape Management Ordinance No. 2013-012, later amended by No. 2013-014 (Indian River County Stormwater Division). Fertilizer cannot be applied between June 1 and September 30, to saturated soils, or when a flood, tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is in effect for any part of the county. Fertilizer may not be applied within ten feet of any wetland or water body or from the top of a seawall, and beginning June 1, 2014, nitrogen fertilizer had to contain at least 50% slow release nitrogen.

The county page states that these regulations apply in the unincorporated areas of Indian River County. Inside Sebastian city limits, the city lists its own City Fertilizer Ordinance and a list of ordinance-compliant fertilizers on its Florida Landscaping page. The county rules also keep grass clippings, vegetative material and debris out of stormwater drains, ditches, water bodies, sidewalks and roadways, the same practice the Recycle Yard Waste principle asks for. Hired crews need credentials: county rules require commercial fertilizer applicators to complete a six-hour Green Industries best management practices course, and the Fertilize Appropriately page says commercial applicators must hold the Limited Urban Commercial Fertilizer Applicator Certificate from FDACS.

Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the City of Sebastian website and the Indian River County website.

Sebastian residents get free Florida-Friendly advice from UF/IFAS Master Gardener volunteers at the North Indian River County Library plant clinic, 1001 Sebastian Blvd. (CR 512), on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The clinic is the local outpost of UF/IFAS Extension Indian River County. The IRC Master Gardener Program page lists the Sebastian clinic at the North IRC Library and a second clinic at the Vero Beach Extension office, 7961 58th Avenue, open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Volunteers answer gardening, lawn, insect and fertilizer questions, perform soil pH tests, identify plants and insects, and advise homeowners on landscape plant choices.

Testing comes before feeding. The Environmental Horticulture program offers free residential soil pH testing for Indian River County residents, and its stated goal is to teach proper landscape plant selection and maintenance. That matches the Fertilize Appropriately principle, which says to determine whether fertilizer is really needed before applying any.

Residents of Sebastian can also join the volunteer corps. Florida Master Gardeners are trained volunteers of the University of Florida, and the Indian River County training runs two mornings a week for ten to twelve weeks, from April to June, with minimum yearly volunteer hours and annual continuing education required (UF/IFAS Extension Indian River County). An application, interview, background check and training fee apply.

For native trees, the City of Sebastian Florida Landscaping page points residents to the Pelican Island Audubon Society, whose Trees for Life and Plants for Birds programs offer discounted native plants and free live oak trees to local residents.

The program has a stated target. The Pelican Island Audubon Society mission is to plant 100,000 native trees to transform the land and save the Indian River Lagoon and its waters. Its native plant nursery is open Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

The society publishes its running count. As of October 9, 2026, it reported 10,445 trees distributed in Indian River County and 15,156 in total, led by 3,916 southern live oaks and 3,195 bald cypress in the county, and 36,929 native plants distributed overall. Those species suit the Right Plant, Right Place principle on Sebastian lots, with live oak for dry upland yards and bald cypress for wet ground near the St. Sebastian River.

Native shrubs and trees for Sebastian yards also appear in the trees and shrubs collection on Digital Towns Market. Digital Towns Market is our marketplace. The city page also links the UF/IFAS assessment of non-native plants, so invasive species can be identified and removed before any new planting goes in.