Independent guide - Fort Myers, Florida

Landscaping and lawn care in Southwest Florida, explained

Independent guide to landscaping and lawn care in Fort Myers, FL. Plain-language guides to design, planting, mowing, mulch, sod, irrigation and storm prep for Southwest Florida yards, and to hiring the right help.

  • Florida-friendly, water-smart choices
  • Lawn care through the dry and rainy seasons
  • What to ask before you hire

The guides

Landscaping and lawn care topics

Design and planting, ongoing lawn care and the details that keep a Southwest Florida yard healthy through the dry season, the rainy season and storm season.

Landscaped Florida home with tropical flower beds and palms

Landscape Design

Landscape design in Fort Myers is the process of planning a yard around its real conditions (su...

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Healthy, well-maintained green lawn at a Fort Myers home

Lawn Maintenance

Lawn maintenance in Fort Myers comes down to four routines: mow St. Augustinegrass at about 3.5...

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Tropical palms and colorful planting beds in a Florida yard

Plantings

To plant shrubs, trees and palms in Fort Myers, set the root ball so the top of the root flare...

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Fresh mulch in a range of natural colors

Mulch

For most Fort Myers beds, spread 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch, keep it pulled back from trunk...

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Freshly installed sod forming a lush green lawn

Sod

Sod installation in Fort Myers comes down to four steps: fix whatever killed the old lawn, prep...

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Florida-friendly palms and shrubs framing a home entrance

Plant Guide

The best plants for Southwest Florida are the ones that cope with heat, sandy and often alkalin...

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Manicured Southwest Florida lawn and landscaping

About

Landscape & Lawn Guide is an independent informational website about landscaping and lawn c...

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Landscaping Guide

11 min read · Updated November 2026 · Independent guide Landscaping in Fort Myers, FL works wh...

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Irrigation Systems

Fort Myers watering restrictions allow lawn irrigation two days a week. Within the City of Fort...

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Palm Tree Care

Palm tree trimming in Fort Myers comes down to one rule: cut only fronds that are fully brown,...

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Hurricane Prep

When Hurricane Ian tore through Lee County on September 28, 2022, it left behind a landscape th...

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Lawn Pests

Chinch bugs are the main insect problem for St. Augustine grass in Fort Myers. They are tiny sa...

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Weed Control

Fort Myers sits in USDA hardiness zone 10a, where frost is rare, soil temperatures rarely drop...

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Grass Types Guide

The best grass for most Fort Myers lawns is St. Augustine: Floratam where the yard gets 6 or mo...

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Pavers & Hardscaping

Fort Myers sits at the western edge of Lee County where Gulf breezes, subtropical heat, and aft...

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Landscape Lighting

Fort Myers evenings are something that residents in colder states never quite believe until the...

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Lawn Diseases

Fort Myers sits in one of the most lawn-stressful climates in the United States. The same heat...

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Privacy Hedges

In Fort Myers, the lots can be tight, the neighbors close, and the traffic on Colonial Boulevar...

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Florida-Friendly

Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) is a University of Florida (UF/IFAS) program built on nine p...

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Seasonal Color

If you moved to Fort Myers from anywhere north of Tampa, there is a good chance your first flow...

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Tropical Landscaping

Fort Myers sits firmly in USDA Hardiness Zone 10a, with coastal neighborhoods along the barrier...

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Pool Landscaping

A swimming pool is standard equipment for a large share of Fort Myers homes. With more than 260...

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Aeration & Dethatching

If you have been mowing, watering, and fertilizing your Fort Myers lawn on schedule but it stil...

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Curb Appeal

Your front yard works every single day, whether you are home or not. In Fort Myers, where the s...

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Tree Trimming

Fort Myers has one of the more distinctive urban tree canopies on Florida's Gulf Coast. Drive M...

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Lawn Fertilization Guide

The Lee County fertilizer ordinance (Ordinance 08-08) bans fertilizer that contains nitrogen or...

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Yard Drainage Solutions

Fort Myers receives between 54 and 60 inches of rain most years - roughly 50 percent more than...

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Hiring help

Three steps before you hire a landscaper

A little preparation makes estimates easier to compare and avoids surprises once the work starts.

  1. 1

    Define the job

    Note sun and shade, drainage, irrigation coverage, HOA rules and your budget, and decide what stays and what goes.

  2. 2

    Compare written estimates

    Ask at least two companies for itemized estimates that list plants, materials, quantities and the maintenance plan.

  3. 3

    Check credentials

    Ask about insurance, local business registration and the state licenses required to apply pesticides or fertilizer for hire.

This is an independent guide to landscaping and lawn care in Fort Myers and Southwest Florida. It explains how to plan a yard that suits the local climate, how to keep a lawn healthy through the dry winter and the wet summer, and what to ask before you hire a landscaper, a lawn service or an irrigation contractor.

Landscaping for the Southwest Florida climate

Yards here face sandy soil, strong sun, high humidity, heavy summer rain and dry winters, plus hurricane season from June through November. The guides start from that reality: the right plant in the right place, watering that follows local rules, and maintenance timed to the seasons. Begin with the complete guide to landscaping in Fort Myers or the overview of Florida-friendly landscaping.

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Start with a topic

Hiring help

If you decide to hire a company, get at least two written, itemized estimates that list plants, materials and quantities, ask about insurance, and check that anyone applying pesticides or fertilizer for hire holds the state license or certification required for that work.

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This site does not provide landscaping services or estimates and is not affiliated with any business that previously used this domain. Read more about this guide.

Manicured Southwest Florida lawn and tropical landscaping at a Fort Myers home

Right plant, right place

Landscapes that suit Southwest Florida

Sandy soil, intense sun, a long dry season and a wet summer shape what thrives here. Choosing plants for each spot and watering by the rules saves money and keeps yards healthy.

Florida-friendly landscaping

Planning a landscape project?

Start with the complete guide to landscaping in Fort Myers, then compare written estimates from insured local companies.

Read the guide

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