Babcock Ranch • Charlotte County
Plant & Shrub Installation in Babcock Ranch, FL
Shrub choices in Babcock Ranch start with a number: the developer's residential standards call for 75 percent of the trees and 75 percent of the shrubs on a lot to be native. That steers most new plantings toward natives such as simpsons stopper, firebush, saw palmetto, coontie, and pigeon plum. Location also matters. Charlotte County's Extension horticulture agent describes cocoplum as better suited to the immediate coast, where water moderates the cold, and notes leaf damage around 28 degrees. Babcock Ranch is inland, so a cocoplum hedge here is a bigger gamble than one in Punta Gorda. Hodges installs each plant at its nursery depth and mulches the ring. Feeding follows the Charlotte County ordinance: no nitrogen or phosphorus from June 1 through September 30, and at least half of the nitrogen slow-release the rest of the year.
or call (239) 301-9455
Where it comes up in Babcock Ranch
The Sanctuary
Webbs Reserve
Crescent Lakes
Tuckers Cove
Plants and materials that suit it in Babcock Ranch
Questions
Do my new plants have to be native?
Most of them. The community's residential standards require that 75 percent of trees and shrubs be native. Non-natives can fill the rest, and the association's architectural review confirms the plan before installation.
Will cocoplum survive a cold snap out here?
It is riskier than on the coast. The Charlotte County Extension agent notes cocoplum leaves can be damaged around 28 degrees and recommends it mainly near the coast. Simpsons stopper is a hardier native hedge choice inland.
Can new shrubs be fertilized in summer?
Not with nitrogen or phosphorus on the Charlotte County side; the county bans both from June 1 through September 30. We plant with water and mulch and feed after the window, using at least half slow-release nitrogen.