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• High and mighty: Tree houses give kids of all ages powerful perspective on life below
• Homegrown: Into every garden a few worms will creep, so get ready for them
• Spikey spirits: Bromeliads come in all colors, all sizes and will work for just a little water

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We’ve heard that xeriscaping doesn’t have to amount to a big fat zero in terms of the landscape, but how does it work in real life? Three local gardens — each with its own distinct personality show how it can be done:

Fiery front yard

The front yard of Vicki and Jeff Sell’s Isles of Capri home features a St. Augustine lawn framed by thickly-mulched beds of water-thrifty plants. The landscape, professionally installed and designed by Don Kuhn of Squares Landscaping & Nursery, includes a sprinkler system that delivers the correct amount of water to each garden zone.

The landscape makes strong use of color. The delicate flowers of the ground cover Blue Daze (Evolvulus glomeratus) are complemented by the bold bright orange leaves of the sun-loving bromeliad Aechmea blanchetiana. Bird of paradise blooms will pick up on the orange theme. The fiery red flowers of the finely-textured firecracker plant (Russelia) find a muted echo in the new growth of cocoplum and the epiphytic Neoregelia “fireball.”

Across the driveway, more firecracker plant and Jatropha continue the theme. A “Japanese blueberry tree,” (Elaeocarpus decipiens) with leaves that turn red before falling, adds a nice touch. Filling out the water-wise border are coonties (Zamia), the cycad “Cardboard Palm,” a dwarf variety of Fakahatchee Grass called “Hafahatchee” (Tripsacum floridanum), Simpson Stoppers, Asiatic jasmine, and Christmas and thatch palms. Apart from the lawn, the one concession to water-guzzling is a seasonal bed of bright white and magenta impatiens.

Narrow strips of lawn are difficult to maintain, so the Sells and their designer opted to go with pavers and mulched borders of cocoplum, asiatic jasmine, and green island ficus alongside the house. The southwest facing backyard has no grass at all.

Its steep slope to the canal has been broken by a terrace of interlocking pavers on the upper level, and crushed shell along the seawall. Drought-tolerant firebush, foxtail palm, low-growing Schilling’s holly (Ilex vomitoria cv. Schilling’s) and more Hafahatchee grass anchor one corner, while Chinese fan palms balance the other.

Bright yellow-and-green dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis) covers much of the shell. The overall effect of front, sides and back is one of casual formality. While the lawn does consume water, the surrounding vegetation is very drought-hardy, making a workable compromise.

Drought-hardy English garden

A xeriscaped English garden sounds like a contradiction in terms, but when Sue and Lee Oldershaw moved to their home on Marco Island, Sue deliberately set about creating just that. Starting in the back yard, she gradually replaced grass with landscaped beds, ground covers, and mulched walkways. She emphasizes that it has been a process of trial and error, and that she enjoys experimenting with new plants and combinations.

“Some people say my garden is overgrown,” Sue Oldershaw muses, but she likes the feeling of privacy created by the exuberant growth.

There is something in bloom every season in this garden, from ground covers to flowering vines. Oldershaw likes to mass plants to amplify the impact of color. Weeping lantana and bougainvillea flower all winter, while allemanda takes over for summer. Yellow alder (Turnera) blooms in flushes throughout the year, as do African bush daisies, periwinkles, ruellia, thryalis and firebush, among others. Crown of thorns is extremely drought and sun tolerant, and provides nonstop color Interesting textures abound.

The felty leaves of Texas sage (Leucophyllum) and the native necklace pod (Sophora tomentosa) function as cooling accents. In the back yard, 3- to 4-foot-tall crinums, impressive even out of bloom, stand out like garden sculptures. They produce striking white flowers all summer long, and are are balanced across a walkway by spider lilies (Hymenocalis) and native swamp lilies (Crinum americanum). Naturally water-loving, these two natives still do fine in a drier situation. A bed of bright orange amaryllis, blooming late this year, lights up the scene.

It may seem that this densely-planted landscape is a maintenance nightmare, but Sue avers that the opposite is true. She has replaced all the grass in her yard save the area in the swale, which she preserves to conform with other houses on the street. Her mulching and close planting virtually eliminate weed problems.

She does have to prune the vines in summer, but slower growth in cooler weather makes her job easier. She runs the sprinkler system once a week, and uses minimal amounts of fertilizer and pesticide, and then only when needed. Many plants require neither, she says. Oldershaw adds she is ever mindful of the fact that “on Marco you’re gardening on an island of sand,” and chooses her plants accordingly.

No extra water needed

Appropriateness of plant material is also Ed Colby’s mantra. This landscape designer has at least 50 years of experience from New England to South Florida.

“Gardening is a process of trial and error,” he says. “You’re not going to be successful with everything, even if you’re a pro. Each site, even in one area, is going to be different.” His philosophy is simple. “If it works, repeat it. If it doesn’t, eliminate it.”

What has worked spectacularly at his former home on Isles of Capri is bromeliads — masses of them. They unite the other elements, which include at least 10 species of palms, native plants, aloes, bougainvillea, philodendron, frangipani, bird of paradise and more.

The result is a garden so multilayered, textured and colored that it takes a while to notice that there is no grass. It is hard to believe, but this car-stopping landscape is not irrigated at all. Never has been.

The garden, with its formal walled courtyards on one side, balanced by dynamic “rivers” of rock and crushed shell flowing around islands of foliage on the other, creates a feeling of structured extravagance.

Inside the garden itself the eye is entranced by nearby detail at the same time it is tantalized by hints of what lies around the next curve or beyond the garden gate. A spectacular mound of Portea petropolitana var. extensa is impressive even out of bloom. In full sun the leaves of this large clumping bromeliad are striking yellow-green, and its spectacular pink and purple flower spikes are showy for weeks.

It is backed by the cool deep green of philodendron and the hot magenta of blooming bougainvillea. Colby points out that it is critical to know the sun and shade requirements of bromeliads. He cautions that the “big box” retailers tend to carry more shade-loving than sun-tolerant varieties, and that it takes a little leg work to find the latter.

Beyond the gate a courtyard with bench makes a perfect place for quiet sitting. An old jasmine is limbed up to feature its gnarled stems, while its foliage overarches the wall. A grouping of palms provides dappled shade.

Mixed plantings follow the wall of the house and entry into the raised lanai. A bed thickly planted with bird of paradise, aloes and more bromeliads, beckons you to see what lies around the corner. Apart from the great variety of bromeliad species, varying textures such as the peeling bark of crepe myrtle or the felty frond bases of a spectacular blue latan palm (Latania loddigesii) keep interest high.

The constant interplay of sunlight and shadow makes this garden a magical place.

These three gardens show that imagination, not water, is the limiting factor in creating a “Florida-friendly” landscape.

Where to get them

Most of the plants mentioned in this article can be found at independent local nurseries and garden centers; several of them may also be found at big-box garden centers. Call the retailer you prefer and ask. Five plants may not be found at many local retailers, however. Here are sources for them:

Dwarf Fakahatchee Grass “Hafahatchee“ -- (Tripsacum floridanum), through Squares Landscaping & Nursery, Naples; 774-1907 or see www.squareslandscaping.com

Japanese Blueberry Tree -- (Elaeocarpus decipiens) In both full-size (20 to 30 feet) and dwarf (10 to 15 feet tall) though Monrovia distributors; see www.monrovia.com 

Dune sunflower, Dwarf Schilling’s Holly and Necklace Pod (-- (Helianthus debilis, Ilex vomitoria cv. Schilling’s and Sophora tomentosa) All-Native Garden Center and Plant Nursery, Fort Myers; call (239) 939-9663 or visit www.nolawn.com