GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Earlier this year, 10 homeowners across 10 Florida counties were chosen to have either their front yard or their back yard “flipped” into a Florida-Friendly paradise.
Now, the hard work of the landscape teams, planners and designers comes together when season two of ‘Flip My Florida Yard’ airs this summer on local PBS stations and later available for streaming on the Discover Florida Channel, which is available through Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku and other streaming services. The Discover Florida Channel also has a downloadable app so you can watch episodes on your phone or tablet.
The Florida-based gardening show travels to yards around the state and gives them the ultimate Florida-Friendly Landscaping makeover all in eight hours. Using the nine principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL), this transformation creates yards that protect and conserve Florida’s natural resources through science-based landscape practices. Each transformation is led by a UF/IFAS Extension agent.
“This show is a great way for Florida residents to learn more about the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ program and how to design, plant and maintain landscapes while protecting Florida’s natural resources,” said Tina McIntyre, UF/IFAS Extension Seminole County Florida-Friendly Landscaping agent who supported a yard makeover this season.
“The nine FFL principles are a holistic way of looking at and managing a landscape, and residents will learn that they can have a profound effect on our environment by following them,” said Tom Wichman, FFL program assistant director.
Each yard makeover is completed while the owners were away visiting a state park. Crawford Entertainment filmed the series in Florida locations with Chad Crawford as the show host and on-air help from UF/IFAS Extension faculty and staff.
“So many homeowners in Florida want an environmentally friendly landscape. They just don’t quite know where to start,” said Chad Crawford, host and series creator of ‘Flip My Florida Yard.’ “My hope is that this series gives residents the tools and inspiration they need to take action.”
FFL, based at UF/IFAS and led by Esen Momol, is a 29-year partnership between UF/IFAS and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which is the sole sponsor of the series.
“We encourage Floridians of all ages to watch the show and implement FFL principles in their landscapes,” Momol said. “UF/IFAS Extension is located in all 67 counties around the state and is ready to help Floridians have more sustainable landscapes.
When Floridians use low-maintenance plants and environmentally sustainable practices in their yards, we all become part of the solution to protect our waterways and ecosystems.”
Further announcements of show air dates can be found on ‘Flip My Florida Yard’ social media pages.
Casting applications to have your landscape flipped to a Florida-Friendly landscape for season 3 of the show are now being accepted thru July 10. You can learn more at: https://www.flipmyfloridayard.com
–Brad Buck, UF/IFAS
