Serving Sarasota, FL
Plant & palm consultant in Sarasota
Sick palm on Siesta Key? Struggling hedge in Palmer Ranch? I make house calls across Sarasota: a flat $185 for a two-hour visit, diagnosis and written plan included. I also work with the living collections at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on Sarasota Bay, so Sarasota plants are my day job.
Sarasota is really two growing environments
The barrier islands (Siesta Key, Lido, Longboat) are pure sand, constant salt aerosol, and full exposure to whatever the Gulf sends. Mainland Sarasota, from the West of Trail neighborhoods out to Fruitville and Bee Ridge, has slightly better soil, less salt, and more oak canopy shade. The same croton hedge that thrives near Southside Village can burn off in a season two miles west on the Key. Good plant advice here starts with knowing which of these two environments your yard is in, including the in-between zone near the bayfront, where salt reaches further inland than most homeowners expect.
What Sarasota yards are up against
- USDA zone 10a: the 2023 zone-map update moved Sarasota from 9b to 10a, which changes what's safe to plant and explains why some old local planting wisdom now runs a zone cold.
- Alkaline, sandy soil that leaches nutrients, the root cause behind most of the county's yellowing palms and declining sagos.
- Salt air on and near the islands, which quietly limits the plant palette well beyond the beach itself.
- Hurricane exposure: Milton's 2024 landfall near Siesta Key left island and bayfront landscapes with exactly the delayed salt-and-flood decline covered in the post-storm guide.
- Year-round watering restrictions: Sarasota County's assigned-day schedule plus a summer fertilizer ordinance shape when and how you can water and feed.
How a Sarasota visit works
Call or book online, ideally with photos of the plants that worry you. I come to your home, whether that's a downtown condo lanai, a Gulf Gate garden, or a Lakewood Ranch quarter-acre, and we walk everything you want reviewed. Within 48 hours you have a written plan: diagnosis, treatments, replacements suited to your exact salt-and-soil situation, and where to buy them from good Sarasota-area growers.
Sarasota questions
Do you serve Siesta Key, Lido Key and Longboat Key?
Yes, the barrier islands are inside the normal service area with no surcharge. Island landscapes are their own specialty: constant salt spray, pure-sand soil, and the heaviest storm exposure in the county. Plant choices that work fine in Palmer Ranch fail fast on Midnight Pass Road.
What are the watering restrictions in Sarasota?
Sarasota County enforces year-round lawn-watering restrictions on an assigned day-per-week schedule based on your address number, with limits on time-of-day watering. New landscapes get a temporary establishment allowance. Check the county's current schedule for your address, and note that an irrigation assessment builds you a plant-healthy schedule inside those rules.
Can you work with my HOA or condo landscape rules?
Yes. From Palmer Ranch to Lakewood Ranch, most deed-restricted Sarasota communities maintain approved-plant lists and rules about removals. Bring your association's guidelines to the visit and every recommendation will stay inside them.
How fast can you get to a Sarasota home?
Sarasota is about 20 minutes from my Nokomis base, so same-week visits are usually available anywhere from downtown to Fruitville to the Keys. The flat $185 house-call price applies with no travel surcharge.
Sarasota house calls: flat $185
A full 2-hour house call is a flat $185, with diagnosis, treatment plan, and written care guide included. Or start with a $65 virtual consult.