Landscaping in Punta Gorda, Florida

What Punta Gorda properties need

Punta Gorda is a waterfront town, and waterfront properties have particular landscape problems: salt in the air, wind off Charlotte Harbor, and the fact that half the property is seen from the water rather than from the street. Landscape lighting and hardscape both have to be planned for a canal-side view as well as a curb-side one.

In Punta Gorda Isles the lots are canal-front and tightly spaced, which puts a premium on screening, on planting that holds up to salt and wind, and on lighting that lifts a property without spilling into the neighbour's lanai. Around Burnt Store and the newer communities the lots run larger, and the question is usually one of scale — specimen palms and defined bed lines that give a big open property some structure.

In the historic district, the older homes and mature canopy call for a lighter touch: uplighting into established oaks, restrained bed shapes, and hardscape in materials that sit with the architecture instead of competing with it.