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Sarasota tips for better landscapes, first of all make sure you have done some home work , such as finding out what your clamate zone is.  If you ae not going to hire a local landscape designer there will be some work you will have to do, before the shovels go in the ground.  After finding your climate zone, which Saraosta is Tropical, make sure to take a soil sample and take one from each side of the yard, most homesites are built up with dirt dug from local retention ponds, this soil could differ greatly in soil components.  After getting soil tested by yur local extension service, this soil test is free by the way, take the time to do asite evaluation, lokking for drainage problems, I cant think of many plants or turf that will do well in standing water, maybe cypress trees and other plants that grow in bogs, after site evaluation, lets put some notes on paper, this is important to take notes and draw your site on paper, Graph paper will make it a lot easier.  Draw your house and property lines,  then draw what you think your plant beds will be, this may change many times as  you  start this project many more ideas of landscaping in Sarasota   will come to you , this is good, its not un usual for a landscape design to take a month, working on it a few hours a day. First plants I suggest are shade trees, plant them in an area they will be able to flourish, not under power lines or next to the house, Royal ponciana, jacaranda trees and many others, will make fine shade trees in Sarasota  .  makke sure to install plants that will need the same care, drought tolerant plants are the best choice, with water restrictions getting tougher every year, this will be the most important decision, install an micro irrigation system which is much easier than most people think, most local home improvement stores carry all the parts needed.  When picking plants dont make the mistake of using all color, tyhis will make your landscape way to busy, instll color in front and deep greens such as sheffalerra, and many plants in the philodendron family have deep rich green color.  after yu have planned all beds and purchased all plants, lay each bed out before planting, take alook at professional landscapes in the area to see if you  plant spacing is correct, many office buildings are professionaly done and can easily be viewed, they will have plants that do well in the area, however make sure to ask you local nursery man for an appointment, view  his entire nursery, al long as you have an appointment he should be fine with helping you, and then try to get him to discount your plant material if you buy with him.  after all is in check irrigation for proper coverage, make sure to install mulch, a two inch cover of mulch will help tremendously with keeping plants from drying out. For more tips on Sarasota landscape design   visit www.stateoftheartlandscaping.com