Island Home Service

06/19/2026

Mulch does more work than people realize. A properly mulched bed holds moisture in the soil, which means less watering and healthier root systems during Florida’s hot, dry stretches. It regulates soil temperature, protecting roots from the swing between scorching afternoons and cooler nights. It suppresses w**d growth before it ever gets started, which saves hours of maintenance over a season. And as organic mulch breaks down, it actually feeds the soil underneath it, improving texture and nutrient content over time.

Beyond the function, it’s also one of the fastest ways to instantly elevate curb appeal — clean, defined beds make an entire property look more cared for, even before anything else changes.

If your beds haven’t been refreshed in a while, now’s a good time to get ahead of it before peak summer heat sets in.

📍 Serving Sanibel, Captiva, Fort Myers, Cape Coral & surrounding SWFL
🌴 Island Home Service

06/16/2026

If you know Estero, you probably recognize this one — Corkscrew Palms Commerce Center, right along Corkscrew Rd. Our tree division, Tree West, just wrapped a property-wide palm trimming job here ahead of hurricane season.

Pre-storm palm trimming isn’t just cosmetic. Removing loose fronds and old seed pods cuts down on flying debris during high winds, reduces strain on the canopy, and lowers the risk of a palm snapping or uprooting altogether. For commercial properties, that means less liability, less post-storm cleanup, and a property that’s ready before the season even starts.

Hurricane season is here — if your property hasn’t had its palms inspected yet, now’s the time. Tree West has an ISA Certified Arborist on staff and works properties across Bonita Springs, Estero, Naples, and Fort Myers.

📍 Corkscrew Palms Commerce Center, Estero FL
🌴 Island Home Service | Tree West

06/12/2026

That photo is from our own Lush Life Gardens property — and that kind of color and health doesn’t happen by accident in a Southwest Florida summer.

One of the biggest things working against SWFL landscapes right now is pest pressure. Most homeowners don’t catch it until the damage is already visible — and by then you’re dealing with dead turf patches, defoliated shrubs, or flowering plants that just won’t perform.

Common culprits we’re seeing right now:

🌿 Chinch bugs — they kill turf in expanding circles and get misread as drought stress
🌿 Whitefly & scale — devastating to ficus, palms, and tropical ornamentals
🌿 Sod webworm — picks up fast after heavy rain events
🌿 Fungal disease — our afternoon storm pattern creates ideal conditions

Our pest control division, Lush Life Pest, runs turf and ornamental programs designed specifically for coastal properties. This isn’t a generic spray schedule — it’s targeted treatment based on what’s actually active on your property and when.

If something in your yard looks off and you can’t figure out why, we’re happy to take a look. Complimentary assessment for homeowners on Sanibel, Captiva, and surrounding SWFL communities.

06/11/2026

🌿 Did You Know?

This stunning plant is called a Cordyline or Ti — and it’s one of the most underused plants in Southwest Florida landscaping.

That bold red and green foliage isn’t a flower. It stays that color year-round, giving your yard constant color without the upkeep of seasonal blooms.

A few things SWFL homeowners love about it:
✅ Thrives in our heat and humidity
✅ Tolerates shade — perfect under palms or along a home’s north side
✅ Drought tolerant once established
✅ Near zero maintenance once it’s in the ground

If your beds are looking a little one-note, Cordyline adds that pop without adding work to your plate.

We install and maintain them all across Sanibel, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Naples. 🌴

📞 239-472-5247 | Island Home Service
🔗 islandhomeservice.com

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

That little guy sunning on the rocks is a green iguana — and if you’re a Southwest Florida homeowner, there’s a good chance you’re already sharing your yard with one. 🦎

Here’s what most people don’t realize until it’s too late: iguanas are voracious plant eaters. If you’re noticing chewed or ragged edges on your leaves, missing blooms, or plants that seem to be disappearing overnight — you may have found your culprit.

Some of their favorite targets in SWFL landscapes:

🌺 Bougainvillea
🌿 Hibiscus
🍃 Nickerbean
🌸 Impatiens & flowering annuals
🌴 Young palm fronds

The damage can look subtle at first — a few chewed leaves here and there — but an established iguana population can work through a well-planted landscape bed surprisingly fast, especially in the warmer months when they’re most active.

The best long-term strategy is a landscape built around plants they tend to avoid — think crotons, thick ornamental grasses, saw palmettos, and native shoreline plantings like you see here. Dense, layered vegetation also discourages burrowing along pond banks and seawalls that can cause real structural damage over time.

If your plants are taking a beating and you can’t figure out why — take a closer look at your rocks, seawall cap, and pond edges. Your answer might just be sunbathing. ☀️

📍 Southwest Florida | Island Home Service
🌿 Landscape Maintenance & Installation
📞 239-472-5247

06/09/2026

This is what a well-designed seasonal color program looks like on a working resort. 🌺

Red and white pentas layered through fresh mulch beds, Ti plants and cordyline adding deep tropical color, oleander blooming along the waterfront, and a healthy pollinator stopping by to approve the work. Every detail intentional, every planting chosen for this climate.

This is an island resort we maintain full-time — and seasonal color is one of the details that separates a property that looks cared for from one that just looks maintained.

Pentas are one of our go-to annuals for Southwest Florida. They thrive in the heat, they love the humidity, they bloom continuously through summer, and they attract pollinators naturally. Red against a white stucco backdrop on a coastal property — it never gets old.

📍 Sanibel Island · Serving SWFL · Naples · Fort Myers · Cape Coral · Bonita Springs

06/08/2026

Sometimes the best thing you can do for a landscape is start fresh. 🌿

This project was all about the foundation. Overgrown beds, old plant material that had run its course, and soil that had never been properly graded. We cleared everything out, regraded the beds, and gave this property a clean slate to work from.

The after speaks for itself — clean edges, fresh soil, structured beds, and room for the remaining specimen plants to actually breathe and be appreciated.

In Southwest Florida, landscapes get away from you fast. Heat, rain season, and aggressive tropical growth can turn a well-intentioned planting into a tangled mess in just a couple of seasons. A proper bed cleanout and regrade is one of the highest-value services we offer — and one of the most overlooked.

📍 Serving Naples · Fort Myers · Cape Coral · Bonita Springs · Sanibel · Captiva

06/04/2026

Before and after — same property, same building, completely different feel.

The first photo shows what this Sanibel property looked like prior to our work — bare, compacted ground with no turf coverage whatsoever. The second shows the finished result after our team came in, properly graded the surface, and installed fresh sod selected specifically for Southwest Florida’s coastal conditions.

A lot of homeowners and property managers underestimate how much a lawn actually does beyond looking good. In our region, turf serves a real functional purpose — it manages stormwater runoff, prevents soil erosion around foundations and walkways, reduces the sand and dust that migrate into living spaces, and helps regulate ground temperature around structures.

Choosing the right grass variety matters just as much as the installation itself. Coastal properties on Sanibel and Captiva deal with salt air, sandy soil, and fluctuating moisture levels that will destroy the wrong turf quickly. We select varieties suited to those specific conditions so the lawn holds up season after season.

If your property is overdue for a sod renovation — whether it is a single-family home, a condo community, or a commercial property — we are happy to come take a look and put together a plan.

📞 239-472-5247 | IslandHomeService.com