Ocean Ridge, Florida · 33435
Estate Landscaping in Ocean Ridge
A barrier-island town just south of the Boynton Inlet, between Manalapan and Briny Breezes, where dune, hammock and lagoon all shape the gardens.
Request a Property AssessmentOcean Ridge sits on the barrier island directly below the South Lake Worth Inlet, the cut most people call the Boynton Inlet, with Manalapan to the north and Briny Breezes to the south. It began in 1931 as a separate Town of Boynton Beach, split from the mainland town over taxes, and took the name Ocean Ridge in 1937. The land runs from the Atlantic dune west to the lagoon, so one short street can move from salt-pruned seagrape to sheltered waterside lawn.
Native coastal forest still survives in town. Ocean Ridge Hammock Park is a county beach park on North Ocean Boulevard, and across the island the 27-acre Ocean Ridge Natural Area on the Lake Worth Lagoon protects maritime hammock and mangrove swamp. Those remnants are a working reference for private gardens nearby. What persists in them, through wind, spray and storm surge, is a fair guide to what will hold up on an exposed lot a few doors away.
The properties
Ocean Ridge splits cleanly in two. Oceanfront homes along A1A carry dune frontage and fall under state coastal construction rules, while houses to the west sit on lagoon and canal frontage, some on islands formed from fill when the inlet and the Intracoastal were dredged. The east side fights salt and sand; the west side deals with seawalls, docks and lawns that stay wetter. A maintenance program written for one side rarely transfers to the other without changes to plants, irrigation and pruning.
On the ground
What landscapes in Ocean Ridge contend with
Seagrape on the dune line
Seagrape recovers from storm breakage and tolerates heavy pruning, even coppicing, according to state dune guidelines, but cutting beyond accepted horticultural practice seaward of the control line counts as damage. Work is sized to the ANSI A300 pruning standard the state references. Any opening in the canopy is checked against house and pool lights first, because the same hedge that blocks a view also blocks light from reaching the nesting beach.
Chinch bugs in west-side St. Augustine
Southern chinch bugs thrive in warm, damp summers and peak around early July, per UF/IFAS, and Floratam St. Augustine has largely lost the resistance it was released with. Damage shows first as yellowing to burnt-brown patches along sidewalks and sun-exposed edges. A flotation test confirms the pest before treatment, and mowing at 3.5 to 4 inches with modest, slow-release nitrogen keeps lawns less inviting to begin with.
Lethal bronzing in cabbage palms
Lethal bronzing, first recorded in Florida in 2006, is caused by a phytoplasma that hits cabbage palms and several date palms hard. It spreads by insects, not by pruning tools or root contact. UF/IFAS recommends removing a palm once it shows symptoms and tests positive, then testing nearby palms and protecting healthy ones with oxytetracycline injections every three to four months for at least two years.
Local rules
What Ocean Ridge requires
Summaries for planning. The linked source is the authority; rules change.
Town sea turtle lighting ordinance
Ocean Ridge regulates beachfront lighting for sea turtle protection in Chapter 66, Section 66-2 of its code, adopted in 1987 and updated in 1993, according to the state wildlife agency's list of local ordinances. Oceanfront landscape, path and pool lighting should be designed with that section in hand and confirmed with the Town before fixtures are installed.
SourceState protection of dune vegetation
Seaward of the state coastal construction control line, no one may damage dunes or the plants growing on them without a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Trimming, shearing and pruning that does not harm native dune plants is exempt, but cutting them down is not. Native dune plants damaged by unauthorized work must be replaced to the Department's approval.
SourceSea oats and seagrape statute
Florida law makes it unlawful to cut, harvest, remove or eradicate sea oats, and extends protection to seagrapes, on public land or on private land without the owner's consent. On an oceanfront lot that means sea oats are left in place during dune work, and any seagrape removal starts with the property owner's written direction and the state permit question.
Source
Services in Ocean Ridge
- Estate Landscape MaintenanceMaintenance for Ocean Ridge properties
- Landscape Design & InstallationDesign for Ocean Ridge properties
- IrrigationIrrigation for Ocean Ridge properties
- Tree & Palm CareTrees & Palms for Ocean Ridge properties
- Outdoor LightingLighting for Ocean Ridge properties
- Sod, Hedges & Privacy ScreeningSod & Hedges for Ocean Ridge properties
- Seasonal ColorSeasonal Color for Ocean Ridge properties
- HOA & Property ManagementHOA for Ocean Ridge properties
Landscaping in Ocean Ridge: questions
Can I cut back seagrape that blocks my ocean view?
Maintenance trimming that follows accepted horticultural practice does not need a state coastal permit, and seagrape tolerates hard pruning well. Cutting dune plants down seaward of the control line does need a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Before any canopy reduction, check which house lights would become visible from the beach and shield them first.
What grows reliably on an oceanfront lot here?
UF/IFAS lists sea oats, muhly grass, beach sunflower, railroad vine, saw palmetto and cabbage palm among salt-tolerant options, and rates seagrape high for aerosol salt. Natives already established on the dune are the safest base. Salt-sensitive ornamentals do better on the west side of the island or in walled courtyards out of the spray.
My cabbage palm is browning from the bottom up. What should happen next?
Have it diagnosed before anything is cut. Lethal bronzing is one possibility, along with nutrient deficiencies that look similar from the ground. If a palm tests positive for lethal bronzing, UF/IFAS recommends removal and a testing and injection program for nearby healthy palms. The disease does not spread on pruning tools, but it does spread by insects.
Nearby estate towns
Sources for this page
- Location below the South Lake Worth (Boynton) Inlet between Manalapan and Briny Breezes; created 1931 as Town of Boynton Beach after a tax dispute; renamed Ocean Ridge 1937; islands formed from dredge fill: en.wikipedia.org
- Ocean Ridge Hammock Park is a county beach park at 6620 North Ocean Boulevard: discover.pbc.gov
- Ocean Ridge Natural Area: 27 acres on Lake Worth Lagoon with maritime hammock and mangrove swamp: discover.pbc.gov
- Ocean Ridge sea turtle lighting ordinance at Chapter 66, Article I, Section 66-2, adopted 1987/1993: myfwc.com
- Dune plant damage seaward of CCCL needs FDEP permit; trimming exempt; seagrape tolerates heavy pruning and coppicing; excessive cutting measured against ANSI A300; damaged native plants must be replaced: floridadep.gov
- Unlawful to cut, harvest, remove or eradicate sea oats; seagrape protection: www.leg.state.fl.us
- Southern chinch bug peaks in warm damp summer; damage along sidewalks and sun-exposed areas; flotation test: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Floratam has largely lost chinch bug resistance; mow standard cultivars at 3.5 to 4 inches: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Lethal bronzing first recorded in Florida 2006; phytoplasma; not spread by pruning tools or root contact; remove positive palms, test and inject neighbors with OTC every 3 to 4 months for at least two years: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Palm Beach County nesting season March 1 through October 31: www.law.ufl.edu
- Salt-tolerant plant list including sea oats, muhly grass, beach sunflower, railroad vine, saw palmetto, cabbage palm: gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
- Seagrape high aerosol salt tolerance: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Property assessment
Request an assessment in Ocean Ridge
- 01Tell us about the propertyTown, property type and what you'd like looked after. Two minutes.
- 02A partner walks the groundsTurf, beds, palms, irrigation and drainage, with you, your manager or staff.
- 03You receive a written programScope, visit schedule and price in writing, before any work begins.
Prefer to talk it through? (561) 319-1104