The old buzzword was xeriscape. The new is Florida Friendly Yard. Or, Naturescape. The words buzz loudly every time there's a drought here, but they should be making a racket all the time.

A Florida Friendly Yard means landscaping that that minimizes supplemental irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides. It is a haven for such critters as butterflies, bees, birds and children. Such a yard is easy on the environment, reducing pollution and runoff, and welcoming wildlife.

Given our strained water supplies, the Florida Friendly Yard needs wider acceptance all the time.

Here are some basic concepts:

• Plan your landscape. Although you may think we have no topography, we do have high and low areas, albeit modestly so. Note where water stands after rain, where grass wilts quickly.

• Draw up a plan. It's wise to begin with trees, since they take the longest to grow. Then proceed to shrubs and ground covers. Give considerable thought to the front yard, which probably is the visible public area. It typically receives the most care and the most water, says the South Florida Water Management District.

• Be smart: Let plants reduce your air conditioning bill. Plan the location of trees and shrubs to funnel wind into your windows, shade the south and west walls, shade but not smother your air conditioners.

• Get a soil analysis. You are likely to have rocky or sandy soils that are alkaline. But there are pockets of acid sand in South Florida. Find out; it will influence what plants you can grow.

• Select the right plants. Willy-nilly plant collecting is liable to put water-thrifty plants with water-hogs, and then you're in an irrigation pickle. Put plants with the same water needs together. Keep the water lushes in pots, or kick them out.

Remember to use small trees near power lines; plant canopy trees so their mature branches will be 10 feet from the roof.

• Use grass with restraint. This is the biggest water hog in your landscape.

''Plan practical turf areas where turf is most functional in the landscape plan, such as where children or pets will play,'' says the SFWMD's booklet Waterwise, South Florida Landscapes.

• Irrigate efficiently. Don't waste water on plants that don't need it, such as established trees and shrubs, especially if they're native.

While most mature trees don't need supplemental irrigation, fruit trees are the exception when they're bearing fruit.

Use the appropriate heads and nozzles for each area. Micro-irrigation heads and drip systems can reduce water use by 50 percent.

• Mulch. Use two to four inches of mulch around trees and shrubs, keeping the mulch away from the trunks.

• Do your yard work. Weeds steal water and nutrients so pull them. (Have a heart when it comes to Spanish needle and green shrimp plant; they're good for butterflies.)

• Maintain your irrigation system. Is the rain sensor working? Are the pipes leaking? Do the rotary heads send too much water onto the street?

• Watch for pests and diseases. It's more eco-friendly to squirt away a few aphids when you first notice them than to use chemicals after they've become an infestation.

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