Sandra Marrasfino started digging up the lawn of her Rainbow Springs deed-restricted home as soon as she moved in.

Where the builder had planted St. Augustine grass four years ago, she replaced great swaths with mulch and Florida-friendly, drought resistant vegetation. Hearty shrubs took the place of water-needy hedges. The home's underground irrigation system was shut down and Marrasfino watered only the plants that needed it.

As a result, the 1/3 acre lot she owns with her husband required only a fraction of the water it once did, and butterflies and birds starting showing up.

And after taking several Florida Yards & Neigborhoods classes about native landscaping and saving Florida's water, Marrasfino won the program's Gold Seal Certificate Award.

The couple also garnered her property owners' association's attention, but not the kind she wanted.

The association cautioned the Marrasfino's that they didn't first receive permission for the landscaping changes and had to stop making changes. They could keep changes made so far, however.

Sandra Marrasfino had planned to overhaul more of her yard leading to the front curb, but accepted the truce and agreed to no more changes.

But a new law might end that truce.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law provisions that went into effect this month that allow homeowners to plant Florida-friendly landscaping, regardless of their homeowners' associations' landscaping rules. The new law also prohibits homeowners' associations from trying to limit Florida-friendly landscaping that conflicts with the new law.

Marrasfino has already started sending copies of the new law to neighbors and is getting her shovel ready for some more digging.

Kathleen Patterson, Florida Yards & Neighborhoods coordinator in Marion County, said the landscaping law breaks new ground and gives homeowners an array of landscaping opportunities that let them use less pesticides and fertilizers, and save water.

"This is huge. This is really a big step," Patterson said. "We've been working on this for years."

Patterson offers classes at Marion County Extension offices in Ocala about Florida-friendly landscaping.

The new law also allows homeowners to reduce the amount of turf covering their yard.

While many homeowners' associations require property owners to cover lawns with a minimum of about 75 percent turf, Patterson said she wants homeowners to reduce that to about 50 percent, with the remaining area covered with landscaping beds.

Almost half of residential water is used for water-thirsty grasses like St. Augustine, costing hundreds of gallons per week per home.

Developers say they are still studying the new law before determining its impact.

Lucy Noe of Del Webb development said the deed restricted community has requirements of homeowners to ensure the appearance of the development, but that it was too early to comment on the new law.

Patterson said many homeowners she knows are ready to start converting their yards, or learning how, and that the new law pushes deed restrictions that prevented those changes aside.

"People need to realize they live in Florida and having the perfect lawn is hard to do," Patterson said. "They don't have to have the perfect lawn.

"People want to do the right thing. And this is the right thing to do."

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SEE: Florida-Friendly Landscaping