When we all do our small part, eco-friendly efforts have a significant impact! If you’re daydreaming about your landscaping plans for the spring, take these ideas into account to make sure that you’re taking care of both your yard and mother nature herself.
Eco-Friendly Landscaping
When it comes to plants, gardens, shrubs, and trees, these are some of the top changes you can make for an eco-friendly landscape.
Fill Your Landscape With Native Varieties
Planting native varieties in your garden have a multitude of benefits. Native plants will support local wildlife and sustain the natural ecosystem of your landscape. It’s a very impactful way to re-nature the earth!
In addition, native plants are hardy to the seasons and can live year-round without taking cold damage, which allows the plants to anchor into the ground and increases the integrity of your soil. You can plant exclusively native plants or mix in your favourite annuals each year. Either way, your landscape and the local wildlife will thank you!
Reduce Your Lawn
Leaving on the sprinkler for hours, mowing the lawn, and adding chemical fertilizer are some of the typical ways to take care of a lawn. While there are options within lawn care that are more eco-friendly, one of the best things you can do for an eco-friendly landscape is to reduce your lawn size altogether!
It will save you a lot of time, money and effort, and it will foster more natural growth in your garden or give you space for a vegetable garden. Let the manicured lawn be a thing of the past and allow nature to take over!
Focus on Your Trees
Trees have a lot to offer your landscaping, including shelter from the heat and the harsh elements. By nurturing trees in your landscape, you can provide homes for many little critters that will play their part in your local ecosystem. Trees can also help regulate temperature and protect your other plants from getting scorched in the summertime!
If you’re not convinced yet, that cooling effect will also help keep your house cool, which leads to lower AC bills. We think the choice is pretty obvious.
Eco-Friendly Hardscaping
Hardscaping includes all of the non-living components of your landscape, such as walkways, patios, etc. Here are our eco-friendly ideas!
Water Conservation Solutions
We know that water is an important factor in sustainability landscaping efforts, but how do you reduce your water use, exactly? One way is to conserve rainwater in barrels! Connect your eavestrough to a barrel that you can use for all of your garden watering throughout the season. Not only will this help save your water bill, but will also make sure your plants get natural water that has cycled through the natural ecosystem.
Another hardscaping solution to preserve water is to use eco-friendly pavers that allow water to drain through them and retaining walls to level your garden. Both solutions allow water to soak into your landscape, rather than running off of solid pavers or down a sloped yard, straight into the city drain.
Northern Lights Only!
Protect the insect populations by reducing the garden lights in your hardscape! Garden lights keep the bugs working overtime through the night which makes them more susceptible to birds and bats. Up to six bugs per night can suffer from an untimely death due to garden lights, and that adds up quickly when you consider how many people have garden lights! If you don’t want to get rid of your lights altogether, consider motion-sensor lights or yellow LEDs, which attract bugs less than traditional lights. This small change makes a massive impact on our pollinators population!
Build with Sustainable Materials
Whether you’re building a patio, a retaining wall, or a box to enclose your compost, there are a few things to consider when choosing materials. Materials with longevity are the best choice for your hardscape, since they will last a long time and not fall apart or rot. Materials like stone and concrete are also safe options, as they won’t leach chemicals into your soil. If you’re building with wood, do some research into sustainable hardwood options.
For decorating your patio, use the same strategy by choosing pieces that are made of recycled material or pieces that are thrifted. Second-hand items can be anything from a stylish patio set from last season that someone is selling online to vintage furniture that you repurpose for a covered patio. The options are endless and will make a big impact by reducing the production of new materials.
If you’re looking for eco-friendly landscaping options nearby, come and visit Mother Nature! We’d love to help you help the earth.