Landscape Design Techniques That Benefit the Environment

Landscaping can be done in a way that doesn’t leave such negative impacts on the environment. Until people make a conscious effort to educate themselves on the many various methods of landscape sustainability, their carbon footprint won’t change.

Environmentally friendly practices will not only benefit your plants and the ecosystem but in time, will also have an impact on your health. Sustainable landscaping is also commonly known as green landscaping or eco-landscaping. This practice involves developing a beautiful landscape while remaining conscious of the environment at the same time. Some important things to consider are the surrounding wildlife, reducing the amount of overall air, water, and soil pollution.

Plants for Sustainable Landscaping

Plants are a vital and important part when it comes to sustainable landscaping. When you get to the point at which you are ready to start planting, you should take a minute and consider throwing native plants into the mix. Sometimes native plants are called “nativars”, and with these plants, they are already adapted to the environment. Choosing native plants specific to your location will reduce the number of toxic substances they will require. In residential areas, native plants are especially useful because of their ability to regenerate ecosystems that have been fragmented.

If you aren’t experienced or educated on native plants, it’s useful to ask an expert what ones to pick. If you’re looking to build a fence in your yard, a living wall is a great alternative that can ensure the wildlife habitat is sustained. It’s also useful to keep the many different uses of trees in mind. For example, if you plant deciduous trees on the southern and western locations of your residence, they give a decent amount of shade in summer and will provide warmth throughout the winter. Using simple methods such as these can lower the costs of energy in your home, and it all adds up after a while.

Plants are extremely valuable because they absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen to the atmosphere. They reduce the chances of erosion from occurring, lower the amount of dust and pollutants created, and also filter water as it travels through soil.

Homeowners can also grow fruits and vegetables at home while keeping in mind the practices of sustainable design. Composting methods can be utilized to effectively get rid of the waste while raising the organic matter throughout the soil. Plants are a great way to improve air quality in your home, and this can increase your overall productivity.

Sustainable Landscaping Ideas

A landscaping technique known as xeriscaping has been used since the early 1980s. Its main focus is on efficiently getting through a drought, but you don’t have to be experiencing a drought in order to practice xeriscaping. The main scope of this method is to lower the need for watering all of the time, and this can help you reduce the ongoing cost of water bills.

One very straightforward method of xeriscaping involves grouping up plants that have similar water requirements to create an organized irrigation system. If some of the grassy areas near your home are more prone to experiencing drought, you can potentially replace them for different kinds of grass that are more resistant to droughts. Some drought-resistant grasses are blue oat grass, yellow pampas grass, and purple fountain grass.

Having an efficient irrigation system is crucial to any type of landscaping plan that you have. Everyone wants to have a nice, fresh, vibrant green hue in their grasses, plants, and trees. Having plants that are yellow or brown will become an eyesore for anyone walking by your home. Using water for plants is a necessity that simply cannot be avoided, but the method can always be done differently. Some people use a regular garden hose to water their plants. If you install a sprinkler system, this will create less work for you and if you have a drip irrigation system, water can be saved.

If you are considering getting exterior lighting in your yard, then consider the solar-powered variants. These will save on your energy bill by gathering power throughout the day from the sun.

Keeping a Sustainable Mind

Always thinking about how you can sustain the environment is important because it ensures accountability. When you are considering moving to a new location, knowing the benefits and downsides of the environment will prove valuable for the future. If a location you are considering is susceptible to fairly strong winds, then this typically means that more water will be required. If a house that you have your eyes on is on an uneven surface, then soil erosion and runoff are most likely to occur.

Knowing these things in advance will help keep you one step ahead of them from happening and you can prepare beforehand with things like protective barriers to prevent future erosion. If you haven’t built a home yet but are purchasing the property to do so, then you can reap the benefits of sunlight if you build it with south-facing windows. This in itself will help lower the energy bills in the colder months of the year.

You don’t always have to keep the landscape only confined within the restrictions of your yard. Thinking outside of the box and installing something like an eco-friendly roof can drastically reduce your monthly energy bills. A green roof also reduces water runoff and is just simply nice to look at the vibrant vegetation when sitting back and relaxing. Noise pollution will be reduced, birds will love it, and the value of your property will be increased.

If you are landscaping a sidewalk in your backyard, then consider reusable materials instead of purchasing from a big box store. Reusable stone is not only durable, but it looks appealing and is very flexible in where the stones can be placed around the yard. Landscaping isn’t something that needs to have such negative impacts on the environment. There is always an environmentally friendly way of doing something that will benefit the only environment that we all call home.

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