You want to create a zen space at home with a green twist. Where and how do you start? Eco-friendly initiatives are now expanding to landscaping.
If you want to do one more thing for the environment — aside from supporting sustainable companies and reducing your household’s plastic use — green landscaping can be your next project to help the planet.
All the merits of adopting this design and construction method point to environmental conservation. Now that climate change is worsening, going the extra mile for the Earth can help make a positive difference.
Here are six ways to integrate green landscaping techniques this spring.
1. Choose Native Plants
Like how locally sourced fresh produce is more eco-friendly, plants closer to home are ideally the best option to promote green landscaping.
Native plants are the most compatible with regional temperatures and environmental conditions, minimizing the need for fertilizers and pesticides to give them ideal growing conditions. They get stronger and healthier even if you don’t always care for them.
They need less water to maintain for the long term, translating to savings on your part. Above all, they create a habitat for birds and pollinators in your backyard, allowing them to help the environment in their own ways.
2. Install Erosion Control
Erosion contributes to many environmental concerns, such as sedimentation in nearby rivers and water pollution. Installing erosion control has benefits, whether your area is sloped or not.
You can preserve the soil integrity in your location, prevent the pollutants that come with the sediments when they wash away in runoff, and maintain the habitat of worms and other species living in your ground.
People instantly think of ugly silt fencing or piled sandbags. However, there are more creative and aesthetic ways to do green landscaping, such as through rain gardens, dry creek beds and French drains.
Prioritize erosion control the next time you plan a landscape project.
3. Consider Xeriscaping
Most states have a response plan to conserve water during droughts. Swimming pools will have limitations, and some homes can only use water outdoors at a specific time.
Drought is one of the worst times for plants because they rely on water to stay healthy. However, there’s a way to survive and maintain a beautiful garden — through xeriscaping.
This type of landscape features drought-tolerant plants, permeable hardscapes, mulch and sand. Its most significant benefit is cutting down the resources needed to maintain the landscape. It reduces water use by up to 75%, making it environmentally friendly.
4. Use Electric Equipment
Is your property naturally surrounded by tall trees like sycamore, tulip trees and white pines? An excellent strategy to incorporate green landscaping is using eco-friendly tools like a hybrid or electric tracked lift rather than traditional gas-powered chainsaws.
An electric tracked lift does tree care with fewer carbon emissions than diesel-powered equipment. In addition, some models have rubber tracks that operate smoothly on the ground, leaving minimal disruption to nearby environments and allowing you to preserve the surrounding habitat. Choose a company with sustainable tools if you need to prune tall trees.
5. Test Soil Quality
One mistake most people make when landscaping is to fertilize the soil with various chemicals, which sometimes leads to pollution. This move may be unnecessary if the ground quality is OK, so check the soil status first to determine if it has a high pH level or contains heavy metals.
You can use vinegar, baking soda, distilled water and gardening tools to test the acidity or alkalinity level of the soil. You can get testing kits at home improvement stores to check for heavy metals like lead. Send samples to a laboratory if you want a comprehensive assessment. You may not need to add chemicals and cause pollution if the backyard has good soil.
6. Turn Waste Into Compost
Besides twigs or leaves, you can also bury kitchen waste and food scraps. Composting converts biodegradable household waste into a loam your plants will be happy to grow roots in. Here’s how to create one at home.
A compost pile is a mixture of “greens” like fruit peels, grass clippings and coffee grounds and “browns” such as dry leaves, plant stalks and shredded paper.
- Collect and store the greens and browns.
- Find a good place for your compost pile in the backyard. It should be near a water source.
- Chop the materials so they break down quickly.
- Build the compost pile. Mix two to three times the volume of browns to that of greens.
- Maintain the pile. Water or add more materials if necessary.
- Use the finished compost.
Compost piles are a natural way to bring nutrients to the soil. They also cost nothing, so you can skip expensive chemical fertilizers.
Practice Green Landscaping to Support the Environment
Green landscaping techniques can make your home sustainable. Following these suggestions helps slow climate change. It’s also cheaper since you’ll need less water and energy and no chemicals to maintain your garden. Additionally, you provide a natural habitat for organisms like insects and pollinators in your local ecosystem.
Plants serve as natural air filters, so adding native shrubs or trees helps reduce air pollution — all while creating a green, relaxing space at home.
