Many homeowners are becoming increasingly conscious about environmental issues and want to create eco-friendly gardens and yards. An environmentally friendly landscape helps preserve natural environments while decreasing water usage and the need for chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides – adding value to homes in the process!
An eco-friendly landscape includes using native plants and trees, water conservation measures, natural methods for insect control and weed management as well as earth berming or bio-swales to slow, spread or divert runoff water away from areas that receive it. Not only will using such methods be great for the environment but they will save money on utilities while decreasing maintenance costs as well.
When creating an eco-friendly landscape, choosing plants and trees that are native to your climate is paramount to its success. This ensures they thrive with your soil conditions as well as weather fluctuations more effectively. Furthermore, testing and amending soil prior to planting ensures it contains optimal levels of nutrients.
Other eco-friendly ways of maintaining your yard include using a drip irrigation system which directly supplies water to plant roots, thus reducing evaporation and conserving water. Organic mulch such as wood chips or shredded bark also help retain moisture by limiting evaporation while moderating soil temperature, while creating a landscaping layout with hydro zoning in mind will optimize irrigation efficiency while avoiding either over or underwatering.
A xeriscape can also help reduce water usage. By forgoing grass and other high-water-using plants, more space can be made for low-water-use ground cover such as permeable paving materials that allow water to seep through rather than run off into stormwater drainage systems and create polluted runoff.
Add various types of plantings to your landscape in order to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, helping control local insect populations by natural means. It’s also smart to provide habitat for animals in your yard such as bird feeders and bat houses – this will encourage local wildlife to call your yard home while simultaneously decreasing mosquitoes and other pesky bugs that could pose risks to human health.
Green landscaping is more than a passing trend – it can help both you and the environment! Planting native species such as trees in a landscape will be more eco-friendly than using lawn fertilizers and pesticides on it, while hardscaping materials like stone pavers or gravel pathways help prevent soil erosion while delineating different areas of your garden more visually. Furthermore, installing rain gardens or swales could reduce runoff while improving soil quality significantly.