A Guide to Eco-Friendly Landscaping

Sustainable landscaping is taking off right now, as today’s generation of homeowners is more environmentally conscious than their predecessors.

While it involves a certain degree of land modification, a landscaping project can be an eco-friendly endeavor so long as you have the right tools and expertise for it. This guide will give you a few tips on how to accomplish a green landscaping project.

1. Invest in an effective irrigation system

Having an irrigation system does more than maintain the lushness of your grass and other vegetation. It also enriches the soil quality and protects your lawn from periods of drought. However, irrigation systems may use more water than necessary, so you may want to install programmable sprinklers. You can schedule these to turn on at certain times of the day. In addition, you can also include a system for gathering wastewater or rainwater you can reuse on your lawn.

2. Install solar-powered lighting

If you want to add lanterns and lamps to your front lawn or backyard garden, you should use light fixtures that run on solar power. These come with solar panels so they can illuminate your garden overnight. Plus, it won’t take you too much time to look for solar-powered lighting. Once you have found the best ones for your landscaping, these lights can help reduce your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.

3. Use local plants

When it comes to starting a garden, you wouldn’t want to plant non-native vegetation. Certain trees and shrubs that grow in colder regions might not survive native pests, diseases, and the local climate. Apart from that, non-native plants also accelerate carbon cycling since they tend to decompose faster. To be safe, it would be better to select local plants. Not only are they acclimated to the native environment but these plants are also immune to diseases and pests.

4. Be careful with excavations

If you are handling a major landscaping project, then there’s always a need for excavation. However, digging the ground can leave the soil prone to erosion and expose underground water to contamination. Before starting your landscaping project, do a site assessment first and check such factors as soil quality. You may also need to tap contractors that can help transport the excavated soil to designated landfills. Consider renting out a skip bin. For this, choose a company that offers fast delivery to your home.

5. Reuse fixtures as landscaping features

Do you have old or damaged furniture and appliances you are thinking of throwing away? You might as well repurpose these into lawn chairs, pots, and other materials that will complete your landscaping setup. That way, you can avoid buying new items and, more importantly, add new life to non-biodegradable materials such as plastic, rubber, and metal. You just need to search online for sustainable DIY guides.

Your landscaping project shouldn’t harm the environment. While it involves altering the ground where your house sits on, there are many more ways to keep the damage to a minimum. The list above is a good start.