Eco-Friendly Landscape Considerations

Landscape
Tacoma Landscapings

Greenscaping is part of a larger shift toward more environmentally friendly, low-impact living that is gaining traction among homeowners in the United States for their landscapes. Here are a few tips to help make a little greener your yard.

Eco-Friendly Ideas

Waste Not Want Not: 

Everybody wants to see their lawn and garden lush and green, but the American lawn needs a lot of water to do well. Consider substituting some of your greedy grasses with drought-resistant plants to reduce water bills and watering time. Usually, Americans overwater their lawns, wasting millions of dollars and gallons of water every year. Using organic methods to reduce the need for irrigation and artificial fertilizers, such as installing bark mulches or recycling grass clippings into the lawn. Greenscaping encourages soil that is safe. To promote natural growth and greening, put on a good set of garden gloves, grab some tools, and aerate the dirt around your plants.

Healthy Dirt Grows Healthy Plants: 

Choose native plants for your area that are already acclimatized so they can grow with less effort. Do a soil test to analyze your lawn and garden’s health chemically so that you can identify which nutrients to return to the soil. Dousing your yard with chemicals from home and garden shop is not just wasting your money and damaging the environment— it’s actually ruining your soil over time. Practice composting with the nutrients and microbial life forms that are lacking to help revitalize the soil. Increasing your yard’s biodiversity with plants supporting pollinators such as butterflies, bees and birds. Your yard is a tiny ecosystem, and the more resilient it is to damage, the better and more inclusive it is.

Add quality and productivity: 

To grow some of our food at home is one way we can all live more sustainably. Designating a portion of your yard as a food garden will help your family eat better and save money, while at the same time reducing the production of greenhouse gasses generated by moving food from the countryside to our cities and suburban areas. Foods lose phytonutrients with age, so the more fruits and veggies you get out of them, the fresher they get. You will also know how safe they have been developed and how free they are from harmful pesticides. Wherever possible, use locally adapted heirloom seeds to increase yields and benefit most from nutrient value and deliciousness.

Landscape
Tacoma Landscapings

Think Outside The Nursery: 

Xeriscaping is one hot trend in ecological landscaping, encouraging a landscape style with minimal watering. This is commonly done by cactus gardens in the drought-prone areas of the American southwest. But in the South, to integrate natural water sources, it can make use of a variety of natural plants that are adapted to the region and carefully constructed irrigation. It also highlights architectural elements such as zen gardens, stone shows, and colorful mulches. Consider adding to the natural environment hardscape elements such as paths and seating.

Greenscaping is part of a broader trend to live a safer, more prosperous, more environmentally conscious life. We can start by making better, more natural choices in our own backyards. You may adopt a plan to create a healthier environment, either starting from scratch or updating your existing Landscape. Build deliberately and with an eye to usability. Choose local plants and focus on traditional, natural fertilizer and pest control approaches. Conserve water and use passive solar energy to light outdoors. Responsible practices in landscaping will save time and money— and help care for the environment.  If you need assistance with your Landscape Design to feel free to consult with Tacoma Landscapings for your next project.