Your Essential Guide to Eco-friendly Gardening
More and more of us are taking care to protect the environment, and if you’re eco-conscious, there’s no reason why you can’t take a more mindful approach to your landscaping project.
If you are a keen gardener, then you know just how valuable the natural world is. One of the biggest gardening trends this year is eco-friendly landscapes, and as far as we’re concerned, a shift towards using eco-friendly products and methods within our gardens can only be a good thing!
If you thought that cultivating a beautiful garden while maintaining an environmentally conscious approach wasn’t possible, we’re here to change your mind. Read on for our top five sustainable gardening tips.
Encourage wildlife to visit and stay in your garden
One of the easiest ways to make your garden as eco-friendly as possible is to welcome in the local wildlife. Bee-friendly plants will encourage pollination; bird feeders and boxes will bring lots of feathered friends to your garden; and purpose-built ponds will help you to establish both aquatic and plant life. Be sure to lend a helping hand to hedgehogs too, who will wander from garden to garden through small gaps in fences and walls.
Use rainwater
We all want lush, green lawns and full flower beds, but that means using a lot of water to keep our foliage well-hydrated. Installing a water butt or rain barrel in your garden will allow you to collect water running off from your guttering, as well as rainwater (and we certainly get a lot of that all year round!). Not only will you be using a lot less tap water and making less of an environmental impact, but plants thrive on rainwater, given that it has the perfect pH balance.
Opt for reclaimed materials
Rather than hitting the shops straight away for brand new products, it’s a good idea to see what reclaimed materials could be the right fit for your garden. Reclaimed paving, cobbles, setts and kerbs can all be found in just a few clicks, and they can sometimes be a more affordable alternative. By buying second-hand, you will also be stopping these materials from ending up landfill, which as we all know is becoming something of a concern in the UK.
Solar lights
More and more of us are bringing lighting to our outdoor spaces, but on a larger scale, this additional use of electricity could have a huge environmental impact. So, if you do want to illuminate your garden, opt for solar lights instead. You can get your hands on all kinds of solar-powered lighting these days, from lanterns to hang on the wall to dainty fairy lights that you can weave through plants. They don’t need a huge amount of sunlight to work well, either, so you will be able to enjoy them all year round.
Go for FSC-approved wood
Wood is a material that we use all over our gardens, from decking to furniture. Sourcing locally produced FSC-certified wood products will ensure that you keep your garden eco-friendly for two reasons. Firstly, it doesn’t need to be transported very far, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. Secondly, the FSC certification tells you that it has been sourced from a sustainably managed forest.
Gardening with care pays off
As you can see, creating a sustainable landscape doesn’t need to be difficult. With just a little time and effort, you can create a garden that gives back to the environment around it. You could even save some money too, both in the long and short term. It’s no wonder so many gardeners are changing their outlook in 2019 and favouring a more eco-conscious approach!
This blog is perfect for thoughtful and professional planning of your landscaping. Planning a landscape requires a lot of thinking and ideas to meet the customer’s needs. From making a plan to the process of installing materials like plants, soil, stones, pavers and all of the required supplies comes to consideration. You have laid out all of these tips efficiently. Those who want to start a landscaping project can definitely seek help from this site. Keep providing such useful content.