Sustainable Gardening Practices: Eco-Friendly Landscaping Idea

Do you wonder how you can incorporate sustainable and eco-friendly landscaping into your gardening practices?

Traditional gardening techniques are quickly being replaced with more environmentally-friendly methods such as no-dig and organic gardening. When designing their gardens and planning their annual garden plan, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment.

At The Real Green Gardener, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our practices. In this blog, we share some eco-friendly landscaping ideas.

Native Plants

Planting flowers and bushes native to your local area is a great sustainable practice.

These promote a healthy ecosystem within the area, as they provide homes and food for local wildlife to flourish in.

Additionally, they are well adapted to the local climate, soil, and weather conditions, making them low-maintenance, so they need less water, fertiliser, and pesticides.

Native plants can also help improve your soil structure as they create deep root systems, which helps increase its ability to retain water and reduce erosion and run-off.

Rainwater Harvesting

Harvesting rainfall is another sustainable practice that impacts the environment positively. Rather than relying on fresh water from your hose, collect the water from the sky.

This has a number of environmentally-friendly benefits.

Firstly, you will be conserving freshwater resources, which are becoming more and more scarce in some regions.

Additionally, as rainwater is naturally soft and chemical-free, it can promote healthier soil and plant growth. Tap water often includes chlorine and fluoride from the treatment plant, which will be retained by the soil.

Not only will your plants benefit, but so will your grass and the local area, as you will reduce the amount of water hitting surfaces, preventing surface flooding and erosion on grass and run-off water going into drains and streets.

It can also benefit your purse, as harvesting rainwater can reduce your water bill as you rely less on municipal water.

Permeable Surfaces

One eco-friendly landscaping idea that is becoming more popular is the use of permeable surfaces throughout the garden.

This typically focuses on patio areas or walkways, where pooling of water might occur. Opting for permeable surfaces, such as resin-bound patios or block paving, reduces surface flooding as the water is able to soak through the materials.

This reduces soil erosion and run-off water.

Composting

If you aren't already doing it, we highly recommend you start composting. This eco-friendly landscaping idea has been a practice that many people have embraced over the past few decades, but the positive impact it has is often underappreciated.

Composting uses left-over organic waste from the kitchen and garden and recycles them, diverting them from landfills where they would otherwise contribute to methane emissions – a potent greenhouse gas.

On top of this, compost is incredibly nutrient-rich, meaning it helps improve soil structure, moisture retention, and fertility, which reduces the need for synthetic fertilisers and chemicals.

Wildlife Habitat

Natural or wild gardens are becoming a popular eco-friendly landscape idea because they offer insects and other wildlife a place to thrive.

In doing this, you support biodiversity, enhance pollination and the reproduction of plants, promote a more balanced ecosystem full of natural pest control and reduce the need for chemical pesticides.

Sustainable Materials

A final eco-friendly landscaping idea is to use sustainable materials within your garden.

Using compost is a good first step to doing this.

Other materials will include using recycled aggregates and gravel for any gravel pathways or as a subbase for a patio space.

If building raised plant beds or adding furniture to the garden, consider using reclaimed wood.

Where possible, try to use locally sourced materials, as this will reduce the carbon footprint of your garden as you reduce the transportation and production of new materials.

Let Us Help You

The team at The Real Green Gardener are passionate about gardening and is always looking for innovative ways to combine creating a perfect garden with sustainable, eco-friendly landscaping ideas.

We are dedicated to green practices within our design, landscaping, building and maintenance services.

If you are looking to enhance your garden or simply maintain it while keeping your impact on the environment low, we can help. With a pesticide-free promise and a creative team who are able to incorporate the above eco-friendly landscape ideas and more into your garden design, we can produce your dream garden, all the while promoting a healthy ecosystem and environmentally-friendly space.

Call us today on 01202 722943 or complete our online contact form to discuss your needs.