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Being a Sustainable Gardener – It’s an EASY Choice!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Identifying ways to make your home landscaping sustainable doesn’t happen by itself. It is your choice! With all the buzz about “sustainability” landscaping and gardening, how does one actually take the plunge and get started? Making the choice is your first step!
By taking advantage of Mother Nature’s beauty and her natural surroundings, it is really quite easy. A sustainable garden provides real benefits - less yard maintenance, less maintenance time, and less maintenance costs for the homeowner. Get the picture? Yet, the rewarding bonus of Mother Nature’s unique everlasting beauty right in your own front yard is awesome. It is a great alternative to the water-thirsty grass that so many of us homeowners have become a slave to. Once they are established, sustainable gardens require very little effort on the part of the homeowner. Given a chance to be a garden slave or a garden admirer, I’d take the enjoyment of the garden any day!
In this day when every precious water drop counts, we need to rethink that old traditional “American Dream Home” concept showcasing green velvety yards and consider applying sustainability principles to our home gardens. What are the sustainability principles that we should consider with our home yards:
- Landscape locally;
- Landscape for less to the landfill;
- Nuture the soil;
- Conserve water;
- Conserve energy;
- Protect water and air quality; and
- Create and protect wildlife habitat (this author’s favorite!).
(Adapted from the River-Friendly Landscaping “menus of best practices”)
It is true that we should consider changing our “mindset” from those of our forefathers’ traditional “American Dream Home” with a large green velvety yard and white picket fence concept. Today, sustainable gardening offers homeowners a new and unique dimension. But guaranteed - the new lavish beauty of your sustainable garden will be so much more breathtaking and interesting!
Now, that you’ve made the decision, let’s get started. Get your favorite drink, comfy chair, and go sit out in your yard and just merely observe! Think about your yard and consider these questions, (adapted from Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, by Owen E. Dell)
- How big is your lawn?
- What materials are available on your site that you could reuse and recycle?
- Where does the water flow to?
- How could I cut down on maintenance and yard waste?
- How is the climate in and around your home?
In next month’s article, we’ll discuss simple strategies you can use to set up a “water-thrifty” landscape! Until then, stay tuned and happy gardening!