Homeowners can make their landscape eco-friendly with a few easy changes. They can use decorative rocks or gravel in place of some of their yard’s grass. These materials do not need to be watered, fertilized, or mowed, which all have a negative impact on the environment.
Consciously Plan Eco-Friendly Landscaping
There are some ways to make your yard eco-friendly by choosing plants and materials with the environment in mind.
You can plan to have some areas transferred from grassy spots to a stylish pathway of stones leading from your front yard to the back. This not only looks good, it eliminates some of the practices that harm the environment.
Pagodas set aside a part of your garden to create a special area for dining or relaxing. Fountains or any other structures that remove grass are friendly to the environment. A concrete patio below your deck reduces a substantial amount of grass and it makes a good dining area.
Use Natural Materials for a Beautiful Look
Mulch made of bark and pine needles can give your flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees a finished and groomed appearance. They discourage the growth of weeds and need little to no upkeep. Organic mulch feeds the soil, as do pine needles.
Leaves and wood chips are other options to use around your flowers, plants, and trees. They retain water and do not need any care once you place them around your plants. You may find that your flowers and plants do not require as much water when you put natural materials around them.
Use Plants Native to Your Area
It can save a lot of water if you plant species that require little watering. In dry areas, don’t plant flowers that need daily watering.
Instead, put native plants in your garden because they have proven to thrive in your environment. They often will not need pesticides because they are resistant to insects in your area. They require less water than most plants grown elsewhere.
Ground Cover Adds Beauty to Your Landscaping
Plants used as ground cover require little maintenance and many are perennials that grow year after year without planting. Some like Creeping Phlox have many small, colorful blossoms in purple and pink. Lilyturf makes a lovely addition to your landscaping with its grassy leaves and purple flowers. Some species tolerate human traffic without damage. One of these is Creeping Phlox.
You can make borders of ground cover around the perimeter of your property. Doing this removes a substantial amount of grass. that is eco-friendly and looks better than a patch of grass. Ground cover is low maintenance.
Group Plants with Similar Watering Needs Together
You can save water by planting flowers and plants that need abundant water in one area and plants that need little water in another section. This reduces your use of water because you only need to water the areas that need it. It eliminates watering the entire flower bed because various plants are scattered around the flower bed.
