10 Essentials For Sustainable Landscaping
Sustainable landscaping is the process of working with the environment where you design landscapes that is in tune with the weather conditions
It needs no other resources such as organic minerals or any other soil nutrients.
There are many different levels of sustainable landscaping, the best way to get involved is to just start somewhere by setting short and long term goals.
A small objective could be putting up a composting bin.
A much better way could be creating a sustainable area where harmful chemicals are eliminated for good.
Following are helpful tips on how to create a sustainable landscape:
1. Shrink Your Lawn
Those expanses of green turf take an enormous amount of resources.
Take out some lawn and design a natural background.
You’ll save on fresh water and this ultimately save you money on water bills.
Moreover, you may not need to use the raker or the hoe often.
2. Store rain water in barrels
Harvesting rain water in barrels helps to conserve water and save money.
Usually rain water is pure and of good quality.
You can even use it for drinking consumption.
3. Use a protective cover like mulch.
Mulched beds improve the appearance of any landscape.
Though more valuable than this is that it germinates the seeds and provides micro-nutrients when it decays.
Mulch slows soil erosion, retains moisture and helps to prevent weeds.
You’ll save some time watering your plants, in turn lets you enjoy your garden.
4. Compost, Compost, Compost
Composting organic waste from your home improves garden soil because it generates humus.
By composting you minimize your garbage wastes, thus lessening the greenhouse gases.
You save on your expenditures on chemicals as well.
5. Plant the natives
Indigenous plants can adjust in any soil condition and weather the harshest climate.
They are also better able to resist pests and diseases, thus reducing the need for harmful chemicals.
6. Attract Pollinators to Your Yard
By growing a variety of plants you increase the number of different wildlife species that are attracted to your garden.
Insects, bees, birds and bats contribute to a healthy ecosystem by transporting pollen from one plant to another during fertilization.
7. Plant Deciduous Trees
Consider deciduous leaf shrubs near your home to cut your electricity bills in summer season.
Deciduous trees drop their foliage in fall and this allows more sunshine in your house.
But, trees deliver more than cost savings; they are important carbon sinks and help to reduce global climate change.
8. Plant Edible Ornamentals
Aside from beautifying your garden, it would be great if you can have edible shrubs in them.
Onion chives, scallions, and cherry tomatoes would look nice in your ornamental orchard.
9. Choose natural resources
Rather than using exotic materials trucked in great distances for your landscaping projects, consider using stone, salvageable concrete, used bricks, and other recyclable materials found locally.
10. Use alternative power gears
You can use a push reel mower rather than a power mower.
You can just use a hoe and hand shears rather than an electric weed trimmer.
You can just allow leaves on the ground to decay to convert into soil nutrients instead of still using a leaf blower.
Better yet, think of having a meadow rather than just a lawn.
I have been involved with Sustainable Calgary Landscaping in Calgary, Alberta Canada for a long time. These Tips have been implemented with my company for over 8 years. We have had alot of fun Landscaping in Calgary over the years. What we do will work almost anywhere in the world to create sustainable landscapes.
Remember, just because I use this with Landscaping Calgary, doesn’t mean it won’t work in your local area. Now get out there and try things out!
Written by: Custom Stone and Waterscapes ?3829 Parkhill Place SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2W6 (403) 870-1142
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Gardening has turned out to be so much fun, even if we only get a little done at a time.
I saw a row of sunflowers that were much taller than I am. So tall that I could barly reach my arms up to take this picture. The head on the sunflower, where the seeds are, was nearly a foot across.
I couldn’t say no to that and it was perfect because I had set the pack of sunflower seed down somewhere and ended up planting my almost a month too later. So they are only a foot high.
The view on my walk is getting better every day. We are into June now and flowers, trees, shrubs and bushes are blossoming every where. It makes it hard to keep walking when I stop every few houses to take another picture.
Right next to the bright pink rhododendron was this gorgeous orange one. It’s the only orange one I have seen in Moncton. We have two rhododendrons in our yard but only one flowers yet. We are hoping the second one will flower next year and we will see what colour it is. I’m hoping for pink or orange.






I always like to see daffodils, they make me feel spring is here to stay plus they are a beautfitul flower that always seems to make me smile.
A few places had some pretty little pansies that really stood out. It always amazes me to see such a fragile looking flower surviving the cold winters we have in New Brunswick.



