Sustainable LandscapingDeciding
to landscape your yard is a big decision and it is one that you
should not take lightly. You want your yard to be unique, setting
it apart from every other yard in the neighborhood.As
more people grow aware of their carbon trail, sustainability has
slowly found its way out of the organic food section into other green
areas such as landscaping.
Most people feel that by landscaping their property their doing their
part for the environment. Unfortunately, few realize that traditional
concepts of landscaping cause more harm than good to the environment.
Native
plants have a better chance of survival due to their familiarity with
the local weather. They often require less care because they are
already well adapted to the environment. Therefore you end up saving
the money you would have otherwise spent on fertilizers to sustain an
exotic plant. Not to forget, you also avoid the irreversible affects
that these chemicals have on the soil.
Sustainable
landscaping is also designed to integrate food plants in a practical
way within an ornamental setting. This type of landscape provides an
aesthetically pleasing garden that simultaneously produces fresh
local fruits and vegetables for you, the home owner. The same design
principles for a decorative garden are used, but with substituting
edible plants for some of the otherwise unproductive plants typically
used in a decorative garden. Using edible plants in landscape design
can enhance a garden by providing a unique ornamental component with
additional health, aesthetic, and economic benefits, typically mixing
of edible and non-edible plants to keep a balance between beauty and
usefulness.
A
fully sustainable landscape is one of the most rewarding yards that a
family can have, for both looks and practicality.
