Taking action on climate change starts at home, and your backyard landscape presents a great opportunity to conserve energy and care for the environment. Regardless of the amount of space or plant life you have, you can still make a difference.
While there are a variety of ways you can use your garden to help the environment, working with a professional garden landscaping company will ensure your green space is truly efficient and conserves our environment’s natural resources. At Northern Virginia Landscaping, our experienced team has committed decades to providing residents and businesses throughout Northern Virginia with sustainable landscapes. Our services will give you peace of mind and you’ll know you’re doing your part in reducing your carbon footprint.
Here are 10 tips to help you create a sustainable garden landscape:
Incorporate Native Plants
Native plants are durable and can withstand drought and high temperatures, and they often surpass non-natives in resistance to disease and insects. These characteristics make native plants require less water, fertilizer, and pesticide. Asters, Joe Pye weed, and phlox are among a large variety of plants native to the Virginia region. Learn more about which native plants are suitable for your area in Virginia.
Provide for Pollinators
When selecting plants for your garden, don’t forget to pamper the pollinators, such as the butterflies, birds, bees and much more. Milkweed, gaura, and echinacea are also excellent pollinator plants that can be planted in the ground or in a deep container or pot.
Rethink the Lawn
Traditional turf grass is like a sponge when it comes to water. It needs to be watered every week, with each square foot of lawn requiring at least 0.62 gallons of water. The average backyard can easily rack up 5,000 to 10,000 gallons per week. Consider lawn alternatives such as planting a mix of different grasses and wildflowers in your landscape to limit the amount of water use.
Feed the Birds
When fall arrives, make your backyard space hospitable to wildlife by leaving seed heads on the ground for birds to eat, and wait till winter to cut back grasses so animals can use parts of the plants to build shelters.
Go Chemical Free
The chemicals in weed killers, fertilizers, and pesticides enter into the ground and can harm wildlife, fish, and insects. There are several homemade remedies you can use to fertilize, kill weeds, and repel bugs that are friendly to the environment as well as your wallet.
Pick the Right Tools
Reduce your carbon footprint by switching from gas-powered tools to hand or foot powered ones. By minimizing your lawn space with more native plants, you can use a rotary push mower without a lot of extra effort.
Install a Smart Irrigation System
There are new irrigation systems that have sensors to tell you when it’s necessary to water in order to avoid wasting water. Additionally, try to water your garden in the morning before the sun gets too hot; most of the water will evaporate if you water in the afternoon with full sun.
Collect Rainwater
A simple way to limit water usage is to collect rainwater. Place a rain barrel outside to fill with rainwater for later use. Rain barrels offer a number of advantages other than conserving gallons of water. The City of Fairfax also states that you can save more on monthly costs, reduce stormwater runoff, and grow healthier plants.
Make Compost
Composting can be adapted to whatever space or resources you have. Even a small bin for shredded paper and vegetable scraps can benefit your garden. Check out this list of things you can compost – you may be surprised!
Own a Houseplant
Even something as simple as owning a houseplant helps the environment by contributing oxygen. There are a variety to choose from to work with the space and light available in your home.
By Implementing the tips above, you can cultivate a space that is beneficial to both you and the environment.
Transform Your Outdoor Space with Landscaping Services in Northern Virginia
As you develop your landscape into one that’s sustainable, consider enlisting the help of a garden landscaping company, like Northern Virginia Landscaping. Our team has decades of experience working with clients to create eco-friendly and efficient landscape designs. We offer a variety of landscaping services as well as hardscaping such as patio and walkway installation to transform your yard into the perfect space to enjoy the outdoors. Contact us at (703) 982-0100 or fill out our form to see how we can assist you today!
