If you’re looking to lead an eco-friendlier lifestyle, your landscape is a good place to start. A sustainable landscape – one that takes advantage of native plants and erosion control – not only lowers your carbon footprint but contributes some stunning aesthetic to your property. Let’s review how you can build a sustainable landscape and contribute to the fight against climate change.

1.     Improve Sustainability with Native Plants

Native plants have evolved to weather your region’s environmental conditions without intervention from humans. Where non-native plants require steady maintenance, native plants can usually thrive without assistance. They have natural resistance to local pests, provide food and shelter to native wildlife, reduce erosion due to their deep roots, and can enhance the local ecosystem by preserving its biodiversity.

2.     Decrease Energy Costs with Efficient Landscaping

Through careful planning, your landscape can increase your home’s energy efficiency. To reduce cooling costs in the summer, plant deciduous trees to the east, south, and west of your house to absorb sunlight. Trees can also help decrease cold winter winds, lessening your heating costs. Using shade from bushes and shrubs to cool your AC unit can also help it run more efficiently. Grow vines around your home to help with insulation, as well.

3.     Build a Composting Station

If you want to build a sustainable landscape, use recycled materials as often as possible. Instead of disposing of your grass clippings or autumn leaves, you can use them to add a rich layer of nutrients to your landscape. While you can pile rotting food and lawn clippings out in the open for composting, building a composting station can help it blend in with your landscape and cut down on the smell. Composting makes for excellent fertilizer, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers that can harm wildlife.

4.     Establish Effective Erosion Control

Erosion contributes to polluted stormwater runoff, which poisons local bodies of water. The rushing water caused by poor erosion control dislodges soil housing toxic fertilizers or pesticides. This runoff can also cause flooding, smother the eggs of aquatic wildlife, and increase the energy needed to filtrate drinking water. To help contain erosion, you can employ eco-friendly drainage solutions such as installing a French drain or dry stream bed or planting a rain garden.

If you’ve been bitten by the eco-bug like so many, then build a sustainable landscape to impact your surroundings positively. While it’s important to be eco-conscious, it can be a lot of work. At Dolan Landscaping, we can help make your dream landscape a reality with our landscaping design and maintenance. If you’re searching for landscaping professionals to improve your landscape, contact us today.