- As environmental awareness has grown in recent years, interest in a green or eco-friendly approach to landscaping has also grown. Green landscaping focuses on increasing sustainability, while reducing the amount of chemicals and water needed. Green Living Ideas reports that this may include plant selection/replacement, changes to irrigation methods and altering fertilization from chemical to compost.
- Improving the quality of plant health requires improving the quality of the soil in which the plants grow. Chemical fertilizers that appear to improve plant health only urge plant growth. The problem lies with the detrimental effects that the chemicals have on the microorganisms in the soil, according to Green Living Ideas. Microorganisms produce many of the nutrients that plants require for survival. Adding compost can do a great deal to improve soil health. It adds microorganisms to the soil, helping to jump-start the nutrient production process, and enhances the water retention of the soil. Widely available at stores with gardening areas, compost can also be made at home for free from organic waste. Vegweb.com recommends using egg shells, rinds and peels from fruits and vegetables, grass clippings and leaves to produce compost at home.
- Immigration to this continent included more than just people, it also included plants from abroad, reports HandyAmerican. Over time, landscaping techniques become devoted more to appearance than sustainability. Unlike the native plants, many of the imported varieties of plants required considerable care, water and, later, chemical assistance to grow. In the effort to conserve water resources, some homeowners want to reinstall the native plants that required no intervention to maintain equilibrium. With potable fresh water supplies diminishing, this represents a necessary long-term step.
- Using sprinklers as an irrigation technique may soon be over. State legislation has curtailed the activity in many areas and for good reason. The sprinkler system of irrigation wastes a lot of water. HandyAmerican reports that the sprinkler approach to the irrigation is the equivalent of carpet bombing. The alternative, called drip-tube irrigation, places tubes underground to distribute water via slow "weeping" or seepage. This method delivers water directly to the roots of plants, which encourages the denser growth of a root system.
- Moving a garden from the backyard to the front yard represents a different approach to reduce irrigating a large lawn. This serves the purpose of reducing the total lawn area that requires extensive maintenance, reports HandyAmerican, and and brings the home one step closer to achieving sustainability.
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