Eco-friendly Sustainable Gardens

Pumps for ponds and garden lighting, for example often use electricity unnecessarily, which increases your carbon footprint.

A flower bed that requires fertilisers and pesticide will also contribute to air and water pollution.

Global carbon emissions and unnecessary damage to the environment has created a new breed of consumer that is very aware of how our individual actions contribute towards climate change.

There is a noticeable shift, with more and more clients now asking for advice on sustainable garden design and ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

So, what's involved in creating and designing an eco-friendly and sustainable garden? Well, for starters a lot more than just using some recycled compost!

Sustainable Gardens are created in a number of different ways. Using reclaimed materials, such as old railway sleepers, has a much lower impact on the environment compared to using new or modern materials, like non-biodegradable plastics, as well as ensuring that materials used in their creation are recyclable too.

Introducing reclaimed materials can also add an authentic and rustic finish to your garden, which helps incorporate character to your outdoor space.

If you wanted to add a water feature to your garden, for example, why not use renewable energy to power it? Making the most of renewable energies will turn your garden into a carbon neutral development.

How about creating an eco-freindly green roof project!

However, it doesn't stop there.

If you're growing new plants or shrubbery, it's important to try and use homemade composts rather than man-made alternatives, as the production, of these chemicals, usually has a negative impact on the surrounding area where they're manufactured.

Once you have created a sustainable garden, it's important that its maintenance is as eco-friendly as possible.

Instead of using water from a mains supply, you should feed your plants via a separate water duct that collects rain water, which is economical during the dry seasons.

If you have a small lawn, using a manual grass cutter rather than an electric or petrol powered lawn mower will help reduce you carbon footprint furthermore.

The clients that we have designed and created eco-friendly gardens for, say they feel an immense sense of pride knowing their gardens are collectively reducing carbon emissions and improving the environment. We have also found that conceiving these types of projects often inspires others to adapt their lifestyles to more 'greener' and sustainable activities. It may sound a little obvious, but the smallest changes to your garden and lifestyle habits will have a significant effect on our susceptible environment.

By Helen Ellison of Floral & Hardy Gardens Ltd

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