What is Sustainable Landscape Design?
7 Nov 2019 Landscape Design
Understanding what sustainable landscape design is will help you make an informed decision about whether or not it is the right choice for your landscape. At Jovak Landscape & Design, they want to help you create a beautiful, sustainable landscape that you will love for years to come. That is why they offer a selection of landscaping services, including landscape design.
What is Sustainable Landscaping?
Sustainable landscape design works to help minimize the input of resources and the amount of waste produced by a yard or garden. Upgrading to sustainable landscaping can not only be a great choice for the environment but it can also help save money on utility expenses and drastically decrease the need for yard maintenance.
Some of the different strategies that you can use to make your landscape more sustainable include:
- Rainwater harvesting
- Storm water management
- Using recycled materials
- Mulching flowerbeds
- Installing interlocking pavers
- Incorporating native plants
- Using natural stone
Goals of Sustainable Landscape Design
Since the main goals of sustainable landscape design are to conserve water and energy, reduce waste, and decrease runoff, all sustainable landscapes should:
1. Treat Water as a Resource
Sustainable landscaping aims to treat water as a valuable resource by reducing or completely eliminating the need for irrigation. This can be done through proper landscape design and plant selection, as well as through incorporating rainwater harvesting to help capture stormwater on site and using it for irrigation.
2. Value Soil
Since compacted soil can lead to a range of different problems, such as restricted plant growth, erosion, runoff, and flooding, valuing the soil in your garden by adding a lay of mulch to help with water retention can help create a more sustainable environment. Eliminating runoff from your garden can also help minimize the risk of water pollution.
3. Preserve Existing Plants
Rather than removing plants from your property to start with a clean slate, sustainable landscape design assesses the existing plant material in order to preserve any native plants. By only removing invasive and non-native plants and replacing them with more appropriate plants, the need for maintaining your garden space is minimized because the plants will be able to flourish on their own.
4. Conserve Resources
Sustainable landscape design works to reduce unnecessary yard waste by selecting appropriately sized plants and reusing or recycling construction waste. It is also important to consider which building materials should be used in the landscape, as using locally sourced materials wherever possible can help reduce the distance the material is being transported.
If you would like to learn more about what sustainable landscape design is, or if you are interested in their landscape design services, please contact Jovak Landscape & Design at 604-835-2850 or by filling out a contact form on their website. You can also stay up to date with the latest landscape design news by following them on Facebook.
