2017 GUIDE

Sustainable design is all well and good, but, homesteading? Synthetic turfs? That’s pushing it, to say the least. But in this post,

I’ll go further and show you that good design isn’t necessarily design that sticks to the basics, but rather it’s the application of

creativity to solve problems.

There’s only so many ways you can make a lawn look fresh and exciting. But an above ground aquarium? A flowerbed filled with

exotic weeds. Now, we’re playing with some new elements, and I see no reason why we should cower away and not use these new

features, even if we don’t get 100% sustainability, it’s still going to be an improvement, and we got to play with some new design elements

in the process.

SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN PRINCIPLESThe basic principles of sustainability are minimizing resource needs and making the best out of the waste and byproducts of your garden.

Use biodegradable elements, like wood, mulch, paper or cardboard or permanent materials that don’t degrade but also don’t pollute because they have a very long lifespan and when we do throw them away and recycle the raw matter: nonreactive plastic, corrugated metal, fireglass.

DESIGN THAT BENEFITS THE ENVIRONMENTThis is all about reducing waste and getting the longest life span out of your materials. A proper garden should require some work to set up but then require minimal input or expenses over its and your lifetime.

Scout around for some interesting pieces made out of recycled materials.

Use landscaping glass that is an eco glass. It’s recycled tempered glass and has no decay over the years so it offers the smallest environmental impact.

DESIGN THAT BENEFITS THE ENVIRONMENTYou wouldn’t argue that burning fossil fuels are in any way sustainable. But if you really want that fire feature gas burners are so much cleaner than wood. Wood releases 3000 times more particulates in the air compared to natural gas.

Use a fire glass bed for the flame, you can accentuate the flicker and get away with a much smaller flame compared to the size of the wood fire you need to get the same effect.

The same thing applies if you have an aging fireplace and you want something new, go directly to gas, it’s cleaner, and it looks better if you learn how to use, by reading this article, over here from my fire glass design guide.

ECO-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREMake the most of what you have available. The most obvious option and the easiest for those with small budgets are to collect rainwater runoff in rain barrels and just use the free soft water for your gardens needs.

Speaking of small spaces, downsize your lawn area. Flowerbeds are thirsty; use them as primary assets if you must have so you get most out of the water you have to use.

Create a rain garden, and it uses depth of the soil as a natural reservoir for moisture that feeds of naturally from rainfall and any other water you might be using.

GREEN LANDSCAPING PRODUCTS AND FEATURESGo as green as you want, but at least try, there are plenty of lazy man option out there that are installed and forget. You don’t need to change everything in your garden.

Follow the recycle policy, salvage the old feature and see how you can repurpose the old feature or spin it into something new.

While technology is a downgrade regarding mowers or at best a sidegrade. A tool that does improve your landscaping massively are sprinklers and this time technology improves them massively.

GREEN LANDSCAPING PRODUCTS AND FEATURESGo as green as you want, but at least try, there are plenty of lazy man option out there that are installed and forget. You don’t need to change everything in your garden.

Composting and aquaponics are not for everyone. But in the case of composting, do share your biomass with someone if they have a compost heap and get your composting needs from them when the time comes.

Outdoor aquariums are an interesting feature brought by the use aquaponics. In similar vain, ponds are the new lungs for your garden, so it’s definitely something to consider if you want to try something new and daring that infuses your yard with life.

Learn more about eco-friendly fireglassMake your garden beautiful and sustainable!