How To Create An Environmentally Friendly Landscape

Throughout New Jersey and the rest of the country, more and more homeowners are becoming more interested in creating living spaces that have little impact or a positive impact on the environment. Being environmentally friendly benefits the environment, of course, but it also provides benefits to the community around you and to you directly.

Environmentally friendly practices are more than just a trend. They'll help you increase your home's energy efficiency, and they can save you a significant amount of money for the resources you need for your home. No matter how you look at it, going green is smart. While you'll find plenty of resources to help you be more environmentally friendly inside your home, it can be more difficult to find tips on how you can do the same for your landscape.

At Biosphere Landscape Architecture, our New Jersey landscaping design company can work with you to design and install a new landscape that will make your home more environmentally friendly while also keeping it as attractive, healthy, and functional as possible. Here are a few tips to help you create a great "green" landscape in New Jersey and give us a call today to get started.

Use Water-Wise Plants

Conserving water is an important part of being environmentally friendly, and the plants that you choose can have a huge effect on how much water your landscape uses. Water-wise plants are able to survive and thrive in very dry environments, which means that they don't require nearly as much water as other plants that you might install in your landscape. On top of that, many of these plants are also extremely attractive, which makes them a perfect addition to any landscape design.

Even if you think that the amount of water that you use to maintain your landscape is already fairly low, it's worth considering trying to cut it down. It's very easy to use more water than is necessary, and the more you can conserve it, the better off everyone is.

There’s no way to get around using water, but including water-wise plants in your landscape design can help limit the amount you waste. Consider using:

• Sage
• Yucca
• Purple Coneflower
• Sunflowers

Use Mulch in Your Garden

Mulch keeps weeds from growing in your New Jersey home's garden, and it retains water that your plants can use when they need it. Mulch is very effective at reducing water consumption, and there are a number of inexpensive mulches that you can use in your garden. Some of the things you can use as alternatives to expensive, chemical-rich store-bought mulches include:

• Compost
• Chopped Leaves
• Shredded Newspaper

Plant Some Vegetables

Replacing your lawn with a vegetable garden is perhaps the most eco-friendly change you can make for your landscaping. Instead of doing work on your property, your property will work for you by growing food you can actually live off of. This will also contribute to cutting down on fossil fuels since the transportation of produce involves lots of moving parts. You'll also feel a sense of satisfaction knowing you're growing food that is better for you and contains more vitamins.