Going Green at Home in the Garden
Generally, a "going green" initiative is a program that works to create a culture of environmental responsibility, decisions, and lifestyles. Going green at home involves taking certain measures to incorporate this culture into your every day lifestyle. Areas that can be integrated into this eco-friendly lifestyle extend well beyond businesses, architecture, and technology, there's also eco-conscious landscaping. By incorporating eco-conscious design in your home gardening, you can help save energy, water, and contamination. Imagine if everyone respected the following green gardening tips:Eco-Gardening at Home
Use Native Plants in the Area
Already adapted to the area, native plants are useful to add to a landscape design because they are accustomed to the levels of rainfall, temperature, and sunlight; therefore, these plants will require less water and less maintenance than exotic plants. Native plants are naturally resistant to pests and diseases in the area, which reduces the need for herbicides and pesticides, naturally aiding your efforts in going green at home. >>Read more about South Dakota's Native Plants
Mulch with Various Landscape Plants or Compost
Using tree bark, rock, yard clippings, compost, or straw around plants in your landscaped areas will encourage healthy growth and increase soil moisture preservation. If you apply mulch in the spring, it will make landscaping easier throughout the summer by cutting down on watering and maintenance. It can also help build nutrients in the soil, as a result, your trees and plants will be healthy without the use of chemicals.
Irrigate with Rain Barrels
A huge part of eco-gardening is water preservation. You can reuse storm water run-off by collecting it in rain barrels, and then using it to water your garden. This is an excellent, eco-conscious way of going green at home by simply cutting back on municipal water usage and watering plants and trees with a chemical source.
Reduce Lawn Mower Emissions
Although it requires more time, manual reel mowers are a clean, cardiovascular way to be eco-conscious in your landscape design. If your lawn is large and requires a power mower; changing the oil and air filter frequently will help to maintain compliance to your eco-gardening initiative by emitting fewer fumes from the engine.
Plant the Right Type of Tree
Depending on the region you live in, some trees will be more beneficial than others to climate, air quality, pollution, and energy costs. Evergreen trees serve as a natural windbreak and living fence against cold winter winds and can work to reduce your indoor heat usage. Conversely, planting shade trees will cool your home in the summer and reduce the need to turn on the air conditioning. In addition, the leaves from shade trees can be used as eco-gardening compost. The green gardening tips presented above are simple and easy steps that can be taken to ensure that your garden's greatest resources aren't wasted. Imagine if everyone took these steps in going green at home by way of eco-gardening. An eco-conscious garden and landscape design that utilizes a combination of our green gardening tips can increase energy efficiency of both indoor and outdoor environments. Start reducing your energy consumption and water usage today! The professionals at Jolly Lane Greenhouse can help.