From Guest Blogger Emma Metson: Are Modern Gardens Eco-Friendly?

There’s a lot of things that you can do to live the ‘green life’. For instance, you can practice the mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle. You can also avoid doing things that will only further increase your carbon footprint like not driving at all if possible, so you don’t have to consume fossil fuels.

Or, you can also try gardening which is a great hobby for people of all ages. After all, growing trees and plants means that you’re bringing the greeneries closer to you. And if you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll never go wrong with modern gardens.

Now, here’s the biggest question: Are modern gardens eco-friendly? Most people who have gardens would most likely say yes right away.

Why your garden may not be eco-friendly

It’s true that plants and trees are good for the environment. But the truth is, the overall eco-friendliness of your garden depends on a couple of things.

Use of chemicals

Pesticides, insecticides and other chemicals that you use in your garden all contain harmful chemicals. When it rains, there’s a chance that these chemicals can find their way into water supplies which pose a risk to your health. At the same time, the harmful chemicals are also a potential danger to marine and aquatic life.

Inefficient watering

Your garden needs water, and during the growing season, it requires a lot. However, not knowing how to water efficiently and effectively means that you’re wasting this important resource. After all, watering too much and not watering enough is a common plant and tree care mistake.

Gardening equipment

Gardening equipment like lawn mowers and weed whackers use fuel to operate. Not only do they contribute to noise pollution because of how loud they are, but they also emit gases which are responsible for global warming.

Garden lighting

Garden lighting is important since it allows you to work in your garden even at night. It also adds a great deal to the overall appearance of your garden. However, the more fancy lights you have in your garden means the more electricity you consume. That means more electricity is needed to be produced which in turn, affects the environment.

How to make your garden truly eco-friendly

You’re probably surprised to know that even the greenest garden can potentially be a threat to the environment. Now the question is, how do you make sure that your garden is 100% eco-friendly? Don’t worry because it’s not as hard as it seems.

In fact, it’s all about how you take care of your garden. The following practices should help your garden become eco-friendly in every way possible.

Use organic pesticides and products

Limit the use of chemicals in your garden whenever possible if you can’t completely avoid them. Another problem with chemical insecticides is that they also have detrimental effects on beneficial insects and organisms in your garden.

Depending on what it is that you’re trying to get rid of, there’s a very big chance that there’s an organic alternative for you to use. For instance, crushed eggshells and grounded coffee beans can help keep snails and slugs away.

You can even grow specific species of plants to help you with your insect problems. Marigolds, when planted in your flower beds, can help fight insects and pests.

Water efficiently and take advantage of rainwater

It’s already a known fact that your garden needs a lot of water during summer. However, most people tend to water their plants at the wrong time. You see, watering your garden when the sun is at its peak is water that’s wasted due to evaporation.

Since the water quickly evaporates, it also doesn’t do your trees and plants any good since it wouldn’t even reach their roots. This results in you having to water your plants more often than necessary — increasing your water usage than what’s required.

Instead, water your garden early in the morning and late in the afternoon to avoid the effects of evaporation. Another thing that you can do to save water is by installing water butts to collect rainwater. It’s a great alternative to tap water which means you’ll save a lot on your utilities too.

Compost organic matter

Composting organic waste can reduce the need for water, fertilisers, and pesticides. Not only will your garden benefit, but so will the environment. That’s because composting will greatly reduce your waste which means it doesn’t have to end up in landfills.

If you’ve been thinking about composting but you’re not sure where and how to start, you should give vermicomposting a try. This composting method makes use of worms (note: only a few species of worms can be used). Kitchen scraps, for instance, are perfect to use as feed for these friendly worms.

Consider artificial grass

Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done to avoid using lawn mowers — at least, for the time being. You can, however, minimise usage but doing so will result in an unsightly lawn and unhealthy grass.

Since this is the case, you should consider having artificial grass installed. If you do, you will never, ever have to mow your lawn again. It will stay and look brand new for a good number of years with very little to no maintenance. That means you’ll lower your carbon footprint since you’re not consuming fuel.

Another benefit of artificial grass is that you’ll save water. That’s because you don’t have to water your lawn anymore except on rare occasions when you need to get rid of dirt and dust that’s accumulated. But if you already have water butts installed, then that’s even better.

Plant trees in your garden

Natural grass requires regular mowing and trimming but what if you’re not a fan of artificial grass? Does that mean that you can’t reduce your carbon footprint when using lawn mowers? Not necessarily.

You can consider planting large trees in your garden like conifers, Betula, Beech trees and Magnolia. These trees are great in improving air quality and circulation. Aside from producing oxygen, they also remove harmful particles in the air like the ones coming from gardening equipment.

Opt for native plants

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should completely shy away from exotic or foreign plants. It’s just that native plants are better since they’ve already adapted so well to the local conditions of the area. Native plants have also developed natural defences against illnesses, pests, and insects.

The bottom line is, native plants are so much better because they don’t need as much attention as growing exotics. And the result? You don’t need to water them as often and use chemicals as often.

Use solar lights for your garden

The solar lights of today come in a variety of shapes, designs, and sizes. They are also steadily becoming more and more affordable as time goes by. Solar path lights can be used to illuminate your way around your garden. There are also lantern lights that are powered by the sun which are aesthetically pleasing.

Using solar lights means you don’t have to worry about cables and huge electricity bills. Installing them is also super easy that you can do it yourself. That’s one less thing you have to worry about.