From Guest Blogger Izzie: How to Use Plants to Your Green Life Advantage

You would think anything involving plants was inherently environmentally friendly. If you are helping the planet by growing and maintain all those beautiful species in your back garden, it can’t be harmful, right?

Well, it can be.

Gardening has become big business. A magnificent garden can help increase house prices, improve quality of life, and (in the minds of many) help with leading a green lifestyle. But gardening has the potential to be very damaging indeed. Toxic chemicals, poor life cycles, and wasteful watering systems can all add up to a big problem very quickly.

So how can you be an environment-savvy gardener? We’ve compiled some tips that will hopefully benefit you in this endeavor.

Do your research

Before a single stem is planted, you should put in some research to find out what would make your ideal garden. Striking the balance between visually impressive, and environmentally smart, is the key. You’ll want to find out which plants work best in your climate, which plants work together the best (both visually and for soil enrichment), how much water they’ll need, and when is the best time of year to plant them.

Buy from sustainable sources

Now you know which plants you want, you should buy them from plant nurseries which are kind to the environment. This will mean your plants have been kept free of harsh chemicals, and haven’t been taken from unsustainable sources.

Low water plants

The most obvious way to reduce your eco footprint when it comes to gardening is to buy plants that don’t require a lot of water. Matching your plants to your climate will help in this regard, as you shouldn’t end up with cold weather plants in a desert climate for example. But even within climate specific plant groups, there will be those that require less water than others. This goes for outdoor and indoor plants too.

Recycling rainwater

Of course, you will have to eventually water the plants. A great way to do this smartly is to collect rainwater, a free and plentiful source of water that can sit in a rain collector for a very long time. Watering at the start or end of the day, when the plants have more chance to absorb the water before it evaporates, will also help.

Composting pile

Why should rainwater be the only thing you recycle? A homemade composting heap can help with day to day recycling, and generate free compost for you. That saves money, and means you aren’t shelling out for potentially harmful store bought compost.

No harsh chemicals

The worst impact gardening has on the ecosystem is the use of chemicals. As people try to maintain gardens from ill-suited climates, bugs, weeds and other detrimental factors, they will end up buying sprays and other materials that can have a long lasting negative effect on the environment. These products contain very nasty chemicals that will solve the problems short term, but can wreak havoc long term. Seek out non-toxic alternatives when you need to use them.

Smaller, smarter grass

Finally, there is the most inconspicuous problem of them all – grass. Not only does it require regular watering, it takes up an enormous amount of space in most gardens, especially when you compare it to flower beds and work out the water per square meter usage. Unless you have a very busy garden with pets or kids running around on the grass, consider downsizing.