Sustainable Landscaping

A truly green home extends to its outdoor spaces as well. But don’t worry – “greening” your landscape is not as hard as you think. At Build It Green, a Bay Area based non-profit promoting green building practices, we encourage sustainable landscaping methods as part of our mission. Below are some of the do-it-yourself suggestions we teach in our training programs.

Nourish the soil
Healthy soil is the foundation of every landscape. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised just how many benefits a robust, living soil has for your plant life and your pocketbook. Well-aerated soil acts like a sponge, absorbing and storing water and nutrients, which means you’ll spend less money watering plants and re-supplying your topsoil. The beneficial organisms like bacteria, fungi and worms that thrive in healthy soil supply your plants with nutrients and protect them from diseases, saving the need for harmful and expensive pesticides and fertilizers. Creating healthy soil doesn’t have to cost much either – both organic mulch (e.g. chipped landscape debris) and compost, two major contributors to good soil, can be made from your own household waste. Check out the Bay Friendly Landscaping and Gardening program at http://www.BayFriendly.org for excellent free guidelines on making your own compost and other sustainable gardening tips.

Conserve water
Conserving water is essential for a landscape that is both budget-conscious and easy on the environment. Despite the heavy rains in California this January, the state remains in the grip of a serious drought that state Department of Water Resources officials say could “cripple our economy and quality of life.” But you can have a beautiful landscape without taxing the water supply. Selecting drought tolerant plant species and replacing unused lawn areas with water-conserving California native groundcovers or perennial grasses will significantly reduce your water needs. Prevent rainwater from leaving your property by choosing permeable hardscape surfaces like gravel, and by minimizing the total amount of impervious paved area used for driveways, walkways and patios. You can also water your plants for free by installing a rainwater harvesting system to collect and store stormwater.  

Plant wisely
A well-planned landscape conserves resources and saves time and energy in a variety of ways. Hydrozoning for example, the process of grouping plants by their water needs, allows you to easily water in appropriate quantities. It’s also a good idea to give your plants enough room to grow to their natural shape and size. That way you don’t have to prune them, a time-consuming activity that just creates more waste for the landfill. Finally, consider strategically planting deciduous trees to keep the sun off your house during the summer months (deciduous trees will still let sunlight in during the winter). Shade trees can create a micro-climate that is up to 15 degrees cooler than in the surrounding area, reducing summer air-conditioning costs by 25 to 40%.


Integrate recycled materials
This is a fun one. There are no limits on how to creatively integrate salvaged, reclaimed and recycled materials into your garden and landscape. Build fences and tool sheds out of reclaimed wood, use salvaged broken concrete for retaining walls and raised planting beds, and re-use any manner of containers for your plants – anything from old shoes to bathtubs will work!

Conventional landscaping often damages the environment and can end up costing more in utility bills and maintenance. The eco-friendly choice isn’t always the more expensive or cumbersome way to go. Indeed, in this case it saves time, money, resources and results in a beautiful outdoor space you can feel good about.  

Annette Hartsfield is a Build It Green Program Associate and Grant Writer. For more information on sustainable landscaping and green building in general please visit http://www.BuildItGreen.org .