Tips for Environmentally Friendly Landscaping

If you want to update your home’s landscaping, while also doing a good deed for the environment, you have many options.  You don’t have to abandon lawn care and let nature take over. But, you can use certain methods to save water, avoid pesticides or preserve the area’s biodiversity without too much trouble.

Pay Attention to Plant Selection

Virtually every gardening and landscaping expert will tell you to select native plants. The reason is simplyt that they adapted to the climate and common pests, so they don’t require much support from fertilizers and pesticides to thrive. Plants that evolved elsewhere also spread out from yards and become a threat to native plants. Residential landscape services St Louis MO will be able to recommend attractive ground cover, shrubbery, and trees. Note that shade trees can also reduce your home’s environmental impact.

Think About Water Use

This is another reason to avoid using non-native species, including grasses. A uniform green lawn looks great but it also takes a good deal of fertilizer and water to get that green look. Alternately, you can cut your water use by watering the lawn early in the morning or late in the evening when little of the water will evaporate in the sun.

Reduce Pesticide Use

A variety or bugs, small animals, molds, and fungi threaten plants in suburban yards, just as they do in the forest. You can take steps to prevent or eliminate pests without using toxic chemicals. You can make organic pesticides at home and apply them where needed to kill or deter various pests. Detergents, soap, and hot peppers work, when mixed and applied correctly.

In short, you can have an attractive lawn that is good for the environment and not too difficult to maintain. It takes some determination to learn about organic pest management, to save water, and to select plants carefully.