Sustainable landscaping is an environmentally conscientious practice that asks landscapers to examine the input and output of their landscaping practices and to minimize both. The goals of the movement are to conserve water and energy, reduce waste, and decrease runoff. There are a few basic principles of sustainable landscaping that followers of the practice follow in their designs. American Native Plants wholeheartedly believes in supporting sustainable landscaping by providing gardeners with our native plants and shrubs and sustainable hardgoods. Read on to learn more about the foundational principles of sustainable landscaping and how you can follow the practice in your landscape design.
Treat Water as a Valuable Resource
Wasteful garden irrigation accounts for nearly one-third of residential water use in the United States. Additionally, rainwater is often treated as waste by landscapers and is allowed to flow into gutters and sewers.
The principles of sustainable landscaping dictate that water should be treated as a valuable resource. Through enacting proper landscaping design and plant selection, the need for irrigation can be reduced or eliminated. Rainwater harvesting can also be used to capture stormwater on-site and use that for irrigation. This reduces waste and unnecessary energy by recycling natural resources.
Care For Your Soil
Most garden soil becomes compacted, which can lead to problems such as restricted plant growth, erosion, runoff, and flooding. Runoff caused by compacted soil is, in turn, one of the primary sources of water pollution. You can decrease compaction by aerating your soil.
Preserve Native Plants
Homeowners or landscapers may be tempted to remove all existing plant material from their property to start their new design on a “clean slate.” However, this often ends up harming the yard because it disrupts naturally occurring processes.
The principles of sustainable landscaping underline the importance of preserving native plants and existing plant material. Native plants are indigenous to a given area and have been occurring naturally for many years and have fully adapted to that area. When following the principles of sustainable landscaping, only invasive, non-native plants should be removed and replaced with a more appropriate choice.
Conserve Material Resources
A typical American landscape produces high amounts of yard and construction waste. Additionally, many hardscape materials used require high amounts of energy to be constructed, as well as shipped and delivered hundreds, or thousands, of miles.
Sustainable landscaping recommends reducing yard waste by selecting appropriately sized plants and reusing and recycling construction waste as much as possible. Landscapers should select building materials carefully and use locally sourced materials whenever possible.
VISIT AMERICAN NATIVE PLANTS
Whether you’re looking to build a rain garden or beautify your property, American Native Plants can provide you with the right plants for the job. With an inventory of over 400,000 native trees, native shrubs, and herbaceous plants, consider American Native Plants, your one-stop shop for wholesale native plant needs.
Our nursery, conveniently located in Middle River, Maryland, is open year-round to accommodate your native plant needs. We are continually updating and increasing our inventory to meet the demands of our customers.
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