You’re probably familiar with landscaping but do you know what greenscaping is? Greenscaping deals with all kinds of landscaping practices that protect and preserve the environment’s natural resources while improving the look and appearance of your garden or personal space. Simply put, greenscaping is a form of ‘environmentally-friendly’ landscaping.
Over the years more companies, organizations, and factories have chosen to convert their landscapes into greenscapes in hopes of making their practices holistic and nature-friendly. The practices used for landscaping often have a detrimental effect on the planet’s ecosystem not to forget that these practices can cost a lot of money in the long run.
Importance of Greenscaping:
Have you ever wondered about land usage in the United States? Think of all the malls, retail centers, recreational facilities, resorts, golf courses, amusement parks, public parks, the roads, and the highways in our country. All these places use a ton of resources; concrete, trees, lumber, asphalt, etc. Think about the millions of gallons of water used, the pesticides and chemicals that are exposed in the environment through popular and unsafe landscaping methods. The processes and materials used are both economically and environmentally costly. Greenscaping can eliminate these redundant costs to create beautiful outdoor spaces.
The Four R’s of Greenscaping:
To make the most of greenscaping it is necessary to understand the four R’s of greenscaping. By setting short and long-term goals gradually you can make your practices environment-friendly. Even the tiniest of improvement can have a huge impact. All you need to do is to focus on the four R’s: reduce, reuse, rebuy, recycle.
Reduce:
The first step for greenscaping is to reduce the composition of natural resources. This can be done through a couple of holistic practices that include:
- Substituting the plant lumber for recovered plastic lumber. By doing so, you are helping conserve plants and trees and natural ecosystems. In addition to this recovered plastic material has a longer life than wood, plastic does not require routine upkeep. This reduces the maintenance and replacement costs.
- Conserving water through the process of ‘Xeriscaping’. Using native plants that are indigenous to the region’s climate and soil require fewer pesticides and chemicals. Adding compost to the soil improves water absorption, which reduces water requirement.
- Reducing pesticides by “spot treating”, aka only using them on specific affected areas instead of an entire patch of land. This reduces the number of chemicals released into the environment. Consider using organic and bio-based fertilizers and pesticides.
Using compost as the top layer of the soil can improve water absorption and decrease the use of fertilizers by up to 50%.
Using mulch over the plant’s root zone can reduce moisture evaporation and conserve water. Mulch also prevents the growth of weed.
Reuse:
You would be surprised to know that just how much of the materials can be reused. You can effectively use many items which would otherwise go to waste. Consider the following tips for reusing materials:
- Create your own mulch through tree clippings and wood chips. This will give you the benefits of mulch and save you the disposal cost.
- If you plan to remove plant or shrubs from your property then donate those to a local community or shelter.
- Reclaimed water, gray water, and collected rainwater can all be used as alternative sources of irrigation. This saves water resources and money.
Rebuy:
Rebuying requires making purchases that are more mindful. It means looking for products that fit your needs but also help to protect the environment. A simple change in habits can fix this problem. When purchasing an item look for materials that have been recycled or buy biodegradable materials. Recycled products are more durable than virgin materials and cost much less. Buying recycled material also helps sustain the ecosystem, as less waste is disposed into the ecosystem. There are plenty of environment-friendly brands out there that sell products that are not harmful to the planet. Consider the following tips when you make your next purchase:
- Compost, when used in the form of blankets and berms, minimizes the risk of soil erosion, and mitigates pollution. Due to its organic natural compost, make an excellent air filter media for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Purchase plastic lumber instead of wood for benches, signs, and other outdoor structures. Plastic lumber is durable and has a low maintenance cost.
Recycle:
The most beneficial habit you can adopt is recycling. By recycling already used materials, you can save resources and money and in certain cases even generate revenue. Consider the following ways to recycle:
- Trade the leaves, clippings, and trimmings found on your site to a compost manufacturing facility for fresh compost.
- Recycle old tires from your vehicles and equipment.
- Use biodiesel and organic lubricants for your working equipment.
- Use recycled glass for filter media and golf course bunker.
Greenscaping is an effective and sustainable process to upgrade your property. Not only does it benefit the ecosystem but also keeps your finances in check. If you are interested in learning more about ecoscaping or exploring your ecoscape options give us a call today. Your expert landscapers at Hidden Creek can help you make your space eco-friendly in no time at all.
