What Does Sustainability Mean for Garden Design?
How Does Sustainability Affect my Garden Design as a Client?
Sustainability is a hot topic but, how is it likely to affect the work that garden designers do and, ultimately, you the Client, pay for?
For me, it's something that should underpin good design from the outset:
Designing for longevity over fashion or trends, selecting plants for their suitability for conditions now and in the future and considering the impact or carbon footprint quarried, imported, grown or manufactured materials have on energy consumption, pollution and social impact in the countries they come from, are all considerations.
So, the short answer is, while it won’t affect the quality of design you get when you engage a professional garden designer, it may impact some of the choices and decisions they make around your project. Particularly if sustainability is part of their mission statement and brand values which is true for most designers or, forms part of your brief.
You are, after all, engaging them for their expertise and judgement and their professional preferences for materials for example, will be based on a good understanding of the resources required to make, transport, install and maintain them.
On the soft landscaping side, there is already discussion within the industry around plants that may become the new, stalwarts in certain regions as climate change becomes more apparent. This is something that’s already particularly relevant with respect to tree selection because of their longevity.
On the design side, sustainable elements such as water storage and composting may be things you're asked to consider if they don't already form part of the brief (because, ultimately what's better for the planet is generally also better for you, the Client!)
The bottom line is, sustainability doesn’t mean you’ll have a less beautiful garden designed for you. It’s just another factor that your garden designer will be considering along with many others, as they work on your project.
