What is a sustainable garden?
Simply put, a sustainable garden thrives with the minimum of inputs and has as small a negative impact as possible on the wider environment in its construction and maintenance.
It's actually a low maintenance garden
(but, probably not as we know it!)
When we think about low maintenance gardens we often envisage paving, plastic and not much else. These elements are not only going make for a rather dull, lifeless space they actually contribute to the climate change situation we find ourselves in.
Instead, how about we:
- Choose plants that can better survive without watering and intervention and that can cope with changing condtions
- Minimise hard landscaping to allow rain to replenish groundwater
- Use responsibly sourced materials in construction
- Use runoff from hard surfaces in the garden instead of allowing it to disappear down the drain
From a garden owners perspective it's a combination of treading as lightly as possible and working with nature rather than against it.
The benefits of which can include:
- In-built resilience to climate change
- Reducing the risk of dual sewer flooding locally
- Reduce your water bills
- Supporting local wildlife
- Increasing biodiversity
- Keeping your spaces cooler in extreme heat
(As well as creating something beautiful!)
