“Sustainable gardening” is a term that has no technical definition. It’s more of a concept: gardening using practices that cause no harm to the earth and its inhabitants.

A sustainable landscape or property is an ecosystem of sorts. If you’re starting a new garden, it’s easy to be a purist about creating a sustainable landscape. It’s trickier if you try to apply the same principles to an existing garden that was created without a plan for sustainability. But no matter what the type or the history of your garden, there are always steps you can take to move toward a sustainable landscape.

For instance, stop using chemical pesticides and fertilizers. That’s a very basic move in the right direction.

After that, evaluate your mature landscape and see if you can reduce the amount of water your plants require to thrive. Are your trees and plants in the right locations? Check the native soil type and the existing sun exposure. Most gardens have shady and sunny spots, and plants that need more moisture may be happier in areas with at least partial shade. With that goal in mind, consider if your existing plants are grouped by their moisture needs. You might need to move some plants.

Fine-tune and adapt your existing watering habits. When you do water your garden, you can do it by zone. That avoids wasting water by watering all areas equally, regardless of their need. Go a step further by regrouping or even removing plants to take advantage of your plan for watering zones.

Keep in mind that urban and suburban gardens are man-made environments. There are special challenges to keeping plants healthy and attractive under these conditions, so planning is important.

Call us for a consultation to discuss options for enhancements, renovations and sustainability in your garden.