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Sustainable Gardening
Our designs are not only creating gardens that are functional, beautiful and a joy to be in, they also incorporate sustainability principles in water, energy, waste and biodiversity. Your garden could also be good for the planet as well as your property.
Sustainable water use
Gardens don't have to be water guzzlers. In fact plants actually contribute to the water in the atmosphere and increasing precipitation. Minimising garden's water requirements can be made by:
Plant selection
Choosing plants that are adapted to dry or to our local conditions. Many indigenous plants are suitable.
Plant placement
Having plants of like requirements together so that they can all receive an appropriate amount of watering when needed.
Garden maintenance
Using mulch and maintaining the soil so that it is less liable to dry out or become hydrophobic.
Provision of rain gardens and rain harvesting
Planning to ensure that rain water is captured and used later when appropriate. A rain garden collects excess water where it can be filtered before draining into the stormwater from where it may enter natural waterways.
Provision of appropriate irrigation
Connecting garden irrigation to water tanks to make optimum use of collected water.
Placement of hard surfaces or structures
Using paved surfaces that are water permeable or directing water flowing from them to irrigation channels.
Sustainable energy use
If not well designed, a garden may require the use of a great deal of energy. This is not only in the maintenance of the garden but in the energy involved in the creation or transport of the materials. Energy may be minimised by:
Plant selection and placement in relation to house
Thoughtful use of plants can protect the home from excessive heat while allowing sunlight access on winter days. This reduces the need for heating or air conditioning.
Use of materials that that require relatively less energy
Landscape materials obtained locally means less energy is used to place them in the garden. Some may also have used more energy in their manufacture.
Provision of food gardens
Growing food in our own gardens greatly reduces the amount of energy involved in putting it on our table. There is no transport or packaging while it is as fresh as it gets.
Beautiful gardens
All these sustainability principles don't mean that your garden has to be expensive, time consuming or scruffy looking. If well designed, it can be as stylish, stimulating, relaxing or as functional as you like. The aesthetics of our designs are critical.
A successful garden is not only sustainable but one that you will enjoy living in.
Gary Shadforth - Arcadia Sustainable Design - 0431 022 953
Sustainable waste management
Gardens can provide opportunities for creative uses of things that might be thrown away through:
Use of recycled materials
Second hand landscape materials such as paving or timber can be utilised in the garden creating attractive rustic effects.
Use of green waste
Using compost and worm bins to process green waste not only reduses landfill but can improve the health of the garden.
Sustaining biodiversity
One of the great benefits of urban gardens is the encouragement of at least some wildlife, particularly birds and invertebrates. Many of these creatures are beneficial to the garden by controlling garden pests, thus negating the need for chemical controls. Encouraging this natural biodiversity can be done through:
Inclusion of indigenous plants
Indigenous plants are those plants that would be have been growing in your area prior to European settlement. They are adapted to the local climate and have evolved together with the local fauna for many thousands of years. It makes sense to include at least some of them in any garden design.
Exclusion of environmental weeds
Some exotic garden plants are well suited to our conditions but have no natural control. They can spread into natural bushland and outcompete indigenous species. These pest plants are to be avoided if we are interested in maintaining the biodiversity we have.