Environmentally Friendly Landscaping

Environmentally friendly landscaping can help reduce your water usage and save you money as well as protect your house from potential wildfires and help keep your home looking good if you're in a drought area.

Landscaping around your house does more than just increase the value of your home and create curb appeal. When it's done correctly it can also be environmentally friendly and reduce the amount of water usage required to maintain its appearance. It is also important to have the right type of landscaping around your home to ensure your home is protected against wildfire.

If you live in an area that has experienced any type of drought conditions, or you just want a low maintenance yard or a yard that does not consume tons of water to maintain, you may want to consider low impact landscaping. There are a lot of ways to maintain your home’s yards without the lush green grass look that is traditional in many areas.

Consider using native plants for starters. Native plants are generally hardier and more prone to being able to survive the natural conditions of their environment. You can also invest in vegetation that doesn't require a lot of water and can even survive drought like conditions. Talk to your local nursery and find out what types of vegetation they recommend for the current conditions. They will likely recommend that you enrich your soil as much as possible before you start planting though. Drought resistant plants are able to survive because they have deep roots systems that can go down where the water is. But they can’t do that if the soil is hard and compacted or has poor pH balance. To counter any poor soil conditions you may experience you can add organic matter and break up the soil to help condition the soil by redistributing the pH balance throughout your property.

You can also create a beautiful front and back yard with the use of gravel, rocks and even ornamental grasses which are drought resistant or ground covering perennials which can keep your yard from looking dried out without requiring an extensive amount of water or maintenance.
If you get creative and think outside the box, you will likely come up with ideas that will not only impress your neighbors, but might lead them to follow in your example.

Another danger, regardless of whether you live in a drought affected area or not, is wildfire. Wildfires can come through unexpectedly just about anywhere at any time due to lightning strikes or human interaction. Is your house wild fire proof? If you have tall trees and shrubs near your home these are jumping off points for fire to land on your roof and burn its way down your home. You need to maintain a set clearance of anything combustible from your home to guard against jumping off points for fire.
Environmentally friendly landscaping will save you money, potentially protect your house from potential wildfires and help minimize the amount of water that is used every year for nonessential uses.

Article Tags: Environmentally Friendly, Friendly Landscaping

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