Summers are getting hotter and hotter. Our winters are colder. Climate change is affecting our gardens, too. You might be on the right track of sustainability and stewardship of the environment but can you do more?
How can we live more in harmony with nature? Here are some tips to make it more sustainable.
Incorporate as many California native plants as you can. It really does help. Encourage bees and other pollinators by creating a sustainable habitat for them in your garden. Water wisely to conserve our finite water supply. Use organic pest control only if necessary to protect our watersheds from chemical contamination.
How can I sequester more carbon by my plants to store in the soil? How can I protect the biodiversity already in place in my mixed redwood forest environment? Even though I don’t have the right conditions to grow my own organic food, I can buy from growers who use ecological processes on their farms. What native plants around my own house can I eat? Miner’s lettuce comes to mind but you probably have many more growing in your garden.
You hear the word sustainability used to describe everything from flooring to roofing to landscaping, but what exactly is a sustainable landscape?
Sustainable landscapes are so well adapted to their environment that they require little in maintenance. Choosing plants adapted to your garden size, type of soil and climate keeps watering and fertilizing to a sensible level and reduces pruning as plants grow to the size needed and stay there.
Sustainable landscapes use recycled, salvaged, durable building materials whenever possible. They use mainly materials that are harvested locally and use imported stone as an accent. Sustainable landscapes try to reuse what you already have laying it out differently to look like a totally new landscape.
Sustainable landscapes clean the air and water. They increase on-site infiltration of rain water to reduce runoff and minimize the amount of contaminants washed into the watershed and the bay. By keeping water onsite it can move into the soil where organisms break down pollutants and naturally filter them out before the water reaches groundwater or our waterways.
Sustainable landscapes conserve water by installing and maintaining high efficiency watering systems making every drop of irrigation water count. They create drought resistant soils by adding compost and mulch. They group plants by watering needs to irrigate them more efficiently.
Sustainable landscapes restore habitats by attracting native pollinators, beneficial insects and other organisms that reduce the need for pesticides. A sustainable landscape restores natural areas on the outskirts of your landscape to diversify the plant community.
Embrace the smaller garden. You can create an instant meditation garden that encourages you to stop and sit for a couple minutes by placing a small bench where you can view something interesting in your garden. Small gardens are not only compact, they are easier to care for. Containers on the patio or deck allow you to grow plants for food as well as for the birds and the bees. There are more new dwarf vegetable, herb and flower varieties being introduced every year.
Combine ornamental plants with edibles. Your veggies don’t have to be in a special raised bed or plot but can be planted throughout the garden. Think tomatoes, pole beans and other vining veggies trained on a metal obelisk within a perennial bed. Or compact versions of beans, eggplant, chard, hot peppers, tomatoes or edible flowers like nasturtiums planted among your other plants or along path borders.
Sustainable landscapes are responsive to the environment, regenerative, energy efficient and can actively contribute to the development of healthy communities.
Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California-certified nursery professional, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Email her at ja******@ao*.com, or visit jannelsonlandscapedesign.com.
