Now Reading
Landscapes Go Green
SIGN UP
Dark Light

Landscapes Go Green

1-9 cohen art

1-9 cohen art

Today’s consumers are more environmentally savvy than ever before, so it’s good that there are plenty of like-minded landscape designers and watershapers out there – “green-oriented” professionals who are more than interested in working with homeowners to create outdoor environments that are beautiful and comfortable as well as eco-friendly.

As with so many other elements of the process of designing and building, I’ve learned from experience that it works out for the best if the green ideas are part of the design/construction process from the start. All it takes is a few steps to weave these environmentally positive details into the initial design and keep them in mind as the entire project unfolds. The result will be a completed project that will be kind to the environment – and gorgeous as well.

Strategic Planting

We at The Green Scene Landscaping & Pools (Northridge, Calif.) start these green-friendly projects by thinking about plants – and putting the right ones in the right places.

Properly selected trees, for one, offer a conscientious means of providing for comfort both indoors and out. We often place deciduous trees on the west or south side of the house, for instance, to help control both summer and winter energy costs by shading the home and yard when it’s hot and, after these trees lose their leaves in the fall, letting the sun shine in when it’s not.

A vine-covered pergola over an outdoor room is another thoughtful way to create a cool space. In fact, we frequently recommend this approach rather than solid roofs over outdoor sitting areas because a living roof actually does the cooling job much more effectively. This is so because plants help air-condition their surroundings through a process known as transpiration: In hot weather, they cool themselves down by releasing water through their leaves, which helps keep the plants (and the people nearby) cool and fresh on hot afternoons.

We like to use deciduous flowering vines such as wisteria for these living roofs. They lose their leaves in winter, so a wisteria-covered pergola adapts to the changing seasons in ways a solid roof never could. These plants also add an intoxicating fragrance to an outdoor haven when they’re in flower.

Recycle Beautifully

Finding new uses for old materials is one of the easiest ways to integrate environmentally friendly design concepts into backyard projects. Indeed, gardens provide wonderful opportunities to create striking artistic elements from materials that would otherwise have to be hauled away.

My company frequently uses recycled glass in our designs – including the recycled wine bottles we arrange to serve as colorful waterfalls, walls and counters. Or we’ll break them and other glass objects up and use them to create intricate mosaics.

Striking details can be created from just about anything if you approach the process with an open mind and a creative spirit. Before disposing of things, look around: There are unique, interesting building materials everywhere – and many of them are free.

If a project involves the demolition of an old concrete deck, driveway or walkway, for instance, you can recycle the material instead of carting it off to a landfill. Broken-up pieces of concrete decking can easily be sized to make up unusually decorative walls, and many services now will process reclaimed concrete into a substitute for crushed stone – a material that has a number of valuable potentials in a landscape.

You can also chip in by using recycled mulch made from shredded “urban forest” products. Trees culled from the landscape are creating major disposal issues in many municipalities, and a growing number of enterprises are processing them into mulch that can be used for planting beds, trails and play areas.

Be Water-Wise

Next on our list of considerations is water-conscious design – one of the most important components of an eco-friendly project. Studies repeatedly show that most landscapes are vastly over-watered, which not only wastes money, but also sends one of our most valuable resources right down the drain. All it takes to reverse that situation is a little planning, the right products and a sound planting strategy.

One of the best ways to save water, for instance, involves grouping plantings with similar water requirements together and creating different irrigation zones to meet their needs. If there’s a lawn as one zone, thirsty plants as another zone and drought-tolerant plants as a third, they can each be watered at different rates, as required. Without a zoning system, it’s generally inevitable that some plants will be over-watered as the system meets the need of its thirstiest inhabitants.

Modern irrigation controllers use advanced technology and include highly efficient water-saving features. Some can even be set up to communicate with local weather stations, using the information to adjust watering schedules based on current local weather and expected rainfall.

We’re also big advocates of low-volume sprinklers on lawns and drip systems in planting beds to keep everything thriving while using less water. These products are designed to deliver water at volumes and rates tailored to specific plants’ needs. Because they don’t water faster than plants absorb it, they promote lush growth with minimal runoff.

In the Marketplace

Beyond irrigation systems, there are many products on the market that will help in organizing conservation-conscious backyards. Low-voltage landscape lighting, for example, seems to be getting better all the time, and LED suppliers are getting good at making performance align with expectations – all while delivering high quality light with four times the energy efficiency of incandescent fixtures.

We also get involved with decks made of recycled plastic compressed with wood shavings: They perform well and keep their colors without the need for stains or paints containing harmful chemicals. And we like the new patio roofs that feature louvered panels that can be positioned at any angle to maximize sun or shade as needed, all with the flip of a switch that activates the louvers’ solar-powered motors.

These are just a few of the many ways to green up your landscape. With a little imagination, planning, and the right new products, you can build an eco-friendly backyard that even Mother Nature will love.

Next: A look at eco-friendly watershaping.

Scott Cohen is president and supervising designer of The Green Scene, an outdoor design and construction firm based in Northridge, Calif. He is also the author of books on a range of subjects related to watershaping and landscape design. For more information, go to www.greenscenelandscape.com/scottcohenbooks.html

View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

© 2021 WaterShapes. All Rights Reserved. Designed Powered By GrossiWeb

Scroll To Top