How to create an eco-friendly

GARDEN DESIGN HOW TO CREATE AN ECO-FRIENDLY GARDEN

Whether you’re looking to improve the sustainability of your garden or wanting to start living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, creating an eco-friendly garden is a good place to begin.

We’ve curated this simple guide featuring just a few of the different ways you can help make your garden more eco-friendly today.

Plastic Decking

Using plastic decking in your garden instead of wooden decking has many benefits.

Dermot Walch, MD of Kedel says ‘First of all, plastic decking has a very low carbon footprint. Using recycled plastic keeps a wide variety of plastic out of landfills, and turns it into a product with both ecological and financial benefits.

Secondly, it requires no maintenance and is impervious to moisture, mould and insects. Wooden decking regularly needs treating and replacing after a short while of use, while plastic decking will never rot, wear away or splinter. Cleaning of plastic decking is easy, and looks good for a lifetime.’

While it may be pricier at the beginning, wooden decking will save you a lot of money, time and effort in the long run.

Solar powered lights

Decorating and lighting your garden with solar powered lights reduces the need for electricity to be wired into your garden, making them easy to place anywhere you’d like.

While battery powered lights are an option too, you’ll find you’ll need to replace these batteries pretty frequently if the lights are going to be on all night, which is why solar powered lights are both better environmentally and financially.

Water Collecting

Installing a water butt of your choice on a downpipe allows you to collect rainwater for use in the garden instead of using water from a tap.

The absence of many chemicals found in tap water makes rainwater a very good option for watering plants, and can highly reduce your utility bills, especially in the summer months.

Growing your own fruit and vegetables

Growing your own fruit and vegetables in the garden diminishes the need for food transportation and delivery systems that create harmful emissions. Opting for recycled plastic growing beds are a good way to incorporate some recycled materials into your garden, and will never rot, making them reliable and sustainable. will help repurpose kitchen and garden waste into compost you can use to help make your garden grow.

Increase wildlife

Increasing wildlife in your garden, such as increasing the amount of bees and birds you see is a good way to turn your garden into a helpful eco-system for wildlife.

Flowers that attract bees due to their pollen and nectar include the likes of honeysuckles, bluebells, primroses and foxgloves, while installing bird boxes and birdfeeders is a good way to invite a variety of different birds to your garden.

This new eco-system will work in your favour, with birds eating worms and caterpillars that could damage plants and flowers, diminishing the need for excessive pesticide use.