Sustainable Landscaping
/What is sustainable landscaping?
Sustainable landscaping is a concept of using design, construction and maintenance that encompasses ecologically sound practices to use your landscape like a mini watershed. This would include retaining and cleaning storm water, conserving water and establishing healthy plan and wildlife habitat.
Sustainable landscapes save water, time and money. Generally a sustainable garden landscape will require significantly less water than a traditional landscape, produce less green waste and fewer maintenance hours. How can this not seem like the attractive option us Coloradans want to follow??!!
The east coast traditional green lawn landscape is simply not the ideal sustainable landscape in western states with dry climate and less precipitation per year than our East Coast regions. Selecting climate appropriate plants helps ensure they will thrive in the landscape and require minimal ongoing replacement costs. Load up your garden with hardy high altitude plants like Mountain Zinnia, Cosmos, Penstemon, Hollyhock, Osteo’s and Geraniums as a starting point toward a sustainable Colorado garden.
START WITH SMALL CHANGES…
Sustainable practices as you consider and work toward adjusting your home landscape can include many small yet effective practices to reduce water consumption, energy waste and green waste.
The small changes you can make as an individual include -
Hand pruning, use of manual powered maintenance equipment and the elimination of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are a few things you can work to change without economic impacts and a little extra manual effort.
Some regions (check on this as you work toward a sustainable landscape allow keeping storm and gray water onsite to provide water for your landscape. This leads to cleaner waterways and oceans, protects wildlife and allows for groundwater recharging.
One of the single most important concepts in establishing a sustainable landscape is ensuring you follow the three basic principles below
RIGHT PLANT - RIGHT PLACE - RIGHT TIME
Choose your plants strategically, specific to your Colorado landscape. Ensure you plant Colorado natives such as Pontentilla, Three Leaf Sumac, Blue Spruce’s and Bristlecone Pine as the base to your landscape. These climate adapted plants will additionally provide habitat for pollinators, insects and birds.
Then add some color with flowering plants carefully, being mindful to have early, mid and late flowering perennials for flowers all summer season. Mingle Zinnia, Cosmos, Coneflowers, Columbine, hardy Marigold, Bergamot, Oswego tea, Speedwells and Ivy/Geranium Ivy for a full blooming garden all summer long.
See the link below for great flower choices in mountain communities that provide beauty and sustainability
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/flowers-for-mountain-communities-7-406/
Choose non invasive plants that will not spread aggressively and can cause ecological damage. The USDA has an updated and comprehensive listing of Colorado invasive species located there
https://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=08
As a business owner Mountain Organic Landscaping strives to beautify your garden with the right plant, right place, right time philosophy. We ensure there are no synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides entering the landscape and eventually our water source by practicing a fully organic landscaping mindset. Please comment or contact us at info@mtorganiclandscaping.com with further questions.