By Mari Sciarappa
Green landscaping, which has grown in popularity over the past few years, entails ensuring that your landscaping not only adheres to environmentally-friendly principles, but potentially enhances the environment around you as well.
Anyone who has ever tried it knows that cultivating a beautiful and functional garden around your home is not an easy task.
Tanya Visser, a noted garden guru and green landscaper, believes that when considering what plants to choose, the indigenous option is not always the best way to go. “This may be a controversial statement,” she adds, “but consider this: indigenous plants still need water, fertiliser and the occasional pruning to get the best out of them”.
The more important factor should be to choose plants for your particular climatic conditions regardless of whether they are exotic or indigenous. She says that grouping plants together in zones according to their water needs will save on our most precious resource.
When it comes to green gardening, water conservation is a pivotal consideration. To that end, there are several options available on the market to assist in conserving water.
According to experts at JoJo Tanks, South Africa is a relatively dry country, and the problem is exacerbated by an average annual rainfall of about 464mm (compared to a world average of about 860mm).
The company believes that every South African should invest in some sort of system to save water. JoJo Tanks, with its wide selection of water tanks ranging from 750l to 20 000l, is a great option when considering a water storage solution. Another water conservation solution – one that is getting a great deal of attention in today’s market – is rainwater harvesting. Experts from Rain Harvesting Systems define this as the practice of collecting rainwater and storing it for subsequent use.
The most common form of rainwater harvesting is from the roofs of buildings, but it can also be collected as storm-water runoff through specially prepared ground surfaces or via subsoil drainage from turf areas.
Rainwater can be used for outdoor use, such as irrigation or pool filling, and for the indoors, it can be used for flushing the toilet.
Another interesting aspect of sustainability available on the market is the edible garden – a system whereby you grow food in your garden and use it for nourishment. Not only does this help the environment, but it is also an organic, green way to live and eat.
Urban Harvest, a company that holds this cause close to its heart, offers courses on natural farming techniques and is able to establish a healthy, sustainable food production system which is perfectly suited to your environment and needs.
Taking care of our environment means taking care of our homes and landscapes. Through these green alternatives to landscaping solutions, we can work together to make our world, and our homes, just a little bit greener.
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