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Going Green? Try These Ten Steps to a Better Garden and Backyard

Going green is the newest trend worldwide with many people taking steps to reduce their environmental footprint and try to create sustainable practices as opposed to the wasteful living many of us are guilty of now. One of the best places to start is in the garden and backyard. Traditionally, these are areas where a lot of harsh chemicals are used to kill weeds and ensure a healthy lawn, but at what cost? There are plenty of ways to have a beautiful garden and enviable backyard décor while also doing our part for the environment.

1. Use Natural Sunlight

One way to begin is to use the very source of light nature provides us. Purchasing solar powered lights allows us to save energy, using them to store light by day for use at night. Depending on the theme of the backyard décor, they can be purchased to resemble rocks or other natural objects, or purchased on strings and used in artistic ways to provide a warm glow around patios, gazeboes or other areas. And of course, adding a motion sensor means they only activate when you need them.

2. A Good Reason to Cook Outdoors

The best reason to cook outdoors during the summer is that it saves energy. Everyone knows how a hot kitchen means turning up the AC, but by firing up the barbecue, you not only save energy indoors, but you can enjoy an occasional outdoor evening meal with the family. Add to that a tastefully (and Green!) furnished outdoor dining area and dinner can become a special experience.

3. Natural Décor is Better

The more natural your patio, backyard, and garden decorations look, the more appealing to the eye they will be. Don’t use metal chairs that can rust, for example. Natural woods like cedar look beautiful and age well. And since they are naturally durable, you can avoid using dangerous paints, sealants, and other chemicals. Just remember to use wood that has been harvested in an environmentally conscious fashion and don’t forget also that rocks can be used to great effect in the backyard or garden to accent other décor.

4. Use Local Flora for Your Garden and Backyard

Another sustainable way to take care of your garden and backyard is to use local flora instead of paying extra for trees and plants from other areas. This is because, since they are acclimated to the temperature and rainfall, they will require much less watering and maintenance, and they will provide shelter for birds and other local wildlife. And attracting birds and butterflies will enhance your garden’s beauty. Speaking of beauty, don’t overlook the artful placement of rocks to highlight areas of your backyard.

5. Minimize Your Lawn

The American obsession with having the perfect lawn is slowly fading away as the price for such extravagance becomes clear. Many native plants were considered weeds and dangerous chemicals were used to get rid of them. But that is changing gradually. You can do your part by allowing native plants to grow alongside the grass, filling out your lawn and still keeping it green and beautiful. A mixed lawn will require less maintenance and can still be mowed and trimmed as desired.

6. Adding Water as a Soothing Touch

What garden or backyard design would be complete without water added into it? A soothing fountain can become a beautiful place to gather one’s thoughts and relax, and by making sure it is solar powered, it too will be a green and environmentally friendly addition. Another possibility is a fish pond. They are inexpensive to install and can quickly become the favored place for outdoor gatherings as well as quiet contemplation.

7. Use Wood Grown Responsibly

One such variety of wood is red cedar, which can be used in a variety of ways, from patio deck work to furniture, both indoors as well as in the garden and backyard. It easily resists rot and decay, and any wood that is raised on a tree farm on in a similar fashion reduces environmental waste and contributes to a sustainable and renewable environment.

8. Looking at the Long Term

Always consider the long term lifespan of the products you purchase. If poorly made and low quality, it will wear out before you know it and end up contributing to more trash in a landfill. Even recyclable goods require an investment in energy and materials to be effective, so the best alternative is to purchase products that are of good long lasting quality. Ideally, you would want to be able to give items away when you’re finished with them, and they may even increase in value. Also, when making room to redecorate, don’t throw things away. Instead organize a sale or donate them.

9. Avoid Dating Your Décor

Another thing to keep in mind is to be careful when shopping for larger items or deciding on the overall design of your backyard and garden décor. The last thing you want is to choose items that in a few years will make your furnishings look like something out of an old movie. When shopping for items like porch umbrellas, picnic tables, etc. choose the ones that are classic in design and unlikely to lose their appeal. Wooden porch swings, for example, never go out of style and enhance the enjoyment of any outdoor design. Keeping these ideas in mind will give you a timeless and enjoyable environment that can be enjoyed for generations.

10. And Don’t Forget the Five R’s For the Green Enthusiast

Reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, and redecorate. These are the words to live by if you are truly interested in changing to a greener lifestyle. So much of our culture is geared towards being disposable that we forget that so many things we have can be repaired and reused. Sometimes all that is needed is a simple repair or a new cushion to make something as good as new. Always keep an eye out for furnishings that are recyclable or easily repaired or refinished so that you can keep it for as long as possible. And don’t forget, when redecorating, sell or give away the old; don’t simply toss it in the trash.

The switch to a greener lifestyle is a step towards helping to heal the environment one step at a time. The changes aren’t difficult at all, since all it takes is a little more awareness when you shop and an eye for the long term impact of your purchases. And by teaching out children these lessons, we can insure that these practices will continue on in future generations.

About the Author
Jay Chua, an outdoorsman and nature enthusiast, lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife Deisy. Jay enjoyed relaxing on his hatteras rope hammock when not tending to the organic fruit trees at his yard. He also likes sharing what he knows about using green practices to decorate the garden and backyard. His website PorchSwingSets.com provides a wide array of options that keep green and durability in mind such as the pawleys hammock stand.

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Rooftop gardens is a method of gardening we are starting to hear more and more about. And not only in your typical high rise city, like Chicago’s City Hall who’s gardens on the roof are open to the public by appointment. The gardens were built as part of an EPA study and initiative to combat the urban heat island effect and to improve urban air quality.

There is also, London’s secret treasure, Kensington Gardens,  a protected historic preservation site. These rooftop gardens were created on top of what was a department store in 1932 to give shoppers a scenic resting spot.

Whether it is a green quiet getaway or a garden for raising your own food you can grow if your structure can support the garden’s weight. The sky is the limit, get it? The sky… roof top… growing toward the light… ooooooh okay, but just LOOK at what some are doing!!

See More…

Rooftop Gardens

Vertically Vegetated Buildings

Chic City Gardens

Whoever says you can’t “kill two birds with one stone” when becoming more energy efficient is absolutely wrong! There are ways to cut down on your home’s energy expenses while adding beautiful landscapes to the yard and, in turn, likely increasing your home’s value.

A well designed landscape will:

• Cut your summer and winter energy costs dramatically
• Protect your home from winter wind and summer sun
• Reduce consumption of water, pesticides, and fuel for landscaping and lawn maintenance
• Help control noise and air pollution

By planting trees in optimal locations, you can save up to 25% of your home’s energy consumption for heating and cooling, which ends up being anywhere from $100 to $250 annually. In less than 8 years, you will have likely earned back whatever price you put into landscaping the lawn to begin with. And, as stated above, you are realistically raising the value of your home in the process.

“Shading and evapotranspiration (the process by which a plant actively moves and releases water vapor) from trees can reduce surrounding air temperature as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit.” In addition, the temperature directly underneath the tree may be reduced by as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit. As well as all of that, the cost of summer air condition bills can be decreased by as much as 15% to 50% with the aid of properly located landscaping.

Depending on what part of the United States you are located in, wind chill factor may be an issue during the winter. As you know, this can drastically drop the temperature by numerous degrees. By adding trees and fences as a windbreak, you can shield your home from the biting wind. When the freezing cold wind hits the walls and windows of your house, it decreases the temperature inside, causing more heat to be needed to offset this temperature reduction. With these landscape additions, you can counteract the negative results of this cold air and prevent having to run the heater as high or as often.

Landscaping Strategies by Region

Temperature

• Maximize warming effects of the sun in the winter
• Maximize shade during the summer
• Deflect winter winds away from buildings
• Funnel summer breezes toward the home

Hot-Arid

• Provide shade to cool roofs, walls and windows
• Allow summer winds to access naturally cooled homes
• Block or deflect winds away from air conditioned homes

Hot-Humid

• Channel summer breezes toward the home
• Maximize summer shade with trees that still allow penetration of low angle winter sun
• Avoid locating planting beds close to the home if they require frequent watering

Cool

• Use dense windbreaks to protect the home from cold winter winds
• Allow the winter sun to reach south facing windows
• Shade south and west windows and walls from the direct summer sun, if summer overheating is a problem

With more and more homeowners trying to maximize their home’s living space, it is no wonder home construction and renovation companies are recording record profits. But by assessing what you have and with a little creativity, new outdoor living and entertaining spaces or “outdoor rooms” can be had without spending the thousands of dollars it would take to actually add rooms to your existing home.

Late fall through early spring is a great time to assess how space is used in your home. Often, decks and patios go unused or underused. These areas are becoming “standard issue” add-ons in new home construction, and new homebuyers many times will not be prepared to furnish these areas after moving in. Obviously, these areas are great places to begin the creation of outdoor rooms. Also, places you wouldn’t normally think of for use in entertaining – flat, shady spots in the yard, for example – may also lie empty and waiting for use. In other words, when you think of your “home,” think of your entire property and how you can utilize each area to its fullest. Many times, there are ways you can create “backyard retreats” in these underused areas without much trouble or cost, and truly bring the indoors out.

The primary focus of a new or existing outdoor room could be a pond or falling water feature, fire pit or flowerbed. In most cases, however, the heart of an outdoor living space is an outdoor furniture grouping, either large or small. Lately gaining in popularity, groupings of “Adirondack furniture” including Adirondack chairs, tables, loveseats and rockers, are an excellent choice for creating seating groups. Naturally at home in the outdoors, wood furniture offers durability, comfort, and the natural look that you expect from a natural material. Adirondack furniture is exceptionally comfortable, and has a design that has withstood nearly a century of use. Thus, furniture groupings including Adirondack chairs and other Adirondack furniture will certainly give long, comfortable service during the warmer months of the year!

In addition to the seating and table grouping you choose, strategically adding plants or small shrubs, either in planter boxes or large terra-cotta pots (for mobility and flexibility) can help to define the seating area of an outdoor room and create a more intimate “escape” just meters from your home. Small boxwood shrubs are extremely attractive when potted and placed around a furniture grouping. They are also very easy to maintain. Potentilla shrubs are equally as nice when potted, hardy in many climate zones, and will flower in yellow, white or orange throughout most of the summer. Erecting a cedar arbor or cedar pergola at the entrance to your patio or backyard retreat is a wonderful way to add a welcoming touch as well. Plant some climbing flowers or vines at the base of your arbor or pergola, and the setting will become that much more rich and lush.

As you take time to assess your increasing need for living space during the upcoming warm months, also take into account traffic flow from one area to another: from a deck to a patio and then on to a set of Adirondack chairs on the lawn, for example. Creating “hallways” from one to another with plants (either in pots or in the ground) or temporary or permanent stepping stones (either natural or cast concrete) will help tie each living area together visually as well as physically.

Finally, the most important suggestion in creating your outdoor living rooms: enjoy the experience! From brainstorming to planning to finding the furniture and accessories to the actual creation of your new living areas, have fun and be creative. The best outdoor living areas, like the best indoor living areas, are personal reflections of the owner filled with warm, inviting seating and objects that make visitors feel at home and the owners relaxed and comfortable.

Jayson Gerth is the general manager of the Iowa Adirondack Company: http://www.Iowa-Adirondack.com which offers a large online assortment of the best Adirondack chairs.
More information on Outdoor Living

Garden furniture is becoming more popular than ever. Outdoor living has become an extension of indoor living, and today’s garden furniture is a reflection of that.

At one time, garden furniture consisted primarily of iron, wood or concrete benches, and wrought iron café table and chair sets. Later, folding aluminum lawn chairs and lounges were the most common outdoor furniture. The aluminum frames were covered with strips of nylon strapping that was woven together in a basket weave to make seats and backs, and then bolted to the frames.

During the seventies, having a wood sun deck was in vogue, and a wider variety of outdoor furniture was in fashion. A common style was redwood furniture featuring removable cushions with water resistant coverings. Redwood deck furniture often came in sets, with loveseats, chairs, coffee tables, end tables. Adirondack chairs were also commonly found, and were favored among the do-it-yourselfers who proudly built their chairs to match their decks.

The current trend in garden furniture is in furnishing outdoor “rooms” that are very much like a living room or dining room that would be found inside the house, only in an outdoor version. Much of this furniture needs to be protected from the environment, and so work best on a covered patio, under a covered trellis, or inside one of the popular canvas gazebos. In cooler climates a sun room or all-season room may be used when weather does not allow for outdoor activities.

The canvas gazebos are usually square or hexagonal shaped frames of wood, aluminum or steel covered by a canvas topper. The sides feature canvas drapes that can be left open to let the air in, or pulled closed for protection from the elements. Many of them also come with mesh curtains that can be pulled closed to allow in fresh air and sunshine while keeping bugs and pests out.

The garden furniture of today may have very thick cushions with luxurious cloth covers. Coffee tables and end tables can have glass, tile, slate or mosaic tops in addition to wood or metal tops. Garden “rooms”, whether on a covered patio or inside a gazebo, are usually furnished with the same sort of decorative items one would expect to find in an indoor room, such as throw pillows, lamps, candles, wall hangings, plants and flower arrangements. Decorative bowls, pottery or other designer pieces may adorn tables, and even rugs may be used in more temperate climates. Outdoor rooms might also feature an outdoor fireplace, fountain or a bar for serving beverages.

Another trend is to build a small wood shed or one room “cottages,” furnishing them to serve as guest rooms, studios or home offices. These outbuildings have become actual rooms that are a cross between indoor and open air outdoor living. In warmer climates, some people may construct a large permanent tent on wood or concrete floors. With electrical hookups, these tents can also feature all the comforts of indoor living with the feeling of being outdoors in the garden.

Hal Lewis is a writer for http://www.RogersGardens.com in Newport Beach, CA. Check them out for Garden Furniture tips and care, as well as general Outdoor Living guides.

Article Source: http://www.organicgardenarticles.com