Garden Office Blog

Avoiding green impact in garden design

Avoiding green impact in garden design

By Steven Willis on 24th August, 2010

It's an unusual and somewhat ironic fact that keeping a pristine and meticulous garden is often a rather environmentally-unfriendly endeavour. Immaculate lawns, particularly during hot summer months, demand a near-daily soaking of water to retain an even colour and patch-free covering. Vibrant colours throughout the garden, from the lawn to flowering plants, are often achieved with the use of chemical-based feeders and insecticides.

So, when designing and maintaining a garden it's important to take environmental aspects into account as well as just visual, and in doing so it is possible to create an outdoor space that not only looks great but naturally flourishes in the process.

The selection of native plants and trees, or species that are otherwise naturally suited to the climate and environment in which you live, is an important consideration in planning a garden. The more attuned to the local conditions a plant is, the less water and attention it will need to survive ongoing. Particularly exotic flora requires far greater supply of water and specialist treatment when planted in unsympathetic climes.

A garden office, while unmistakably a structural addition, can also play a key ongoing role in this green-minded approach.

A green-planted roof is one of the most effective ways to integrate a garden building into the surrounding landscape. In fact, an established sedum-based roof will create a living habitat for plants and garden-friendly insects that wouldn't have existed before the building's arrival. As well as providing a thriving mini ecosystem, a 'living' roof will also naturally insulate the interior of the building and deliver excellent rainwater performance.


Category:  Environment

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