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.
You can also choose to make your
own compost in the garden, which
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.
www.kedel.co.uk
8 www.landud.co.uk Follow us @ludmagazine