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| -This post is in collaboration with Greensleeves- |
It’s more important than ever to look after the environment right now. Eco-friendliness is on everyone’s minds, and the more opportunity we have to protect nature and encourage more people to act on the global environmental crisis, the better! Thankfully, there are endless ways we can work together to do our bit, and the best thing about it is that it can start in the comfort of your own garden.
To give you some simple ways to create an eco-friendly garden, I’ve teamed up with Greensleeves, lawn care experts, who are committed to their environmental policy, and understand just how important it is to care for the environment as much as possible.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
There are so many ways in which you can reduce the amount of harmful products you use in your garden, reuse things to save on waste, and use recycled materials in as many areas of your garden as possible. These materials can not only help the effect we’re having on the environment, but can also release a bit of creative flair from you too.
- Old materials like tin baths and buckets, and even old scaffolding boards can be put to good use, creating some personalised flower beds or creating a certain theme within your garden. Plant pots and garden furniture can now be made out of recycled materials to ensure harmful plastics and other items aren’t littering our planet.
- Eco materials can help to reduce your carbon footprint in more ways than one. For example, green materials can be sourced locally, and the creation and production of these materials create fewer air miles too.
- Collecting rain water using a water butt is a really effective way of reusing water naturally to water your garden, instead of using the water from your taps.
Cut back on the chemicals.
Unnatural chemicals, even though they may work wonders on your garden, do come at a price. A lot of garden chemicals used to get rid of common garden pests or weeds can remain active in your garden for months, and their toxic vapours can not only harm the environment over time, but can also cause illness if inhaled by you or your pets.
There are a number of ways in which you can naturally remove pests and weeds from your garden, without contaminating your lawn and flowerbeds with harmful chemicals:
- Use strong jets of water to get rid of any flies or other insects from your lawn. You can also keep an eye out for young caterpillars and get rid of them before they start to grow and become a problem.
- Cover growing weeds with plastic sheeting to weigh them down and prevent them from growing further.
- Spread compost or shredded bark around your plants to prevent weeds from going.
Grow eco-friendly plants.
Instead of building walls, choose to grow a hedge or rows of plants. Not only will this contribute to the eco-friendliness of your garden, but also gives wildlife areas to nest or keep safe from predators. It’s also important to grow plants and shrubs where they’ll be happiest. For example, in plenty of sunlight, your plants will thrive, and with a little water, they can look after themselves. Do a little research into where your chosen plants will grow the best, and you’ll see a positive difference in how they look.
Make your own compost.
A good compost is a healthy compost, and improving your soil can be easier than you think. Making your own compost can be done by recycling green waste, like lawn clippings, hedge trimmings, vegetable peelings and fallen leaves. It’s completely free to make and over time, you’ll have a good amount of compost to use in your garden.
There are so many ways to create an eco-friendly garden.
Your garden is your own space, so it makes sense to make it look its best whilst also keeping it as environmentally friendly as possible. Do you have any clever ways to create an eco-friendly garden? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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