For those not in know, it’s easy to think that gardening is pretty eco-friendly by its very definition. After all, cultivation of plants, veg and flowers is surely as green as it gets, right?
However, there are a number of ways that gardening in its many forms can adversely affect the environment.
Chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers are prime examples of this, while something as simple as lopping down a sun-blocking tree can be exponentially harmful to your garden’s ecosystem.
Avoid any planetary blunders and keep your garden green in every way by following these top tips to an eco-friendly garden.
Eco-friendly garden ideas
Creating an eco-friendly garden doesn’t mean you have to leave your modern life behind, dedicate your new life to plants and erect a wind farm in your back yard (although each to their own).
Thankfully, it’s actually a lot easier and less life-altering than that. To get you started on your journey to eco-enlightenment, here are two easy ways to keep your garden as green as can be.
Promote wildlife
Encourage wildlife in your garden by making it attractive for the various species native to your area. Why not add a bird feeder to your space to instantly bring a healthy dose of nature to your garden?
Meanwhile, bees are famed for their pollination powers, making their presence all the more important. Adding brightly coloured plants like lavender, honeysuckle and foxgloves can be a great way to attract these pollinatory powerhouses.
If you’re really looking to go all-in, why not invest in a bee hotel or, better yet, make your own? Simple yet effective, these specially made “Bee&Bees” are perfect for ensuring good beehive-iour in your garden.
…Moving on!
Solar-power
Making the use of your natural surroundings can be surprisingly easy when it comes to making your garden eco-friendly, particularly when it comes to using solar-power.
Harnessing renewable sun-power in your garden can be as simple as switching your electric outdoor lights for solar-panel lights. These are readily available on at most garden centres, hardware stores and even large supermarkets.
Meanwhile, solar panels can also be used to power other garden features, from pond pumps to water fountains. What’s more, the addition of water features also lends itself well to the previous point, aiding wildlife promotion in your garden.
How to make eco-friendly garden choices
If you do have your heart set on decking or a patio for your garden, don’t despair. While tearing up a section of your garden in favour of wood or stone may not seem like the most eco-friendly option, it doesn’t make you a bad person!
AlfrescoPlus is a safe option, with the environment high on the company priorities. To minimise our carbon footprint, both our porcelain pavers and our composite decking options are extremely durable and hard-wearing.
Built to last, each tile and board boasts superior fade, stain and scratch resistance, minimising the effects on the environment by negating the need for a replacement.
But we don’t just stop there. We are on a mission to make gardens truly green in every way, which why we’ve made our paving and decking as eco-friendly as possible.
Eco-friendly porcelain
All of our porcelain tiles and pavers are rigorously tested to ensure they go above and beyond environmental standards, adhering to the strict criteria of the European Ecolabel. This ensures that all of our products and their associated processes are specifically designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible.
From the sourcing of raw materials nearby to reduce transportation to reusing water and saving energy during the manufacturing process itself, every effort is taken to ensure that our carbon footprint barely leaves a track.
BROWSE PAVING
Eco-friendly paving tips
Rain gardens allow rainwater to run off hard surfaces following a downpour, channelling this water into a designated patch of plants. By creating shallow grooves into paving slabs you can guide water run-off into your drainage channel or even directly into the rain garden itself.
Eco-friendly decking
Like our porcelain products, our decking options abide by a similar code of ethics as well. Our decking is made from a unique blend of recycled hardwood and pure polymer resins, 73% of our which is recycled materials (with an aim of reaching 95% recycled material in the near future).
No trees at all are cut down to make our products and all our composite wood products are made with reclaimed wood. Meanwhile, none of our decking requires painting, sealing or staining – minimising the use of potentially harmful materials.
What’s more, our product packaging is made with 43% recycled material and are 100% recyclable. Even our deck lights use energy efficient bulbs!
BROWSE DECKING
Eco-friendly decking tips
Reusing waste materials is a great way to preserve the environment and can even be used to directly influence the environment in your garden. Leftover decking can easily be made into any number of environmentally-friendly garden additions: from birdhouses to flower box planters.
For more tips on our eco-friendly options, why not drop us a line on 0800 028 8756 today? Alternatively, get in touch online using the button below and make your garden a little greener today!
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