Going Green in the Garden

Although most gardens are full of greenery, natural plants, flowers and wildlife, they can also be one of the most ecologically unfriendly places in your home. In the urge for a green lawn, weed free borders and beautiful flowers many keen gardeners resort to tough chemicals and in our throw-away society renewing the garden furniture often means getting rid of something old, yet basically sound to make way for the new. However you can have a beautiful garden without compromising eco-friendly principles. Here are a few tips to help.

1. Garden Furniture

Going green with your garden furniture does not mean plumping for green patio cushions! Choose natural furniture made from sustainable materials rather than plastic (unless you can find a patio set in recycled plastic). If your furniture is basically good but looking old, revamp it by giving it a good clean and recover your patio cushions rather than buying new.

2. Little and Often

Keep weeds at bay by removing them before they take over. Little and often is the key to weeding to avoid letting things get out of hand. If your garden is a bit of a wilderness now, it will take some work to get it looking good again, but better that than filling your soil with noxious chemicals.

3. Compost

A compost bin is your friend. Keep a small tub in the kitchen so that you have no excuse for putting vegetable peelings in the trash and empty it into a larger bin in the garden regularly. Compost all grass clippings and leaves and use the resultant mixture to condition your soil. The difference between the beautifully textured soil which has been enriched with natural compost and soil which has been artificially fertilized is like chalk and cheese.

4. Natural Predators

Encourage wildlife such as birds, bees and butterflies to your garden by letting a small patch in a corner of your garden run a little wild and providing food in the form of berry laden bushes and flowering plants supplemented by a bird table in winter if necessary. This will help to keep pests down to a manageable level without resorting to pesticides.