When it comes to landscaping you have choices. You have to decide what you want your landscape to bring you. Most people want their landscape to be beautiful, but in today’s world, many are also conscious about “going green” and are looking for alternatives to help our planet. The following are some recent trends in the industry that will eventually become the norm.
Permeable Pavers…
What are Permeable Pavers? Well what they do is they provide a solid ground surface, strong enough to take heavy loads, like large vehicles, while at the same time they allow water to filter through the surface and reach the underlying soils. In other words a Permeable Paver system is a self-draining system. The voids in the surface of the paving allow water to drain through and into the soil beneath.
Permeable Pavers can provide many environmental benefits with the greatest one being the preservations of our most precious resource – water. We can’t live without water and permeable pavers actually help protect the quality of our water supplies. They reduce the amount of storm water runoff entering our natural waterways and carrying with it contaminants and pollutants. Thus the water is allowed to naturally drain into the surface through the voids in the permeable pavers. This promotes the infiltration of rainwater and also helps to recharge the groundwater. Another environmental benefit is that applying Permeable Pavers means less storm water runoff, which means that our streams and riverbeds are less likely to flood as often and there will be a reduction in the rate of the erosion of riverbanks and streambeds.
Another benefit is economical. There is a lot of money saved when using Permeable Pavers, particularly in the installation phase. Contractors/builders can save money on drainage systems and retention systems because installing permeable pavers means that you are installing a self-drainage system at the same time. Not only will the contractors/builders save but then you the customer will as well because the savings are passed on in lower costs.
Green Walls…
Green Wall systems combine great design scope with a number of ecological and performance benefits. This latest technology may be used for a wide variety of projects – from small garden projects to large industrial and commercial developments. Its benefits are being realized across both the public and private sectors.
A well designed and maintained Green Wall can significantly enhance a house or building’s appearance – whether it’s to add a new aesthetic dimension, disguise something, refresh a tired façade or add color and texture to a complete wall or section. Green wall systems can help to protect a house/building’s façade and extend its life, acting as an effective shield to heavy rain and hail and helping to protect from the damaging effects of UV light.
A green wall used on appropriate elevations can reduce energy costs by both providing an additional layer of insulation in the winter (keeping heat in) and acting as a screen to the sun in the summer (keeping the house/building cool). The insulation of a green wall can also absorb sound – making a positive impact for both the home/building’s occupants and the local environment.
With a strong base from the trellis and appropriate planting, a green wall can provide an ideal habitat for wildlife. In many cases, it can also provide an alternative habitat for any wildlife displaced during construction, with the option of integrating bird houses within the structure.
Lastly, a green wall in an urban area can help improve local air quality, both by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, and by trapping dust and other pollutants.
Green Roofs…Besides being aesthetically pleasing, a green roof can provide numerous environmental, technical and owner benefits – all are things to consider when having one of these installed.
The ecological benefits are many but most importantly green roofs cool and humidify the surrounding air creating a microclimate which has beneficial effects within the immediate area. They also create biodiversity, encouraging wildlife, such as birds, butterflies and insects, to remain within urban areas. And of course green roof vegetation helps to filter out dust and smog particles.
Depending on the design, a green roof can typically reduce storm water run-off by 50 to 90%. Additionally, the peak flow volume is greatly reduced and the peak flow period is delayed by as much as 4 hours, minimizing the impact on existing sewer systems. Green roofs can also improve the thermal resistance of the roof assembly throughout the year, especially in summer months by helping to reduce cooling costs. One last technological benefit is the reduction of noise levels. A typical roof can lower reflective sound by up to 3dB and improve sound insulation by up to 8dB – very effective if near an airport or busy highway.
As an owner, some of the benefits to a green roof include increased life expectancy of the roof and providing additional usable space which in turn will increase the property value. More and more municipalities and other government agencies are providing incentives that can help off-set the cost of a green roof.
Artificial Turf, Edible & Native Landscaping…
You can have the normal grass landscaping with a few landscaping shrubs and landscaping plants that often involves high maintenance and lots of water in order to preserve it.
However, with water shortage and restrictions these days, more and more people are looking at options that are low maintenance and low water usage by replacing water guzzling grass with cutting-edge green technology using 100% biodegradable artificial turf. No more watering or mowing the grass and your yard looks perfect all year long. It doesn’t turn brown in the winter, but remains beautiful year round.
Many homeowners are replacing high maintenance backyard landscape with edible landscape that includes fruit trees, vegetable gardens and drought tolerant plants that can be easily maintained with a drip water system. You can add your own herb and greens garden and supply food for the family year round. Edible landscaping is not only beautiful, but can supply nutritional foods that can be harvested for your family table.
If edible landscaping is not your thing, you may want to consider desert landscaping or native landscaping. Both of these landscapes are friendly environmentally and include low maintenance plants so that they require less water. A well designed native landscaping design can include native wildflowers and native ferns that add color to your backyard landscape. There are many landscape design ideas that include ground cover plants, drought tolerant plants and native gardening that add beauty to your landscape.
Begin creating your dream outdoor space today. Reach out for a personalized consultation, and let’s turn your vision into reality — crafted with care and built entirely by our in-house team.
