Designing Sustainable Landscapes

        By: Jessica K. Majore & Nicholas L. Bott

In an age of urban sprawl, failing infrastructure, polluted water and green house gasses, we are hearing the word sustainability, more and more frequently. In fact, it seems that everywhere we look there is a new green or sustainable product on the market. Companies are responding to consumer's needs and wants because we are starting to see the effect that products and human activity is having on our planet. For instance, in 1997 Charles J. Moore, a competitive sailor on his journey home after competing in the Transpac sailing race, discovered a vast expanse of floating plastic garbage in the Northern Pacific Ocean. His discovery prompted research into the phenomenon. Researchers found that garbage generated worldwide was accumulating into a concentrated area due to the currents of the ocean. It was dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as The Gyre. It is suspected that thousands of tons of plastic garbage are washed into the Pacific Ocean each year carried by urban costal storm water runoff. It has been speculated that the hidden area of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is greater in size than the state of Texas.

At our current rate of consumption, human beings are using up our Earth's resources one and a half times faster than our planet's capacity for renewal. In order for our children to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle such as the one we have come to appreciate, we need to adopt a sustainable approach to the way we live. Sustainable living simply means preserving our ability to maintain a way of living indefinitely. Areas of sustainable living include personal physical & mental health, our economy, housing, workplaces, natural habitats, food & water supply and energy. Sustainable living success principles also hold true when designing, creating & maintaining landscapes & outdoor living spaces. We now have an opportunity to redefine how we impact and influence the global environment every time we landscape our homes & communities. If you find yourself asking, “How can my backyard landscape make a difference?” here are a few thoughts and suggestions to help you get started:

Harvest Rain Water

Even though Canada has vast quantities of fresh water, the majority of it is not available for human use. In most cases it must be processed and delivered to consumers through a complex and expensive infrastructure. The truth is, Canada has few water shortage issues, but we do have many water distribution problems. By choosing to install a Decorative Rain Barrel of a RainXchange Rain Water Harvesting System , you reduce the load on our municipal systems saving money and resources. Harvested rain water can be captured, filter and reused to wash your car, top up swimming pools, hot tubs and water features, and water your gardens. Gardens grow better when watered with rain water - and Mother Nature supplies it for free!

Mitigate Storm Water Run-Off

Did you know that the rooftop of an average suburban Ottawa home produces 1,250 gallons of water every time it rain one inch? Ottawa usually receives 34.6 inches of rain in a season – that translates into 43,250 gallons of rooftop water run-off every year per household. Considering that there are over 250,000 single family homes in the region, we can easily calculate that Ottawa residential rooftops create over 11 billion gallons of storm water run-off annually. So, where does all that water go? Right now it runs off your roof, across your lawn or driveway, and down the street and into a sewer catch basin. Once into our sewer system, it flows through hundreds of kilometres of pipe, eventually dumping into the Ottawa River.

In many cases storm water catch basins flow directly into our sewage treatment lines. Both water volumes must then be directed to our water treatment plants where we spend millions of dollars processing the combined rain water and sewage mix before it is discharged into the Ottawa River. When our region is struck by a particularly severe rain event, the load created by the combined rainwater and sewage is more than the city infrastructure can handle. To prevent flooding, the municipality has no choice but discharge the excess water into the Ottawa River, thereby contaminating beaches with raw sewage and polluting our beautiful natural environment.

Engineers believe the solution is more infrastructure. Not really a sustainable solution since centralized engineered solutions got us into this mess to begin with. The sustainable solution unfolds only when individual households take responsibility for their own storm water run-off, and the need for expanded infrastructure is virtually eliminated. Here are two ways you can help do your part:

•  Slow down the runoff. This can be achieved by installing french drains, rain gardens and bioswales. French drains create an area for storm water to accumulate and slowly penetrate into the soil. Rain gardens and bioswales use plant material and soil grading to slow down the movement of the water. By slowing down the water you are giving it more opportunity to percolate into the soil instead of running off. When you incorporate these runoff reducing methods into your landscape design, you will also be helping to recharge depleting underground aquifers.

•  Make it permeable. The technology is now available to make your driveway, patio and walkways a permeable surface. Rain water no longer needs to run off your driveway and into storm sewers. Permeable unit pavers allow water to drain through into a sub-base of gravel and then percolate slowly into the water table.

Create Wildlife Habitats

Urban sprawl is one of the biggest contributors to the decline of native habitats. Ottawa alone has increased in size by 5 percent between 1992 and 1996. Each year thousands of acres of prime agricultural land and native habitat are developed to house our rising human population. Each year millions of animals, insects and microorganisms are displaced as we develop the land into town homes and subdivisions, and we strip the land of viable soil, food, habitat and water. In the past, urban planners commonly thought that the displaced animals will be able to find new sources of food and shelter in neighbouring undeveloped land. What they never considered is that the neighbouring undeveloped land was already housing a fully balanced ecosystem, and supporting its maximum potential population of organisms and wildlife. We now know that displacing wildlife not only upsets the balance of neighbouring ecosystems, but when said ecosystem once again achieves a balanced population, will have returned to the same density that existed before the displacement occurred. So in effect we lose the diversity of the ecosystems that we displace and destroy. We can maintain that diversity by creating urban wildlife habitats within real estate developments that allow humans to co-exist with nature. In fact, landscapes can even become as urban wildlife habitats.

Here are some simple steps that you can employ to make your landscape more inviting for the beneficial critters that surround you:

•  Add a water feature. By including even the smallest water feature in your landscape you will invite birds and other small animals to feel more at home in an otherwise very hostile urban environment. Water is necessary for all living creatures so, including a source of water you greatly increase your chances of attracting wildlife. In fact 75% of all life on earth must rely upon riparian (ie: water's edge) habitats.

•  Create food sources for wildlife . Select plant material that will create food sources for the critters you are trying to attract. Consider nectar rich flowers for humming birds and butterflies. Try to find plants that produce seeds, fruits and nuts for small mammals and birds. If the wildlife you attract doesn't migrate south in the fall, you might want to consider plants that will serve as winter food sources as well. Do some online research to find out what they like to eat.

•  Be a landlord. Most animals require a dwelling. You may want to create places for your wildlife would like to nest. You can include housing like toad huts, bird houses and bat boxes.

•  Get certified. Check with your local conservation groups for available certifications and protect your newly built habitat. For more information on getting certified visit The Canadian Wildlife Federation or The National Wildlife Federation if you live in the USA.

Reuse & Recycle Your Existing Landscape

If you are changing or adding to your landscape this season, consider reusing some or all of the materials. Rather than trucking away excavated soil, consider amending it by tilling under turf and herbaceous plant material, and adding new organic matter and compost. Any metal can be recycled and fetch a decent price as scrap. Natural stone and interlocking pavers can either be reused or given away through online sites like kijiji.com. Anything of historical or family significance should obviously be integrated into your new landscape. The seat off Grandpa's old Farmall tractor can be fashioned into a cool potting bench stool; a recycled window from a now demolished family cottage can become a picture frame for children's artwork and hung between fence posts; and transplanted perennials from the gardens of a recently deceased relative keeps their spirit and memory alive. The possibilities are endless, so let your imagination go wild!

Smart Plantings

If you plan ahead and plant smart, your landscape will be beautiful for years to come. By preparing a long term landscape plan you prevent your plants from becoming overcrowded or too big for the space they are intended to occupy. Plants should complement one another creating balance and symmetry within a garden. There is a plethora of gorgeous native plants varieties now commercially available that will thrive in your garden requiring very little water, fertilizer and maintenance. If you must grow turf, try a mix of hardy sports field turf varieties that include several different fescues and endophytic perennial ryegrass to help fight insect infestations.

Design Liveable Spaces

Increasingly, backyard landscapes are evolving into extensions of our indoor living spaces. The ‘outdoor room' is the new darling of the home design and renovation market – and for good reason. Sustainable landscapes offer so much more than the four painted walls of a finished basement or a family room. They provide liveable spaces where families, couples and individuals can find peace, relaxation, healing and fun. In a sustainable landscape, neighbours and relatives come together, couples reconnect, and children enjoy healthy outdoor wildlife adventures – away from the virtual online world. To learn more about designing liveable spaces, visit our sister company www.lotuslandscapedesign.ca .

Use Conservation Technologies

Conservation technologies are fast becoming the accepted norm in landscapes. Where traditionally a designer or landscaper would typically ask, “Where would you like your deck?” or “How big would you like your flower garden?”, they now ask ”How would you like to manage your storm water run-off?” or “Where can we plant trees that will help reduce your heating and air conditioning costs?” Your landscape designer today is your personal environmental consultant ready to help you save money and do right by Mother Nature. Here are just a few of the many initiatives and ideas being implemented this season:

•  Low voltage LED landscape lighting – For about the same energy cost as leaving the porch light on, you can now artistically and dramatically light your entire landscape allowing you to enjoy outdoor living into the evening hours.

•  Plant genetics – Hybridization techniques have now improved to a point where ornamental plants can be bred for better colour, fragrance, hardiness, and insect & disease resistance. Today's nursery stock is more drought tolerant, blooms longer, matures faster and lives longer than plants bred only a few years ago. Research is now underway that will soon allow designers the opportunity to create hypo-allergenic gardens that help humans heal and recover from illness and even fight pollution.

•  Constructed wetlands – It's been said that wetlands are Mother Nature's kidneys. They purify the environment and maintain a balance in nature. Landscapers can now create decorative water features with gorgeous constructed wetlands that help counter-balance the nature deficit in urban spaces. Constructed wetlands installed in every home will eventually capture, filter and reuse rainwater for both indoor and outdoor use.

•  Smart irrigation systems – Over 80% of water consumed by an urban North American household is for outdoor use. And the overwhelming majority of that water is used for landscape irrigation. Smart irrigation control systems can now precisely calculate site evapotranspiration (ET) rates, anticipate plant water needs by communicating with local weather offices, and adjust irrigation schedules based on soil type, wind, heat and solar conditions. Harvested rainwater can be pumped through irrigation pipes to provide precise water to plants, only when needed.

•  Recycled construction materials – Manufactured wood products are now made using low VOCs and last up to 5x longer than traditional wood products. They require no chemical treatment and require no staining or maintenance. Decks, arbours, pergolas and outbuildings can now be built to last a lifetime, reducing the amount of construction waste heading for our landfill sites.