Each day, we see the impact of the changing environment on the natural landscape around us. We know how important it is to protect the environment, even as we care for our clients’ lawn. There are a number of ways we guide our clients to conserve resources, including:

1. Reduce the Size of Your Lawn.

Every year, more than 3 trillion gallons of water are used in watering lawns across the United States. With water shortages affecting many areas around the world, it’s more important to consider ways to conserve water, even as we care for our lawns. One way to make your lawn more environmentally-friendly is make it smaller – so that it requires less watering. Adding hardscaping and rock features can help to reduce the area of the lawn that requires watering. Another option is to add hearty wildflowers that can thrive with little additional water.

Plant With Care.

Grasses require less water than many annual or perennial plants, but if you enjoy the look of flowers in your garden, consider planting perennials over annuals. Annual plants tend to have a shallower root system and need frequent watering to thrive, while perennial plants tend to do well, even in low moisture conditions, due to their established root system.

Another environmentally-friendly plant option is ground cover plants. They grow low to the ground and develop a strong root system that can stabilize sloping areas and prevent erosion. They work well as an accent plant, and can provide a soft border for your turf area.

Avoid Over-Watering

Check the soil quality of your yard or garden before you determine your ideal watering schedule for plants and grass. Sandy soil tends to dry quickly, as it drains more rapidly. A morning downpour can be dried by the afternoon, when it falls on sandy soil. Soil with a high clay content holds onto moisture and should not be watered again until its sufficiently drained, else you’ll risk root rot and other moisture issues. Checking the content of your soil will help you determine a more appropriate schedule. In either case, soil can be balanced by incorporation of organic matter from composting or organic fertilizer. If you have especially sandy soil, it can be helpful to continually amend its contents with organic matter to help it more efficiently hold water.

Utilize a Rain Barrel

Water used on lawns and landscaping accounts for nearly 40% of residential water consumption during the growing season, according to MSD. Rain barrels capture stormwater runoff from your roof and can be used to water your garden and yard. Most come with a spigot for filling watering cans and for a connection to a soaker hose. MSD offers grants on an annual basis to support rainbarrel use and rainscaping. Click here to check for MSD Project Clear grant availability.

We pride ourselves on being an environmentally-conscious landscaping company – and, if you live in the St. Louis County or St. Charles County region and could benefit from our professional guidance and partnership in maintaining your lawn and landscape, please reach out. We’d love to consult on how you can develop and maintain a beautiful and environmentally landscape for your home. Click here to submit a request, or call us at (636)688-6647 to learn more.