Ecologically Sensitive Ideas
Here are some ecologically sensitive landscaping practices that I have learned about recently for Seattle landscaping.
Consider the sun’s path through the sky and how the sun heats not only your home in the summer and winter but also heats up paths which reflect that heat onto sensitive plants. Planting shade trees in strategic spots can provide shade and screening. Remove narrow concrete paths and replace with dark bark mulch. The mulch doesn’t reflect light and doesn’t have much nutrient value for weeds.
Planting density can affect weed growth when gardening. If shrubs, perennials and groundcovers grow into a dense mass there is less light and area for wind-blown weed seeds to take hold.
Drip irrigation placed at the base, root balls and trunks can help get larger shrub groupings the water they need with less water loss due to wind and evaporation. When designing irrigation systems; the placing of drip emitters or soaker hoses, locate them at the interior of planting beds where dense root masses can absorb the water, they are shaded by vegetation and protected from wind.
A yearly application of compost and mulch, or compost/mulch combinations can hugely help improve soil quality. Over time rocks and pebbles are pushed to the surface and the nutrient rich layer of topsoil gets deeper and deeper. A thicker topsoil layer encourages plant roots to reach deeper, thus holding moisture longer and eventually needing less irrigation.
Compost and mulch can also be applied to lawns. The deeper the grass roots extend the longer the grass will remain green in the summer and the healthier the lawn will be; preventing weeds from taking hold.
There are many methods for on site management of rain water. Options to disconnect down spouts from the city storm water system include cisterns, rain gardens, gravel and drain rock swales, and impervious paver systems. Be sure that big storms can still flow to the storm drains without flooding sidewalks or onto neighbor’s property. More information can be found at www.seattle.gov/util/rainwise.
