Landscape installation does not need to be difficult, time consuming or expensive. I know that is a shocking statement but there are alternatives to the back breaking hours it takes to create a design in your landscaping. Native landscaping is not a new concept but is catching on as the economy is slowing because people do not have the money to pour into landscape installation and resort to using natural plants and materials.
For years I have spent hundreds of dollars investing in annuals that grace my garden and then occasionally make it through the harsh winter to bloom again. It is more likely however that the next year I will find myself back at the landscaping supply store buying more the next year. I know I am not alone in my quest for a beautiful full lawn but this year I decided that I was going to stick with what nature supplies and forgo the rest. Plants that are beautiful and that truly grow in my back yard will be what grace my landscape design this year and for years to come.
The benefits of this type of landscaping installation are plentiful. First, these gardens don’t need any regular maintenance. They are already used to the amount of water and soil type for the area. The plants will evolve along with the changes in our environment if they are truly native plants to the area. I love the fact that I will not have to labor over the maintenance of the new landscape installation.
Another major benefit people find with natural landscape installation is that the species that are native to your area will find refuge in your gardens. Butterflies, birds and smaller creatures will find a place among your landscape instead of your home. The habitat will be one that is suitable for their needs and they won’t have to create an environment amongst plants that are foreign to them, possibly ruining what you have attempted to create. A native scheme lets all creatures within the area to live in harmony.
Obviously if you have a yard that is used for children playing a section will have to be turned into a manicured lawn. We have created a space in the backyard for the kids where they can throw the ball around, swing and play. The area surrounding however is left natural to allow the landscape to form naturally.
My immediate family gets my quest for a more natural landscape environment. They have lived through the expense of maintaining a garden that is just not meant for our space. The native planting has allowed for us to explore the different plants that grow here in Michigan wild. I loves that with the seasons my landscape changes. It is amazing to see what comes up from the seeds left by the birds throughout the untamed yard and beautiful, colorful flowers are what we get mixed in with the native grasses.
People in our neighborhood have taken awhile to grow on the idea. At first they were concerned with an abundance of critters living within the habitat that had been created. Now though they realize that the critters are living safely in our space and leaving their vegetation alone so it is a win for all of us. We did not even find ourselves having to spray for mosquitoes this year. Instead lemongrass, marigolds and catnip are growing throughout the yard. All of these natural growing plants are right there in my backyard naturally repelling mosquitoes. That is landscape installation that I can live with.