Sustainable Gardening

Book excerpt: Take practical steps to protect the Earth for future generations by creating a sustainable home landscape that is also beautiful, budget-friendly, and low-maintenance. In this updated edition of Grow More With Less, author and horticulturist Vincent Simeone shows us that gardens are living laboratories where we can experiment, grow, and connect with other living things. There are tens of millions of gardeners across the globe. Together, we can create a huge and lasting positive impact on the planet and all the creatures who share it with us. With the well-researched plan found in the pages of Sustainable Gardening, gardeners and homeowners are taught how to: Grow more plants while using fewer resources Conserve water through plant choice and proper landscape care Stop the disposable mindset Mitigate the effects of climate change through intelligent landscaping Plan and plant with low-maintenance in mind Build healthy soil to sequester carbon and grow healthier plants Create a garden that supports wildlife and soil life Design your garden for resiliency and a long, healthy life Banish synthetic pesticides and herbicides for more eco-friendly choices Reduce plastic waste in the garden and the landfill Set your garden on a schedule to reduce maintenance needs Harvest rainwater for future use Adopt a sustainable lawn care program that requires less work and fewer resources Plus, discover profiles of some of the best shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses to include in your sustainable landscape. Not only are they beautiful and low-care, they also provide valuable ecosystem services. Sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure, and while the term sustainability may seem a bit overused these days, the truth is that there are few other words that convey the same message. Adaptablity and resilience are close, but they miss the mark in conveying the long-term aspects of true sustainability. Being more mindful of your actions and learning how everything you do in your landscape impacts the ecosystem found there generates a more thoughtful and responsible approach to gardening we all would be wise to adopt.