Sustainability is the hottest new buzzword in landscape design. What does sustainability mean? It means…
1) Can be maintained
2) Maintaining ecological balance. You can plant anything at a price. Sustainability is about managing the maintenance so that it doesn’t overwhelm your wallet or back. While the built environment will always need some attention, it should not be overwhelming.
I have a question for you: Do you add mulch every year to your landscape? Why?
Mulch is a nonsustainable way to manage soil, plants, and resources. Mulching has been a huge success, supporting the growth of many companies and doing nothing to nourish or support soil. Mulch is not necessarily bad. The idea is to mimic the natural woodland duff layer found in nature. Regular landscape practices recommend that we remove all leaves and twigs litter from our property so that the source of duff can be eliminated. Mulching brings it back. Mulch, especially low-grade, dyed-wood mulch, does not decompose or add biological diversity to the soil. It may even suppress biology over time.
This is what you can do…
Take a stroll through your garden with a cultivator in spring and make sure to scratch the mulch layer. Although it may appear raggedy on the surface, the mulch layer underneath will be rich and partially decomposed. Fluff the mulch. To smoothen the mulch layer, use a rake. This will make gardening more enjoyable and healthier for you.