| In my previous article "Greening Your Home and | | | | choice of plants. If you consider plants like |
| Garden" I was mainly going to write about | | | | rosemary, azaleas and rhododendrons - you will |
| gardens - but ended up writing about home | | | | get flowers (color) and even something for the |
| practices, and so this article The Eco-Friendly | | | | roast lamb (rosemary). These do need once a |
| Garden is focused on the exterior of the home - | | | | year feeding. |
| the garden. | | | | With watering, a simple irrigation system will solve |
| And you can have a garden no matter how small | | | | the work side of that for you. Let the leaves that |
| an area is available to you. Small balconies can | | | | fall become mulch - just as in nature. If you love |
| host pots with plants of many kinds - from | | | | gardening then you are set! The following will help |
| flowers to shrubs and dwarf fruiting trees. All | | | | ensure that your gardening practices are eco |
| plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen | | | | friendly. |
| - so even a couple adds to the whole! | | | | Mulch - this saves water and protects plants |
| You would think that by definition a garden is | | | | Establish a compost heap and/or a worm farm - |
| automatically eco-friendly. But, that is not always | | | | somewhere for all the greens from the kitchen |
| the case. The plants are, of course, but, it is what | | | | and garden pruning. |
| we do to maintain them that determines whether | | | | Try companion planting to combat pests in the |
| the garden as a whole is eco-friendly or not. | | | | garden. |
| We can negate or seriously reduce the 'gift' plants | | | | Use organic pesticides - buy them or make them |
| bring to our environment by excessive use of | | | | up yourself. |
| chemicals to control pests and disease, by being | | | | Watering: convert your household plumbing to |
| wasteful with water, and by not composting and | | | | deliver 'grey' water to your garden, instead of |
| mulching. | | | | using the town supply - the cost will be recouped. |
| Not everyone loves gardening - so what to do? | | | | And, consider a tank (cistern) to capture the rain |
| Don't cement over the yard - as I have seen | | | | water from your roof - and use it for the |
| done in too many places. Choose the low | | | | garden's irrigation system. |
| maintenance route - though I should say, no | | | | Choose your plants wisely - if you are in a |
| garden is totally free of maintenance needs. But | | | | drought prone area or one with a naturally low |
| you can reduce the chores to an easy minimum. | | | | rainfall, then don't build a water dependent garden. |
| Simply plant up with trees, bushes and shrubs. | | | | These and other steps can make a significant |
| Most will rarely require any pruning or feeding | | | | impact and contribution to reducing your homes |
| after they are established. Bushes and shrubs will | | | | carbon footprint and making sure the environment |
| need some watering - depending on the type or | | | | will be cleaner for future generations. |