Yes, you can have a beautiful, low-maintenance garden with all the bells and whistles and still be environmentally sustainable
Landscape designer Bayley LuuTomes started his garden design business more than a decade ago and is renowned for transforming urban plots into eco-friendly and creative wonderlands
My Dream Green Home’s urban landscape designer Bayley LuuTomes used to watch his parents repurpose everything as a kid. From them, he learned to appreciate and see each object as something valuable and now utilises that mindset when designing gardens.
Over the years this has evolved into a more environmental approach that involves understanding how to work with the land and not against it. This knowledge assists the multiple award-winning garden designer in creating a happy balance for his clients and their gardens by adopting and emulating what nature does so well.
“Sustainable gardening is not all about having a wild natural garden,” says the Kāpiti-based horticulturalist. “It’s about a garden that can take care of itself by having systems in place that allow you to enjoy it without you giving up your weekends looking after it.”
How can we create an eco-friendly garden?
Sustainable gardening is about mimicking nature. Observe how the water drains from your land and plant accordingly. Discover what your soil is like to determine how to condition the ground to grow what you need. Learn to apply the closed-looped system where there is zero waste.
Everything that is taken from the land, is returned to the land. It’s about creating a garden that is 100 per cent chemical-free and introducing beneficial insects and wildlife to encourage a natural chain of life.
When you take that first bite into your homegrown apple, you will truly reap the benefits of a sustainable garden.
What plants and materials should we use?
Consider plants that add multiple benefits to your garden, for example, Amelanchier canadensis (juneberry). This large shrub has antioxidants- and vitamin C-rich sweet berries that look a lot like blueberries and can act as a windbreak while providing shelter and a home to wildlife.
The deciduous leaves provide garden mulch, which helps to condition the soil in autumn and will also keep the soil warm in winter. Annual pruning of the new growth can provide a climbing structure for the veggie garden or use it as kindling if you have a fire. So, there are many natural benefits provided by a juneberry tree in comparison to planting an ornamental specimen.
Most of our urban gardens consist of a hard entertainable surface. Consider using a material that will allow water to drain. This allows the ground to do its job by absorbing rainwater to reduce the amount of run-off in the garden. The ground surrounding our plants and trees acts like a massive water tank soaking up rain and allowing the surrounding roots to tap into it when needed.
You can also buy eco-friendly bricks that have been air-dried rather than conventionally kiln-dried. It’s an ancient method that has been practised for hundreds of years. More companies are adopting this sustainable method.
What should we avoid doing?
Our urban gardens are traditionally an extension of our home and have evolved into a more sophisticated space. Remember our gardens are still a living ecosystem shared with plants, birds and other creatures. What we should do is avoid disturbing this balance by respecting the land and environment. If we do, then consider replacing what we have removed.
Avoid cutting down mature trees, instead consider thinning them out. Keep away from using pesticides on your plants. Instead, identify what the pests are and research a natural way to control them. You will find that there will be a plant you can grow that will naturally deter the pest and provide other benefits to your garden too.
Do you have any more planet-friendly gardening tips?
I place buckets around my vegetable garden to collect rainwater and use this to water what I grow. This water is pure and much better for edibles. I also have a water tank attached to my shed to harness this run-off too.
When weeding my garden, I rip up the weeds, tearing where roots and leaves meet and lay it back under my plants as mulch. It will feed the soil, help suppress future weeds and also help retain moisture.
I use rocks to create my raised garden. During the day, the rocks absorb the solar heat from the sun and slowly release it back into the raised bed to help keep the soil warm to encourage better growth during the growing season.
When planting a new shrub, I place newspaper around the base to help suppress weeds. This will also help retain moisture while the new plant is settling in.
I like to collect harakeke (flax) dry flower stems and use them as climbing structures for my beans and peas in the vegetable garden.
Hot pick: A juneberry produces pretty flowers in spring and sweet berries in summer.
What’s the best way of maintaining a sustainable garden?
Set up systems that will allow the garden to take care of itself naturally. Set up an ecosystem where the plants exist in harmony, for example, companion plants to naturally control pests in your garden by encouraging beneficial insects into your garden.
Plant densely to suppress weeds and help prevent water from evaporating. Consider prevention of erosion, extra water run-off absorption, and providing shade in summer and sun in winter. Plant for your local environment to ensure better success. The key to a sustainable garden is one that looks after itself with very little human involvement.
My Dream Green Home is available to watch on TVNZ+.
Text Michelle Joe
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