When designing a landscape, sustainability should be top of mind. This is doubly important for homeowners looking to do any landscaping here in Sonoma County.

A sustainable landscape supports your local ecosystem, requires less maintenance, and can help conserve energy and resources. A sustainable landscape needs less water and can help you reduce your carbon footprint.

Here are some features you can incorporate in your landscape to transform it into a sustainable landscape.

Permeable Paver Patio

A lot of water used for watering lawns is wasted through overwatering, runoffs and evaporation. Given the fact that we are regularly facing drought-like situations, every Sonoma County resident should make a conscious effort to conserve water in their lawn.

One of the most effective ways to conserve water in your lawn is to install permeable paver patios designed with spaces between them that allow water to naturally drain between these areas and eventually return to the ground.

Permeable paver patios can be used to create an effective rainwater harvest system that captures rainwater to nourish plants. They can help reduce stormwater runoff as rainwater flows back to the ground, not the waterway. This helps keep harmful chemicals in fertilizers and herbicides out of our waterways.

LED Landscape Lighting

There are several compelling reasons to light your garden. Lights improve illumination in your garden. They guide people at night, helping reduce their risk of slips, trips, and falls. They highlight your landscaping decor, increase home value, and can deter crime.

It is important that you choose the right types of lights for your home. Incandescent light bulbs cost less than many energy-efficient alternatives such as CFLs and LEDs, but produce a lot of heat.

LED landscape lights are a much better alternative to incandescent lights. LED bulbs consume 80% less electricity than incandescent bulbs and 50% less electricity than CFLs. They also last longer than CFLs and incandescent lights and do not produce any heat.

Smart Irrigation System

To ensure their lawn gets the nutrients it needs to flourish, many homeowners oversaturate it. When oversaturation occurs, water clogs the pores of grass blades and there is no room for oxygen to enter these spaces.

A manual watering system is error-prone and tends to waste a lot of water. To conserve water in your garden, switch to a smart irrigation system. A smart irrigation system leaves no room for errors.

Your smart irrigation system automatically adjusts the amount of water it delivers to the plants and grass in your lawn depending on local weather conditions. The EPA estimates that by replacing a standard clock timer with a weather-based irrigation controller, homeowners can save up to 8,800 gallons of water in their lawn.

Sweetwater Landscape is a renowned residential landscaping company in Windsor. We have years of experience transforming ordinary landscapes into aesthetically-pleasing, sustainable landscapes. To discuss your project with our team, call (707) 887-0140.