The Sustainable Garden – No.6 – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
How the 3Rs can help you plan, build, plant and look after a greener garden
Introduction
The 3Rs is a well-established mantra of sustainable living and it’s useful to consider when thinking about designing a sustainable garden - why reinvent the wheel and potentially confuse matters by coining a fresh one!
To raise the 3Rs early in a discussion about designing environmentally friendly gardens is not necessarily to suggest that it is the most important of all considerations, important though it is. Rather it firstly helps to foster a ‘sustainable’ mindset from the start and secondly reflects the fact that the potential of the 3Rs to impact on and benefit a design will be greatest if considered early on in the design process.
That’s because some aspects of the 3Rs:-
• are best achieved by factoring elements into the plan spatially at the design stage, e.g. water butts & compost bins
• require research, and therefore time, e.g. into more environmentally friendly products, and
• can be season specific, e.g. bare-root planting in winter.
So, the sooner you start to think about these considerations, the better you will be able to plan and schedule your project.
It’s also worth noting that there is overlap between each of the 3Rs. ‘Reuse’ (e.g. of materials) is also likely to ‘Reduce’ (e.g. carbon footprint) and ‘Recycle’ (e.g. finding used materials elsewhere to use in your garden) and ‘Reuse’ (e.g. plants & materials you already have) are two sides of the same coin. The point is not to get hung up on precise definitions – it’s a catchy jingle that also happens to be helpful – just embrace the spirit of the idea, and do the best you can.
Finally, as part of an introduction to the 3Rs, it is important to make the point that we are not talking about trying to make your garden look like a reclamation yard. The aim is not to fill your garden with recycled stuff just for the sake of it but to use reclaimed materials and objects in a subtle and discerning way that compliments the design.
More on the 3Rs will pop up as we move through the Sustainable Garden series but for now here is an introduction.
REDUCE – the attraction of subtraction
Ultimately the goal is to reduce the carbon footprint and negative environmental impact of your garden. That is basically achieved by limiting the amount of materials and energy used both during its creation and afterwards in the way it is used and maintained.
It echoes the ‘less is more’ idea, discussed in ‘Design Tips – Part 1’. Good design is not about the accumulation of more and more stuff, something that is true for all design. The temptation in the garden is to keep adding elements in the hope that we will eventually achieve the look or feel we are after…… another planter here, some more paving there and so on. But this does not work. The more things the space is filled with the more incoherent and confused the design looks and more restless and chaotic it feels.
Good design is therefore as much about subtraction, or reduction, as it is about addition……seeing what is unnecessary and taking things away until a simple, calm and distinctive scheme emerges.
Here are some ways you can ‘Reduce’ in the garden:-
How much paving? – the patio will be one of the most important and frequently used parts of your garden but, in its creation, is likely also to be one of the most energy intense elements. It is worth thinking hard about how big it really needs to be and whether there are any alternatives to paving slabs. Mixing up materials can often improve the look, such as combining paving stone with gravel, and may at the same time be a lighter touch on the environment, as well as potentially being cheaper.
Taking time to research more eco-friendly products can also help. Some paving is made in part from recycled concrete for instance and manufacturers now provide detailed information about the C02 emissions of their products. This may take a bit of time but can be worth the effort, and may even throw up some products you had never considered and even knew about.
How much lawn? – lawns are relatively time and energy hungry. They require regular mowing and sometimes irrigating, all of which consumes energy. On top of that they don’t offer much in terms of biodiversity. Nor are they especially low maintenance - the same area planted with shrubs would, over the course of the year, take up less of your time. A patch of evergreen grass certainly has a place in the garden, but how much do you really want or need? There are probably more interesting and beneficial ways that space could be used for.
A sustainable plan – reducing the carbon footprint of your garden is not just about limiting the hard materials and energy used, it’s also be about planning ahead and factoring in features that act as carbon sinks such as trees and ponds.
Water butts and compost bins – every garden has its practical side and incorporating ‘utility’ infrastructure into the plan will limit the carbon footprint of the garden. Water butts will reduce your reliance on mains water and a compost area for garden and kitchen waste will reduce transportation associated with removing it from site. The less stuff that leaves the garden the better.
See this as a positive. Water butts don’t have to be unsightly black plastic barrels - there are a host of alternatives and, if it has to be black plastic, then with some planning they can easily be screened with planting. Compost areas can also be seen as a boon to wildlife, a semi-wild area lurking behind a hedge.
Bareroot planting season – plan to do most of your planting in late autumn or early winter and then work backwards from there when scheduling the rest of the project. This is when bareroot plants are available. These are supplied by the nursery direct from the field where they have been grown and so have not been irrigated artifically as pot plants. They are lighter, so require less fuel to transport, and will result in less plastic waste. Trees and hedging have traditionally been supplied this way but it is possible to find shrubs and perennials too. Bareroot plants will also save you money.
Local nurseries – a significant proportion of plants sold at garden centres or through wholesalers will have originated abroad. There are however some nurseries that still propagate at least some of their own plants, again helping to reduce transportation requirements. They also often stock interesting or unusual varieties so it’s worth doing research to see if there is one in your area.
Grow your own – if you are feeling really brave you’d be surprised how many perennials can be grown easily from seed, many of which will even flower in their first year, just like an annual – the difference being they will come back for years to come. Obviously space can be a limiting factor for such an enterprise but if it’s not then plants can also be propagated, by cuttings or division, from stock belonging to friends, family and neighbours – gardeners love giving plants away so making contact with the local garden club may even provide a source for some plants. This approach may sound daunting and like hard work but while it will require a bit of engagement and effort, it can result in much satisfaction.
REUSE – Give trash a chance
It is understandable that we sometimes get fed up with our garden. You get obsessed by all the individual things you hate about it, to the point where you cannot see past the grim concrete paving, the endless expanse of fencing or sorry looking tree marooned in the lawn. Obviously, or so it seems, the only solution is just to scrap the lot and start again.
However, don’t be so ready to trash everything in the garden, plants or materials. The offending item is itself often not the problem, it is the context. Looked at through fresh eyes or used in a different way that same material or plant can be transformed. Sometimes the problem is as much to do with the fact that there is nothing better to distract the eye, so developing the rest of the garden will most likely result in all the little irritants fading away into the background.
The more stuff you can reuse the fewer skips you will have to pay for, so here are some ways to ‘Reuse’ in the garden:-
Old paving – there are many things that can be done with old paving. It can be reused in less important areas of the garden, or under a shed, it can be broken up and used as base material or simply re-laid in a different setting, such as stepping stones through a gravel garden. You can also get quite creative – building low walls in a ‘dry-stone’ style, filling gabions for retaining levels or as seats, and of course there is the not so original idea of old slabs broken up and re-laid as crazy paving – something that can in fact look surprisingly good.
Miscellaneous hard materials – left with a random selection of paving, brick and cobbles, perhaps none in sufficient quantities to do anything useful with but combined could be used to create a beautiful random ground surface.
Rubble – As the base of paths and terraces of course, but also in-fill for walls and gabions, mixed with soil to create the free-draining growing medium for a dry Mediterranean-style planting scheme, or used in a soakaway.
Timber – Old wood in the garden, such as fence panels, posts, timber edging and decking can vary considerably in its state, and often is too rotten or damaged to be reusable. However sometimes it is possible to retrieve some useful sections which can be refashioned into eclectic structures such as random picket fencing, raised beds, compost bins or cladding. Some could potentially be cut into regular lengths and used to create insect hotels, either stacked in gabions or discretely out of the way, behind hedges or at the back of wide borders.
Spoil from excavations – In-fill for raised beds, back-fill behind retaining structures or even interesting ground forms to add another dimension to a flat site. Topsoil can potentially be spread thinly over the rest of the site without raising levels significantly.
Turf – Old turf that has been lifted can be stacked neatly out of sight to create habitat, used as in-fill at the bottom of raised beds, as covering for new ground forms or capping for log walls.
Existing vegetation - Think long and hard before taking out plants, especially mature and tall specimens – it is these that can provide a lot of character to the garden, and that take a long time, and cost, to replace. Many can be re-shaped and will respond well to hard pruning, and in a different context can work well to give that 3rd dimension to the garden. Prunings can be used in log walls (see image at top) or simply stacked behind a hedge to gently rot down, providing a home for insects and fungi.
RECYCLE – Go forth and find interesting stuff
There is no doubt that recycled materials can add character to the garden, as well as satisfy the desire for sustainable design. The internet is full of articles such as ’top 10 things to make out of recycled materials’, with many apparent themes such as planted wellies, pots made out of plastic bottles and CD bird scarers.
While there are many good ideas to be found there (often a lot of fun for both adults and kids alike!), the purpose of this article is not to repeat all of these with a view to filling our garden with lots of home-made creations, sometimes bizarre but usually obviously made from foraged materials.
Rather the purpose is to pick out those recycling ideas that tie in with the design aesthetic you want without making recycling the most obvious point about the garden. The main point is to create a smart, modern garden that just happens to have some recycled elements. The talking point should be how beautiful the garden is with the sustainable approach to its creation a subtle undercurrent.
How well reclaimed materials and objects look often depends on the context. This is related to the idea that the garden should feel connected with itself and its surroundings - something discussed in ‘Design Tips – Part 1’. Any object or element needs to relate somehow to the garden around it, in its position, size, style - nothing should be totally random.
In the right context the ideas below have great design potential:-
Furniture – it is possible to find some beautiful tables and chairs at antique fairs and reclamation yards which will, unlike many of the new ones found online or in garden centres, have a unique character.
Old galvanised troughs – can make very cool looking water features or butts.
An artisan’s shed - it is possible to find a range of miscellaneous materials such as windows, doors and corrugated tin sheeting from which to make the most wonderful looking shed, that can be half concealed amongst the planting to add a sense of intrigue.
Old windows - if you like the idea of a trompe l’oeil in a courtyard garden an old window attached to a wall will do the job much better than the metal frame ones you can buy, which to be honest don’t really fool anyone.
Bottles – can be inset into new walls, and potentially back lit, to create an interesting effect. Or they can simply be stacked in gabions as the front face of a retaining wall. In fact, gabions can be filled with any number of things to good effect.
Brick, paving & cobbles – a random mix of hard surface materials can be used to create a beautiful random textured path or terrace. Make sure the bricks are at least semi-engineering quality to avoid them ‘blowing’ in winter when they become frozen and wet.
Stone – leftover stone is often not worth taking away from building sites so it will thrown in the skip. A relatively small amount can work wonders mixed into a brick wall or in the creation of something unique like a pizza oven.
Pallets –they had to get a mention! Used whole it’s hard to get away from the fact it’s just a pallet, but when they are pulled apart (gently) and given a quick sanding, the resulting timber can be attractive, nicely variable and suitable for cladding structures or vertical fencing.
Metal – there is an endless array of old metal objects at reclamation yards, from vintage tools to old bicycles. There is potential here to be creative with gates, fencing and sculptures.
Subject to the caveats above, there is plenty of inspiration to be found online. Sometimes just going to reclamation yards and antique fairs will spark the imagination and sometimes it might be worth getting in touch with local craftspeople, such as carpenters and blacksmiths, to realise your ideas. It’s also worth looking at websites such as freecycle and even asking your landscape contractor what they have in their yard – you might be surprised!