Eco-Friendly Backyard Ideas

• Real Estate Tips
• June 4, 2019

In California, the weather is near perfect year-round. Residents of the Golden State cannot help but love spending time outdoors in the bright sun. Homeowners love entertaining in their backyards by hosting cookouts and get-togethers. But is your backyard eco-friendly?

Make your backyard eco-friendlier with these gorgeous landscaping ideas!

• Reduce Lawn Size

Having less grass to water means you save on water usage. Consider switching out your lush backyard grass with brick, gravel, porcelain, ceramic, or stone. This gives you more room to entertain and saves you time on upkeep.

• Switch Out Your Plants

Having a lush green backyard is a must for many homeowners in California. But your current plants may require excess water to maintain. Consider switching out your annual plants for some drought tolerant ones. There are numerous beautiful plants that thrive in dry weather, so you get to keep that lovely colorful landscape.

• Add Solar Power

If you like to entertain past sundown or you like to relax outdoors in the cool evenings, light up your backyard with solar power. Use lovely solar string lights, pathway lights, or even motion activated lights. Not only will you be saving energy costs, but you will be using clean, renewable power.

• Start Composting

Composting has many environmental benefits. It reduces the amount of waste you produce and creates a natural, rich fertilizer. To start, select a sunny area in your backyard and combine household and garden waste (eggshells, coffee grounds, newspapers, fruit scraps, cardboard, etc.). In 6 to 9 months, you’ll have nutrient rich compost for your garden.

• Collect Rainwater

California typically only receives about 21.44 inches of rainfall annually, but even that is worth collecting. Rainwater can be used to water your plants and keep your backyard landscape looking good.

• Attract Bugs

Normally, people like to avoid bugs. But creating a bug friendly garden is eco-friendly and helps you avoid certain harmful garden bugs if you use the right plants. Attract ladybugs and butterflies by planting gorgeous flowering plants.