Creating A Sustainable Backyard Landscape That Thrives In Winnipeg's Climate
What Makes A Backyard Landscape Truly Sustainable
Sustainability is hard to define, but easy to imagine. You might not think of old-growth forests and rivers as being sustainable, but they are: Without human intervention, they would endure for thousands of years.
We only need to think of sustainability when we think of humans; our ability to transform our environments through the clever use of resources means that we can create environments, including backyards, that wouldn’t continue to exist without our intervention.
A sustainable backyard, then, might be one that would continue to thrive without human intervention. Another way to look at it is that sustainable backyards limit the amount of energy and resources needed to maintain them. Your landscaping can decrease the overall energy usage of your entire household!
Essential Elements Of Sustainable Backyard Design
Ideally, a sustainable backyard should:
Lower water consumption
Reduce the need for fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides
Attract pollinators
Provide shade
Provide food
Lower greenhouse gas emissions
Look incredible
Sustainable backyards in Winnipeg can do all of the above, all while providing a space for family and friends to get together. Here’s how to do it:
Water Conservation And Management Strategies
The first step to creating a sustainable backyard is reducing your water usage. One of the best ways to do this is to use native plants that require little to no watering; we’ll cover that in-depth in the next section.
Spring showers and summer storms are common here in Winnipeg; if you have too many paved surfaces, that water might not make it to your plants. Invest in gravel beds and mulch for plants to allow water to drain into the soil. The more plants you have, the better your irrigation will be, as ground-level root systems will quickly absorb groundwater.
For lawns and gardens that do require manual watering, consider automatic irrigation systems. Drip irrigation is perfect for most gardens; it drips water directly into root systems, which is much more efficient than sprinklers or spray irrigation.
You can also equip your irrigation system with weather sensors; these smart sensors will turn off the irrigation system if rain is forecasted.
Catching water is another way of conserving water. Rain gardens can be used to catch stormwater runoff; they’re also an excellent way to grow beautiful native plants. You can also use rain barrels to catch rainwater and runoff from your roof, then feed those barrels into your irrigation system.
Choosing The Right Plants For Long-Term Success
Plants are one of the most important elements of sustainable landscape design. You can think of plants in layers:
Ground cover plants help prevent weed growth and soil erosion.
Herbaceous plants include flowers, edible plants, and more; think of this as the garden level. They’re beautiful, and many can provide food.
Shrubs provide privacy, reduce the need for heating and cooling, reduce noise pollution, and provide resting places for birds and other animals.
Trees provide shade, prevent soil erosion, and reduce groundwater runoff.
Low-maintenance native plants are the best choice for sustainable landscape design. You should mix all of the layers of plants we just listed; they work best together, and aesthetically, they’ll make your backyard feel more cohesive and natural.
The shade provided by shrubs and trees lowers energy consumption by reducing the need for air conditioning in the summer and blocking cold winds in the winter.
Here are a few options we love for ground cover (augmenting or replacing ornamental grasses), herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees:
Ground cover: Wild strawberry (produces food), wild mint (produces food), bearberry (produces food), clover, creeping juniper
Herbaceous plants: Purple coneflower, wild bergamot (can be used for tea), crocus (our provincial flower), prairie smoke, yarrow, goldenrod, prairie rose, giant hyssop, pink onion
Shrubs: Saskatoon (produces food), highland cranberry (produces food), buffaloberry, shrubby cinquefoil
Trees: Paper birch, white spruce, trembling aspen
All of these plants are native to Manitoba. When planted together intentionally, they provide a low-maintenance, low-water consumption landscape; best of all, they also provide you with food, shelter, and beauty, all while attracting pollinators and birds!
Sustainable Hardscaping And Material Choices
Now that we’ve covered the natural landscape, it’s time to think about hardscaping in your outdoor space. There are two general rules to follow:
Keep hardscaping at a minimum: Driveways and pathways
Ensure that your hardscaping drains properly; a swale can help
Need a place to sit? Think about installing an elevated deck made with reclaimed wood instead of a stone patio! You’ll improve drainage on your property.
Maintenance Tips For Your Sustainable Landscape
From selecting native plants to reducing water runoff and opting for automatic irrigation, everything we’ve done so far helps reduce maintenance, but all landscapes require some maintenance. Water your plants when they need it. Check your irrigation system regularly. Look for low spots in your yard where water can collect.
Use electric or push lawn mowers, pull weeds by hand. We’re going for sustainability; you want to avoid power tools where and when you can.
Creating Your Sustainable Backyard Transformation
Have sustainable backyard landscaping ideas? The team at Bulger Brothers is here to help. Like native plants, we’re from Manitoba, and we’re growing and flourishing right here in the province. Contact us today!
