Living lightly on the earth - sustainable garden design

sustainable garden design does not require a wild, unkempt garden but does require a new way of looking at things

"They say that genius lets grass and weeds and moss and rust grow on the fabric of ordinary existence while it concentrates, in blind and sublime exclusion, on the single burnished jewel it is the process of creating". H. E Bates in Love for Lydia.


Way back in 1956 when Love for Lydia was published it was unfashionable to think about anything but prolific conspicuous consumption. Living lightly on the earth requires a different take, a more holistic view of life. Now we have the Occupy movement quietly demanding that we review our lifestyles and make changes. 


At home we have an opportunity to make changes, easily and meaningfully. We can choose to replace impermeable pavings with permeable, can choose to plant a garden to attract wildlife and boost local bio diversity, can choose to use locally sourced materials. The Occupy movement has raised awareness, on a global scale, of how we need to concentrate on the important things, the single, burnished jewel, and abandon systems, practices and products that are not working for us, or our planet.

Sustainble living and going green

With the new office open in Wellington New Zealand, House and Garden Design, as a division of Greenstone Design UK Ltd, is rethinking 'going green'. In New Zealand native planting has been trendy for some years. People choose natives not for their green credential so much as their easy care, low maintenance, good looks. This is true of native planting wherever you live.

Sustainable living is all about living more lightly on the earth. We need to use fewer resources if we are to manage a One Planet Living lifestyle in our lifetimes. This means that we need to choose how we design our homes and gardens carefully. Locally sourced materials, local labour, native planting suitable to our soil and climate all make a difference.

When we go green we need less fertiliser, less watering, less additives, less effort from us as the plants like the soil we have, as it is. An annual mulch of home-grown compost will provide all the additional nutrients the soil needs to stay healthy.

This is not to say that all exotic plants are bad, or that we must not water our gardens. The trick, as with all things, is to find the right balance. House and Garden Design.com explores the benefits of balance in our lives, and the potential for our homes and gardens to nuture us more fully.

Feng shui consultant - design for sustainable living

Last month one of my former interior design students contacted me to say "Help!" Her life was a mess. Relationships were faltering, her health was deteriorating and her business wasn't getting the new leads she was used to. She asked could I come in and assess her home.

I offer no guarantees for my feng shui consultant work. I do have sufficient experience to be confident of my ability to make a difference however. Early reports are that my student's life is turning around.

We spent 2 hours working our way through her home, room by room. There were some classic problems with beams cutting across her bed, likely causing health and relationship difficulties. Although the room had a beautifully laid bed the room was set out for one not two people. We energised the space by 'fixing' the beams with red ribbons, moving some furniture, cleaning the windows, added her vibrant handbag as decoration to the otherwise neutral colour scheme, then marvelled as the room came to life.

In each room we repeated the process until the whole house had a new energy about it. What had felt static now feels alive. Her beautifully decorated and composed rooms had lacked the energy she herself felt she was missing.

Interestingly, all the elements were there, just not where they really added to her life. We intrinsically know what we need in our lives but often don't know how to put the pieces together. By using current and previously stored items, and rearranging her potted plants, furniture and art, choosing colours and shapes carefully, we changed the feel of each room.

Next we moved on to her garden. As indoors, each corner of the garden has a particular function in feng shui terms. Knowing how to energise each space to boost income, personal recognition, health, relationships, creativity, career is both an art and a science. The ancient Chinese developed the system as a way of living in balance with nature. We offer feng shui cures to support sustainable living.

Interior Design

Today I ran the 2nd day of a course on sustsinable interior design. Today's session focussed on using natural light. If we open our homes to natural light we reduce the need for energy hungry artificial light. We also reap the mental and physical health benefits of living in a light-filled home.

If you are building new, ensure the building is oriented on the plot to receive maximum natural light throughout the day. In hot climates you will need to use shading techniques to lower thermal gain and so reduce the need for cooling systems. In cooler climates, solid floors will store heat gained during the day to slowly relsease it at night.

Wherever you live, your home's interior design needs to be planned, or 'designed'. Too often we bring in decorators packaged as designers. A true designer will look at all the aspects of your lifestyle, your wider home environment, how the rooms flow from one to another, and from indoors to outside. Beware costly mistakes with an interior decorator/designer who may sell you beautiful curtains that do nothing to address the issues of do you have sufficient natural light in the room? and what can you do about it if you do not?

Singapore sustainable living

I enjoyed a brief stop over in Singapore last week. While there I visited the Botanical Gardens and was particularly impressed by the Grow Your Own fruit and vegetables gardens. It is inspiring to see people all over the world being encouraged and importantly shown how easy it is to grow their own food, naturally, at home.

Even if you only have a window sill or a porch, there will be something you can grow that will be good to eat. Although many fruits require sunshine to ripen, many vegetables grow in the soil and so the plants will tolerate low light levels and shade.

If in doubt as to what will grow in your situation, ask your local garden centre or local food growing co-operative. There is a wealth of knowledge out there. We just need to harness it and share what we find with our neighbours.

Gracious living

While relaxing on the rear deck of a small boat over the weekend I was reminded of the era of gracious living.

The boat was built in the 1970's. That was the time when people took time to sit and watch the sun go down. They designed homes orientated towards the view, the sun and to provide privacy. We were sitting under a canopy, out of the direct heat of the sun but with wide open views over the bay. There was sufficient space for 4 people to sit comfortably with a small table for snacks and drinks.

In the rush for fast gains, developers and planners have been happy to plonk homes on plots with little thought to the livability of the site.

If we are to live sustainably we need to consider our mental and physical health, and how a well designed space can make us feel. Outdoor living on a verandah or covered terrace allows us to take holidays at home.

Our home and garden can support us and future generations if it is well designed. The key is in the design. See www.greenstonedesign.co.uk for more information on how to design your home for sustainable living

Planting for drought tolerance

As our climate changes we are seeing more frequent 'unusual weather events'. Here in Surrey we've had a baking June followed by torrential downpours throughout July. Some local trees are showing autumn leaf colour, and it's not even August!

So what can we do?

In addition to reducing our energy consumption by turning OFF appliances, doing things by hand where we may have taken the conveient option and used a machine, and drastically cutting our use of the family car, we can adapt the way we garden.

1. Mow the lawn at a higher level so it stays green longer without the need for additional water (and mow it less frequently, saving you time and mower fuel , and our planet)

2. Plant more trees. Trees can be grown in almost all climate zones and do great things for absorbing atmospheric carbon, reducing local heat by shading the ground/interior of buildings, absorbing vast amounts of water from the soil through their roots, humidifying the air and providing habitat for local birds and associated natural communities.

3. When we plant, if your soil is retains water, ensure the ground is raised slightly so the roots do not become waterlogged in times of heavy rain. Once the tree or shrub is in the ground make an earth ring around the plant, at a distance of 2- 3 times the size of the root ball. This becomes the watering zone, holding moisture around the plant, where it is needed most.

4. Choose drought hardy plants. That does not mean you need cacti all over your garden, but rather choose plants for their ability to stand up even to baking summer sun. Prairie grasses and flowers, Mediterranean herbs and trees, roses, all do well in a variety of soil types and growing conditions.

5. Plan for shade in your garden so that (you and ) some more tender plants can get out of the heat.