Houston residents who are interested in going green can contact Exterior Worlds for eco-friendly landscaping design.  Most of the methods used in this type of design are based on simple common sense.  Much can be done to beautify a yard in an environmentally sound way if people simply make a conscious decision to avoid waste and harm.

Water conservation is one of our highest priorities in these projects.  Water is a resource that needs to be preserved even more than petroleum.  The economic stress of gasoline prices often overshadow a far more serious problem that could arise in the future if we do not do more now to consciously manage our water resources responsibly. 

An eco-friendly landscaping design first pinpoints all of the areas where water would normally be wasted.  It then develops a strategy to minimize the demand for water and to drastically cut consumption in the process. 

The biggest consumer of water on a Houston landscape is the lawn.  By changing the size and constitution of the lawn, we can make great strides in reducing the amount of water that is consistently spent on maintaining it.  There are several ways to do this.

One way is to build more hardscapes that are dedicated to specific functions of outdoor living.  Structures such as swimming pool patios, terraces, private patios for reading and meditation, walkways, and courtyards all can serve as dedicated zones of interest for outdoor entertainment.  They also consume a great deal of square footage that would otherwise be filled with grass that requires constant maintenance.

Up to 80 percent of an eco-friendly landscaping plan can be ornamented with hardscape and still look full of natural life.  It is not the amount of plant life and grasses that matters, but rather the nature and positioning of plant material that makes a Houston landscaping design organically rich.

Another lawn alternative is to replace grass with drought resistant ground cover.  One recent case study of ours discusses the use of low maintenance ground cover in the front yard of a modern style home in the Heights.  This is only one of many examples of the way Exterior Worlds can keep a yard looking green and healthy in what you might call an environmentally green way. 

In those areas of the yard that absolutely must have grass, eco-friendly landscaping utilizes native grasses instead of more traditional, high maintenance lawn grasses.  The advantage that native grasses offer over more popular species is the ability to survive on rainwater alone. 

These native species have lived in the wild parts of this area for millions of years and have adapted to the sporadic rain cycles that the Gulf Coast is known for.  It is therefore not necessary to artificially sustain them because they are quite capable of taking care of themselves.

Eco-friendly landscaping further conserves water resources by looking for innovative ways to water gardens with minimal waste.  Integrating water features and irrigation systems is the best way to accomplish this.  Garden ponds, waterfalls, fountains, and streams can be designed to nourish the plant life that surrounds them while at the same time providing a decorative focal point for the garden design.

Houston landscaping clients who are serious about environmentally friendly designs should be prepared to invest in a Houston landscape maintenance plan.  The irrigation and drainage systems used to sustain such a project require professional maintenance.  During those times of the year when fertilization is necessary, professionally mixed organic material must be applied, and it is best to let our team mix and apply these for you.

Eco-friendly landscaping maintenance plans will even go so far as to manually remove weeds from the yard.  This avoids the use of herbicides that are toxic to many animals as well as plants.  While this does represent an additional cost to the homeowner, it results in a much sounder, healthier landscape that will provide years of enjoyment to humans, native wildlife, and native plants alike.