Artscape and the Environment

The environmental impact of garden design and building has come to the fore in recent years. Artscape has been giving consideration to this for many years, and depending on client requirements include the following in their projects:

• Peat free compost to avoid peat bog destruction
• Use of wood from renewable resources, use of re-cycled products such as paving, glass, and timbers
• Solar lighting
• Reduced amount of lighting in the garden (this can also look much more dramatic when you have less so you have areas of light and darkness)
• Avoid removal of waste and try and incorporate it onto to site where possible e.g. concrete crushed and reused on site
• Creating good composting facilities, saving as much of the garden waste as possible
• Plant selection e.g. avoiding using water loving plants in dry areas, creating areas of long grass and bulbs which require less maintenance and cutting, avoiding use of invasive plants
• Laying lawns that are drought resistant to minimise water useage
• Minimising the use of fertilisers and weed killers
• Use of 'free draining materials' to avoid water run off
• Installation water butts or large catchment tanks which can collect water from the house
• Incorporation of solar panels and wind turbines and even ground heat pumps for heating swimming pools and summerhouses
• Use of living fences
• Include natural swimming pools