Natural spaces not only make a sustainable house feel like home for its residents, they contribute to the well-being of the community and the planet.
Live Green, Live Smart’s The Sustainable House™ is located on 1/3 acre in eastern Minnesota’s lake and river region adjacent to the state’s major metropolitan area. Residents of this area cherish the natural setting, but have not always understood how to preserve it while living in modern comfort.
Sustainable lawn and garden principles guide landscaping for the House:
- Protect existing soil, water, and mature plants;
- Preserve native and useful plants and habitat;
- Minimize ground water use for maintaining plantings;
- Reduce run-off into lakes, streams, and storm sewers;
- Foster home production of edible fruits and vegetables;
- Eliminate use of harmful chemicals and other pollutants.
Two of the most important techniques used in managing the grounds surrounding the House are xeriscape and permaculture.
Xeriscape gardening applications vary from micro-climate to micro-climate: in its purest form, xeriscape plantings and landscape use no water except what falls as precipitation. In most applications, xeriscape approaches use the least irrigation possible to grow plants native to or adapted to a specific region and climate.
Permaculture is a term coined in the 1970s to describe a system of landscapes that mimic the “layers” of plant and animal habitat that are found in the larger ecosystem. This involves an interrelationship of grassland, garden, orchard, forest and other systems consciously designed to provide health, food, and habitat that are largely self-perpetuating.
An illustration of permaculture:
Central to the implementation of Xeriscape and Permaculture in Live Green, Live Smart’s The Sustainable House™ is the absence of artificial pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
Twelve guiding principles from permaculture pioneer David Holmgen inform the House’s landscape:
- Observe and Interact
- Catch and Store Energy
- Obtain a Yield
- Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback
- Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
- Produce No Waste
- Design from Patterns to Details
- Integrate Rather than Segregate
- Use Small and Slow Solutions
- Use and Value Diversity
- Use Edges and Value the Marginal
- Creatively Use and Respond to Change
LIVE GREEN, LIVE SMART LANDSCAPE PAGES
Learn more about permaculture
View a complete plant list for the Sustainable House's landscape
LANDSCAPE LINKS
Listen to a report from National Public Radio about a New Mexico gardener's experience with dry country gardening and neighbors - and get some useful information about water conscious gardening with plant choices for every region of the country.
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