What exactly constitutes ecological landscaping, and why is it crucial to change the way we've been managing our home landscapes?

To begin, let’s delve into the definition provided by the Ecological Landscape Alliance: “Ecological Landscaping is a method of designing, building, and maintaining landscapes that considers the ecology of a site and creates gardens that enhance the surrounding environment for the benefit of humans and all other life in the ecosystem”. This approach contrasts sharply with the centuries-old, primarily European-inspired idea of landscaping, which often involves taming natural spaces and creating lawn-dominated, ornamental landscapes solely for human enjoyment.

Why is this method no longer advisable?

Understanding the drawbacks of conventional landscaping is important, and you can explore these issues further by reading our blog post about gardening with ecological purpose. Learning more about the importance of pollinators can shed light on why transitioning to ecologically friendly practices is imperative. Check out our blog post on the significance of pollinators to learn more.

It's time to transition towards creating and maintaining natural landscapes that benefit all species, not just humans.

So, how do we accomplish this?

Let’s break it down to the fundamentals of designing, building and maintaining:

Designing: When considering the ecology of the site, we look beyond sun exposure and soil texture. We look at the biome or ecoregion of the site, such as the Southern Laurentians ecoregion in the case of Chelsea, QC, and zoom in on microclimates or microsites. The goal is to place the right plants and elements in the right place.

Key considerations include:

• Specific habitat and site conditions: Is the site located in a forest edge, meadow, dry shade or wetland?

• Hardscaping elements: How can we manage water flow to prevent erosion and maximize groundwater replenishment?

• Lawns: Assess the necessity for lawn space and consider reducing it to enhance wildlife habitat and reduce resource consumption. 

• Species-at-risk: Identify and protect any endangered or threatened species on-site.

• Support for insects, birds and wildlife: Select plants that support struggling populations in the region. Ensure there is access to water and appropriate habitat.

Of course, the landscape should also reflect the preferences and needs of the homeowners while providing year-round interest.

Building: Landscape installation can be pretty heavy on the Earth, using gas powered machinery, compacting soil and creating disturbances that provide opportunities for invasive species to take root and spread aggressively. When considering the ecology of the site, we focus on minimizing environmental impact and promoting ecosystem health and resilience.

Key considerations include:

• Comprehensive site assessment: Assess soil type, drainage patterns, and existing vegetation to inform design choices.

• Invasive species management: Address invasive plants before installation using appropriate techniques. Depending on the plant, this could include smothering, hand-removal or mowing. Recommended disposal methods are important to follow, in order to ensure that the plants don’t become a problem elsewhere.

• Minimal site disturbance: Avoid unnecessary grading, excavation, and soil compaction to preserve existing soil structure and organisms. Use human-powered machinery (muscles and wheelbarrows!) whenever possible.

• Sustainable materials: Opt for locally sourced natural mulch, compost, and hardscape materials to reduce environmental impacts.

• Water conservation: Incorporate features like rain gardens, bioswales, and rain barrels to minimize water usage and runoff.

• Habitat preservation: Protect existing wildlife habitat features such as trees, shrubs, and natural water sources to help maintain biodiversity and provide essential habitat for native wildlife species.

Maintenance: When considering the ecology of a site, careful planning will ensure that minimal upkeep is required.

Key considerations include:

• Native plants: Choose plants that are adapted to local climate, soil and environmental conditions to reduce the need for frequent maintenance. If the right plant is in the right place, it should require minimal care once it is established.

• Weed management: Utilize natural methods like mulching, hand weeding, and planting densely to suppress weed growth. Remember, a weed is just a plant growing where you don’t want it to grow!

  • Distinguish between native plants (that you can give to a neighbour!) and invasive plants that need to be evicted from the garden asap (please dispose of properly - many will survive in the compost pile and become a problem elsewhere).

  • When planting densely, empty soil space is filled before unwanted plants can move in. As the garden matures, plants can be thinned out and transplanted (or given to a neighbour!).

• Embrace natural tidiness: Many of us truly enjoy keeping our gardens tidy. However, our ecosystems need old plant stems and fallen leaves - to provide habitat for nesting bees, cover exposed soil, protect overwintering butterflies  and to compost nutrients back into the soil. What if we don’t like the look of an untidy garden? There are ways to trick ourselves into perceiving tidiness;

  • keep shorter, tidier plants along the edges of lawns and paths

  • cut a clean line between the lawn and garden

  • trim plants along walkways

  • cut fallen plant stems at the front of the garden and tuck them into the lesser seen back of the garden

  • remove leaves from hardscaping (decks and walkways) and the foundation of the house and tuck them into the back of the garden.

  • Once the plants start to grow and green-up in the spring, the old plant stems and leaves will be invisible! 

• Lawn care: Mow at optimal height to conserve water, reduce fertilizer usage, and provide habitat for wildlife.

By getting creative with landscape designs that match the site's biome or ecoregion, we can craft outdoor spaces that are not only easier to handle but also turn into lively havens for local critters. Plus, they'll show off some serious resilience to whatever nature throws their way!

Let’s make our gardens more ecologically friendly!

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Resources:

• Ecological Landscape Alliance

  • The Basics of Ecological Landscaping

• Government of Canada

  • Species at Risk

• Ontario Invasive Plant Council

  • Managing Invasive Plants in Ontario

• Cornell CALS

  • Mowing your Lawn

• Beck, T. (2013). Principles of ecological landscape design. Island Press. Chicago