How can I make my garden more environmentally friendly?

These are our top tips on how you can make your garden more environmentally friendly. We believe in everyone doing their bit and whilst we're not expecting to fix the world with this list of tips, every little helps.

Our general rule is whatever you have in your garden, make it sustainable. Our garden furniture is handmade in our workshop in Lincoln and is designed to last.

If you're having to replace something frequently then that is not sustainable, and whilst it may have been cheap the first time, when you add up how many times you've had to repurchase, it's better for the environment and your wallet to buy good quality the first time. Our furniture is high quality, reasonably priced and made to last which makes it a great option for sustainable garden furniture.

The benefit of wooden garden furniture is that if you want to change up the style or colouring of your garden, you can redecorate the furniture rather than buying again. Once again, this is better for the environment and your wallet. Take a look at our guide here for choosing how to treat your outdoor wooden furniture.

We also make furniture that incorporates nature into the furniture such as our garden arches which can be used to support climbing plants, or our Garden Tree Seat Plant which can feature a large plant or flowers in the centre.

Plants are one of the greatest assets when it comes to an environmentally friendly garden, however, there are a lot of factors to consider.

The best types of plants to look at are plants that are native to your area or plants that are the most likely to thrive in your typical weather conditions. This is very dependant on location but there are always lots of options for every garden environment. Things to consider are amount of rainfall, sunlight, wind and temperature. It's also a good idea to choose plants and flowers which are good for pollination as this will encourage more plants and flowers in the area.

We recommend choosing a variety of plants so that there is always something blooming throughout the year. One mistake people often make is choosing lots of wonderful plants and flowers which bloom and look lovely in the summer, but then the rest of the year the garden looks a little empty. You could also choose to grow your own fruit and vegetables. This is good for the environment, your wallet and it's also very relaxing and rewarding watching your crops grow.

Another great tip for taking care of your plants in an eco-friendly way is by collecting rainwater to water your plants. It's a great way to minimise water waste and take care of your plants all at once.

Choosing your plants and flowers carefully is vital when it comes to attracting and caring for local wildlife. As well as choosing plants that at good for pollinators, its important to think about all different types of local wildlife. The local wildlife will be very different depending on where your garden is generally, but also dependant on other factors in the area such as fields or lakes and rivers.

Creating homes for animals is a great way to take care of the local wildlife. There are so many types of wildlife homes you can make but some of our favourites are hedgehog homes, butterfly houses and bee hotels. Take a look at our guide to creating animal homes here.

Water features are also beneficial for a variety of animals such as frogs, newts, dragonflies, snails and some birds. The most popular type of water feature is a pond due to it's charm and low-maintenance qualities. You can also choose to include fish in your garden pond; pond fish are a lovely addition to a garden and are enchanting for all the family. If you do decide to add a water feature to your garden, then a wooden garden bridge can not only add to the character of the area, but also make features such as ponds more accessible.

An easy but effective way to make your garden environmentally friendly is to compost. You can either buy a composting bin or some people even create their own using a large plastic tub with holes drilled in it. You then just need a combination of what people call brown materials and green materials. Brown materials tend to be dried out materials such as sticks and dry leaves. Green materials are fresh materials such as food waste, grass cuttings and soil. Composting is good because it reduces how much waste you throw away and its also very beneficial for your plants and flowers.

There are lots of ways to make your garden more environmentally friendly but the important thing to remember is that it all adds up. If everyone began incorporating small changes, it would make a big change.

If you are interested in any of our furniture, feel free to contact us online or via phone.