When it comes to landscape design and architecture, sustainability has been a core principle of focus in the last few years, and that’s no different as we move into 2024. Of course, as important as sustainability is, finding the right balance between eco-conscious design and visually pleasing aesthetics remains key.
In this guide, we’ll be exploring the importance of striking said balance, discussing why sustainability is so important in landscape architecture and how collaborating with arboriculturists can help with this, before offering our top landscape design trends for 2024.
Why is Sustainability Important in Landscape Architecture?
With climate change having a significant impact on our environments, it’s important that we not only regenerate these, but create outdoor spaces that are responsive to the environment.
The development of urban spaces negatively impacts environmental spaces in a number of ways, most prevalently the destruction of habitats, which subsequently leads to a reduced biodiversity - an imperative element for ensuring a thriving ecosystem.
This is largely due to the destruction of protective cover, reduction in food supplies and an interruption of natural processes due to light, sound and mechanical disturbances. Furthermore, such landscapes tend to be incredibly water intensive, can pollute local waterways due to the use and runoff of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and create noise and air pollution from maintaining lawns.
All of these effects can further contribute to climate change, which is already damaging the natural environment in numerous ways. This is why it’s so important to actively mitigate and reverse these effects through conscious landscaping design choices.
Working with Green Spaces Instead of Against Them
In urban landscapes, it’s important to start working with green spaces rather than against them. At your commercial premises, ensure that you incorporate the surrounding garden areas within the wider design of your property.
Think about ways you can not only turn this into an attractive space, but doing so in an encouraging and sustainable way, rather than taking away from it.
For example, using low maintenance lawn alternatives to grass (such as moss or clovers), using native plants, using natural fertilisers, choosing recycled materials over natural ones - along with a range of other practices.
The Role of Arboriculture
Arboriculture is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines and other perennial woody plants. Arobiculturists study how these plants grow and respond to both their environment and cultural practices.
Trees contribute heavily to the ecosystem, supporting a variety of species from insects to birds. Because of this, it’s incredibly important to preserve them as a way of promoting biodiversity, as is crucial for the health of local ecosystems as well as the environment as a whole.
As part of their work, arboriculturists don’t only make sure that trees are healthy, but ensure that wildlife habitats are being preserved. Working with an arboriculturist when designing your commercial landscape can help you to create an environment that supports the local biodiversity whilst considering your needs as a business owner and ensures your compliance with environmental regulations.
Arboriculturist services often include:
Tree condition assessments
Tree risk and hazard assessments
Tree constraints and tree protection plans
Arboricultural impact assessment and method statement
Tree works applications for tree preservation order and conservation area trees
Tree and woodland management plans
Replacement and enhancement tree planting landscape design proposal
Landscape Design Trends
Wildflower Gardens
Wildflower meadows have steadily been growing in popularity in recent years, both for their colourful beauty and their environmental benefit. Wildflowers are essential for providing bees, butterflies and other pollinators with food throughout the year, who will then go on to pollinate other plants in the local area.
Most types of native wildflower species are well-adapted to local climates and soils, making them both easy to grow and low maintenance. This requires less effort and money from you to keep them maintained, allowing you to focus more time, money and energy instead into your main priority: your business. On top of this, they also require less water and fertiliser than other plants, making them more environmentally friendly.
Their environmental benefit extends in yet more ways. For example, wildflowers have deep root systems; this allows them to absorb excess water and nutrients, which reduces runoff and soil loss, ultimately helping to prevent soil erosion. Maintaining the health of your soil in this way allows surrounding plants to thrive, also.
Another great thing about wildflower meadows from a business perspective? They’re cost-effective. Compared to many other traditional garden plants, wildflower seeds are less expensive and are often available to buy in bulk. As such, they are a great way to incorporate a sustainable, environmentally beneficial and colourful feature into your commercial green space without eating into your budget
Some examples of wildflowers include:
Poppies
Foxgloves
Daisies
Cornflowers
Clovers
Textural Havens
Whilst a lush, green lawn is the traditional choice of landscape, both for domestic and commercial gardens alike, these are actually more problematic than you may first assume. Not only do they require frequent maintenance, demand more water and can look unkempt in the colder months, but, frankly? They can be boring.
An alternative trend that has been on the rise and we believe we’ll be seeing a lot more of this year is the incorporation of texture into your landscape. An effective way to do this is to create a rock garden in your outdoor space.
These gardens not only offer a visually diverse and unique landscape, but are relatively low maintenance, as are the wide variety of plants that can be incorporated into their design. Furthermore, they are great for surviving harsh weather conditions, being able to withstand the effects of both the increasingly hotter summer climate and the frosty chills of winter.
Another perk that they offer is their peaceful aesthetic. Rocks and stones are renowned for their serene appearance, hence why they are so heavily used in traditional Japanese zen gardens. This can offer both your staff and any visitors to your business a sense of composure and ease - a sentiment that then may even be associated with your business itself.
Outdoor Living
If there’s one way you can create an impactful garden design whilst promoting the health of your employees, it’s by embracing the concept of open air living spaces. By taking elements of the inside and introducing them to the outside, you create a hybrid space that offers plentiful benefits.
Offering your employees an outdoor respite space can be much more beneficial to their health than simply only having access to such spaces indoors. Being able to relax outside has many proven health benefits, including:
Reduced stress
Increased vitamin D levels
Promotes better sleep
Reduced inflammation
Improved moods
Mental health benefits
Strengthened relationships
By creating such a space for your employees to enjoy on their breaks, you’re not only establishing yourself as a caring employer, but you’ll likely also reap the benefits, as this could lead to increased productivity and motivation amongst your staff.
Rather than destroying the local landscape by building on top of it, embrace it. Invest in outdoor furniture such as weather-resistant furniture, i.e. tables, chairs, pagodas or and gazebos, and place these within your green spaces in a carefully considered way. Doing this allows individuals at your business to comfortably connect with nature whilst preserving the beauty of nature itself.
Afterall, preserving the integrity of these important natural environments also helps to protect the creatures that depend on them.
Enlisting the Help of Landscape Architects
If you’re looking to transform your green spaces this year into trendy, attractive and sustainable landscapes, then enlisting the help of professional landscape architects can help you achieve just that. We offer just the services you need here at Lizard Landscape Design and Ecology.
With our expertise, we’re able to provide you with a bespoke inspiring, stimulating, sustainable and sensory external environment that meets your requirements. In order to achieve a high standard when undertaking a development project, we believe that it’s vital to take an approach to landscape and ecological design that addresses sustainability and biodiversity to complement the architecture of your premises.
That’s why we offer fully outlined landscape strategies, landscape assessments and appraisals, detailed planning submissions and detailed hard and soft design schemes as part of our landscape architecture services.
We also offer professional arboriculture services, allowing us to provide you with objective, detailed and well presented advice for your development project using our extensive knowledge, ensuring that your plans aren’t negatively impacting any surrounding trees in the local area.
To learn more about what we do and discuss how our services may help you, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.