6 Ways to Give Your Yard an Eco-Friendly Makeover
Julie Bitely
| 2 min read
Your home’s yard is your own little slice of earth. Make sure it’s contributing to the overall health of the planet with these landscaping tips.
- Attract bees and butterflies. You want these pollinators in your yard, especially if you’re thinking about growing a garden. Planting a diverse array of native flowers that bees and butterflies are attracted to will draw them to your yard. Make sure to choose plants with a staggered bloom, so there’s always something to enjoy whether it’s spring, summer or fall. There are many helpful resources available to help you figure out what to plant to attract bees and butterflies.
- Welcome bats as the organic pest-control powerhouses they are. Consider placing some bat houses on your property to attract these flying mammals. They get an undeserved creepy reputation, but will really help you control pests. Bring the bats to you with night-blooming plants. Understand why bats are important to Michigan in this podcast.
- Go native with wildflowers and grasses. Having an expansive carpet of lawn isn’t ideal for the environment. Cut back on mowing by putting in some wildflowers and grasses native to Michigan. Here’s a helpful table for wildflowers that will work with different soil types.
- Plant your own salad. Starting a garden increases the biodiversity of your yard and provides fresh, organic fruits and veggies for you to enjoy. You’ll save money on buying produce, get extra exercise from tending your garden and enjoy the literal fruits of your own labor.
- Harvest water from the sky. Cut down on your water consumption by installing a rain barrel to capture any falling precipitation. Learn more about rain barrels here.
- Lower your cooling costs with trees. Who doesn’t like trees? They help clean the air, provide shade and beauty, and if planted properly, can actually reduce home cooling costs in the summer. Here are tips on how and where to plant trees to cut your bills.
Have you made your yard more of a “green” space? Tell us about it in the comments.
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Photo credit: Deb Nystrom
