Sustainable Landscaping

Provided by University of New England Research

What is Sustainable landscaping? 

Sustainable landscaping practices are a balance between helping the local climate, functional practices, cost efficient, visually pleasing areas and environmentally friendly products (Klett 2014 et al). Sustainable landscaping can help increase biodiversity, reduce pollution and help the local ecosystem. Sustainable landscaping can be applied on large scale or small scale projects. Sustainable landscaping is an umbrella term which can be broken down into many categories which differ throughout ecosystems! Traditional landscaping practices use a wide variety of fertilizers and pesticides in order to keep their gardens “clean”. In reality these fertilizers and pesticides are damaging to human health and can have many negative effects on your health such as asthma, skin irritation, lung irritation, cancer, and many, many more (Kumar et al 2012). Sustainable landscaping uses organic material for fertilizers in order to be clean for the ecosystem and humans. 

Why should I switch to sustainable landscaping practices?

Sustainable landscaping has loads of benefits to both the environment, your well being and your yard! These practices can improve soil health, reduce chemicals in the environment, increase biodiversity and many more. By improving your soil health, you decreased erosion in your yard. By reducing the use of chemicals in your yard, you reduce the risk of organisms in your yard being harmed and reduce health risks. By increasing biodiversity within your yard you decrease the vulnerability your yard has to environmental disasters. 

Sustainable landscaping has also been shown to improve your own wellbeing! In a study done in Australia in 2017, participants expressed they had a deeper connectedness to nature and their community after participating in a local wildlife gardening program (Mumaw et al. 2017). The sense of connectedness goes beyond aesthetics and labor, it fosters a deeper appreciation for the natural world and encourages a more mindful lifestyle. Numerous studies have been done over the last couple of decades and many have shown how interacting with natural spaces helps reduce stress, improve mood and improve mental health. Whether it’s planting native species, improving your soil health or supplying habitats for wildlife, sustainable landscaping offers a way for you to nurture your land and yourself. 

Sustainable landscaping is a great way to help mitigate climate change. Climate change is undeniably happening and affecting all of our lives. Sustainable landscaping practices can help you adapt to these changes. By planting trees in your backyard, you are able to create shade for you home which means using less energy in the home, trees provide oxygen which improves air quality (umd.edu) 

How can I start?

There are so many ways you can start sustainable landscaping in your own backyard! Whether you want a large scale or small scale project, there are an endless amount of options for you!

Rewilding 

One of the easiest ways to start sustainable landscaping is rewilding . Rewilding is the act of restoring an area of land to its natural uncultivated state and letting nature take over. First you must assess what you have and what you can work with. What is already in your yard or garden? Can I add more native plants? How can I support the wildlife in my area in my yard? Do you want to rewild your whole yard or just a section? A quick survey of what you are already working with can open a door of possibilities with a little research and help from local experts. Next step of rewilding is to decide what type of native plants you may want to introduce to your yard. Some native plants which increase biodiversity in southern Maine are bee balm, butterfly weed, beach plum, lady fern and so many more! By adding native plants to your yard, you are improving the air quality, biodiversity and soil quality. One of the major native plants which are key for sustainable landscaping is grass! Planting native grass contributes to soil conservation, preventing erosion, and enhancing water and nutrient retention (soillearningcenter.com). In Maine, it is recommended to use 40% Creeping Red Fescue, 10% Southport Chewings Fescue, 30% Perennial Ryegrass and 20% Kenblue Kentucky Bluegrass (Maine.gov). To find more native plants in your area in Maine, visit mainenativeplants.org Once you’ve surveyed your lawn, removed any weed, stopped the use of pesticides and planted some native plants it’s time to rewild! What do you do in the meantime? Nothing! Let nature take over and allow for it to do its own thing with no human interference. 

There are many organizations around Maine and New England that promote and educate on rewilding! Rewild Maine is a non-profit that focuses on public education on how you can support rewilding not only in your backyard but in nature too! They focus on accessibility so they have a monthly free workshop teaching you valuable skills to support rewilding. The Wild Seed Project is an organization that works to make rewilding more accessible. They provide resources and guidance on how to grow native plants on your own! They even host events and classes on sustainable gardening practices, plant identification, and much more!

Compost bins and piles

Creating compost bins is also super easy and sustainable! What is a compost bin? A compost bin is a bin which is used for recycling organic matter. Most tend to keep their compost bin in their kitchen and then dispose of it in their backyard. The area where your compost pile goes should be shady and dry in order to keep moisture contained. What can I add to my compost bin? Mostly any organic material! As the compost bin is in your kitchen, most food scraps can be added to it. Some of the best food to add to it would be egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps. To the compost pile in your backyard, the base should be a mixture of pine needles, twigs, leafs and grass clippings. The recommended ratio for a compost bin is 2:1 for greens to browns. Greens are nitrogen heavy scraps such as vegetables, fruit, grass clippings and coffee grounds. Browns are carbon heavy materials like twigs, leafs and cardboard. Remember, compost bins are not for meats, fats, oils and non-biodegradable material! Once your compost bin in your kitchen is full, you can add it to your compost pile in the backyard. Make sure to mix it around your pile to speed up decomposition. Once you have been working on your compost bin for a bit, you are now able to use it as soil for your yard and garden! By creating a compost pile in your backyard, you are helping reduce waste, improve soil health and cut methane emissions.

Don’t have a backyard? Or just not interested in dealing with compost? Look into local composting organizations! There are many groups in and around Maine that collect and process compost for you. There are organizations like Garbage to Garden who have been providing curbside composting services in many Maine cities like South Portland, Brunswick, and even in some Massachusetts cities. Ecomaine is another organization that doesn’t just provide composting resources and services but also supports all kinds of waste management systems throughout Maine. Many cities even have composting programs like Portland who has the Community Composting Program that helps residents support local farms by allowing them to drop off the compost directly at the farm! 

No rake November 

Raking leaves can be such a hassle every year! To save time and the environment, participate in “no rake November”. “No rake November” is a movement popularized by the National Wildlife Federation to stop the raking of leaves once they fall as the seasons turn over. By leaving the leaves on the ground they help fertilize the soil, act as a natural mulch and offer a habitat for wildlife. “No rake November” is an easy way to help the environment, participate in sustainable landscaping and save your time and money!

No Mow may

Along with no rake November, another month which offers a sustainable landscaping practice is “no mow May”. No mow may is a movement popularized by Plantlife to stop mowing your lawn in the month of May. By not mowing your lawn in May, you are helping pollinators work their magic and help the bloom of spring! You do not need to go the entire month without mowing, but it is best to do it not as often. It is recommended that during the spring months, mowing occurs every 3 weeks in order for substantial growth to happen (beecityusa.org) 

Resources

1. Klett J, Cummins A (2014) Sustainable Landscaping. Colorado State University Gardening Series. https://www.coinspection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/sustainable_landscape.pdf 
2. Kumas N, Pathera A, Saini P, Kumar M (2012). Harmful Effects of Pesticides on Human Health. Annals of Agri-Bio Research 17 (2) : 125-127. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/ 
3. Mumaw L, Bekessy S (2017) Wildlife gardening for collaborative public–private biodiversity conservation. Australasian J Environ Manage 24:242–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2017.13 09695    
4. Soil Learning Center. The Benefits of Native Grasses And Their Use In Farming . (2023, June 5). https://soillearningcenter.com/the-benefits-of-native-grasses-and-their-use-in-farming/ 
5. Sustainable gardening: Solutions to climate change. University of Maryland Extension. (2024, September 25). https://extension.umd.edu/resource/sustainable-gardening-solutions-climate-change/ 
6. No mow may. Bee City USA. (2025, April 7). https://beecityusa.org/no-mow-may/  
7. Yardzen. (2023, September 14). Rewilding Your Yard: Ideas and inspiration for homeowners. https://yardzen.com/yzblog/rewilding-your-yard?srsltid=AfmBOoqzp2y0nRe2–vxzc-m3MvFqiJgP8_0au1qp-bxdmdP37a67O2d  
8. Think Architecture. (2023, August 15). Sustainable landscape design principles. https://www.thinkaec.com/sustainable-landscape-design-principles/#:~:text=What%20is%20Sustainable%20Landscape%20Design,from%20sustainable%20landscape%20design%20principles.  
9. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/pesticides/yardscaping/lawn/new-lawn.shtml