TOP 2020 Sustainable Landscape Design Trends

Interest in sustainable design and eco-consciousness is on the rise, particularly in areas prone to droughts, such as Los Angeles. So we’ve created a list of the top trends in sustainable design for 2020.

Proper Drainage

Proper Drainage is one of the most important factors to keep in mind if you want your outdoor space to be more environmentally friendly. We suggest installing gutters and gutter guards onto your rooftop edges. This will divert a good deal of the rainwater from your patio and backyard, helping prevent rainwater from flooding your yard and creating unnecessary runoff. We recommend installing a slotted system to ensure your patio drains properly. A slotted system is essentially a long drain installed next to your patio to collect and properly dispose of water, preventing it from running off and polluting public water with debris and toxic pollutants. 

Plants that soak up excess water:

Planting plants such as Boxwoods and Maple trees will help curtail the amount of excess water that your yard gets when it rains. The shrubs and grass that border your garden will protect it, while the tree's roots will absorb the water. Hence, not only are you protecting your softscaping investment, but you are also recycling the water by having the trees soak up the excess water. 

Outdoor flooring and Patios:

If you're considering adding a deck or flooring, we recommend using Thermally Modified Wood as your choice of wood. Thermally Modified Wood decays more slowly than standard wood due to the thermal modification process. By heating the wood to between 185 and 215 degrees Fahrenheit, the heat removes organic compounds from the wood cells, preventing it from absorbing water, expanding, contracting, or providing nourishment for insects or fungi.

The most environmentally friendly option for your Patio is permeable pavers. Permeable Pavers allow for the rainwater to flow through their joints, passing through a gravel base that filters out pollutants before the water can reach the ground. This means your drains will not overflow, resulting in no runoff, which carries debris and toxic pollutants to public sewers and bodies of water.

Sustainable landscape is all the rage, especially here in Los Angeles. If you follow a few of these tips, your yard will be exponentially more environmentally friendly. If you feel like you would like or need assistance in this endeavor do not fret, fill out our FREE Estimate to speak to one of our professionals who will gladly go over with you what the best options for you and your outdoor space and we are a full service Landscape Contracting company so we can take you from design to your dream environmentally friendly backyard.