Sustainability is the trend of today for all aspects of life, especially landscape and the environment. But when it comes to your home garden, sustainability has been a theme since the very beginning of garden history. Sustainability is no new word to us gardeners. In fact, we tend to our garden so that it will last. We use native plants to our region so that they can grow care free on their own in their natural environment. We make designs that will endure and are time proof and beautiful. These things are important to us if we intend to keep a garden. Cohesive design, natives, and proper pruning will encourage our garden to live on well past our own life span. The rest of the world “ooo’s” and “ah’s” at the notion of sustainability. We sit back, enjoy our garden, and ask “What took you so long?”

Water has always been an important resource. The manipulation of water in the landscape is determined by a number of professionals in a variety of fields. As a result, different technologies crop up to address water issues as we continue to control and employ water in the landscape.

You might have heard about the wonder that is "pervious concrete." Do not be fooled by the fact that it resembles a rice-crispy treat. One can confidently empty a bottle of water onto its surface, and watch the water percolate through the concrete. Large quantities of impermeable surfaces are responsible for many storm water issues. What makes pervious concrete so appealing is that it has the ability to solve these some of these issues. By design, it reduces runoff and recharges groundwater. A special mixture of materials creates a web of interconnected voids allowing water to pass through rather than pool on the surface.

For more information, I would suggest you Google "Bruce Ferguson pervious concrete" (Ferguson is the leading researcher in the field)

In your search, you may come across several humorous tag-lines. For example: "When it rains, it's porous" or "When it rains, it drains."

At least these people don't have a dry sense of humor.

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Welcome to the Father Nature Landscapes blog. Here you'll soon find tips and information from our fearless landscaping leader, Andrew McCurry. We welcome your comments and questions, so feel free to get involved in the discussion!