Chances are if you’re reading this, you’ve been experiencing some cold and wet weather in the past couple of months. In the Los Angeles area where 7th Generation Advisors is located, it has been a particularly rainy season thus far. Back in Week 44 we covered how to use the rain to your yard’s advantage. We also discussed ways to make your yard more drought tolerant and the benefits of installing a drip irrigation system. There is one more tip to make your yard more sustainable: use porous materials when designing outdoor landscaping.
Porous materials include gravel or pebbles. Porous surfaces allow water to drain freely. The gravel soaks up the water and provides natural drainage which prevents water from puddling. This also prevents stormwater runoff.
Stormwater is water that is generated by rain or snow melt. Stormwater runoff is excess stormwater that is not absorbed into the land but runs over the land, into a nearby waterway. Untreated stormwater can be dangerous because it picks up oils from cars, pesticides from plants, bacteria, detergents from washing cars, or really anything dumped or dropped on the ground. As untreated stormwater makes its way to rivers, lakes and oceans it can pollute the water, creating unhealthy water conditions. In Los Angeles County alone, over one billion gallons of treated wastewater is discharged to the Pacific Ocean each day, along with billions of gallons more from storm drains during wet weather events.
Still need convincing to use gravel or pebbles? Other benefits to using gravel or pebbles are that they are affordable, low maintenance, can act as a natural weed control, and they deter pests. Surrounding plants with gravel will help protect them from bugs while allowing water to drain instead of pool, which can harm the roots. It also helps insulate your plants- it retains heat from sunlight during hot weather and can act as a blanket to insulate the plants in cold weather.
If you are also looking for a sustainable design for your driveway, walk or patio, you can choose water-permeable building materials which allow water to percolate through the surface, again reducing rainwater runoff while watering your plants naturally. This also allows rainwater to permeate into the ground
which replenishes groundwater reservoirs. Three recommended water-permeable materials include decomposed granite, flagstone and permeable pavers.
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