This article represents the desire of the landscape design and gardening community to better assist the homeowner in making more prudent and informed decisions in their landscapes and gardens. Consequences of previous decision making now threaten our air, water, land wildlife, our human community, pets and our children—essentially all existing life.

There is a growing concern about the use and misuse of chemicals, the excessive amounts of water utilized for maintaining landscapes and superfluous lawns; and the increasing loss of natural plant habitats. Leaves, lawn clippings and other yard wastes account for nearly one-fifth of what ends up in the landfills. More pesticide is used in home gardens than on agricultural lands. Home gardens consume as much as 50 percent of domestic water!

So how do you create a landscape that is both beautiful and environmentally sound? A new etiquette that approaches the landscape holistically, rather than arbitrarily, needs to be adopted. So, how do we begin?

One way is to work with nature and create a natural landscape in your yard. While "wilderness’’ all around us continues to shrink, impoverishing bio-diversity on the planet, home landscapes have a potential as ecological sanctuaries that are aesthetically interesting, functional and educational. Children will take great delight in watching and learning the survival skills of butterflies, hummingbirds, cardinals, and beneficial insects all contributing to the larger and integral whole of the natural world. Rachel Carson, a scientist and former Pittsburgher (and a Chatham College Alumnae), who was considered to be the "Mother of Ecology," referred to the symbiotic relationship of nature as the "web of life."

A naturalistic front yard planting of Fountain grass (Pennisetum "Hamelin"), Russian sage (Perovskia) and Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia "Goldstrum").

"Natural" or sustainable landscapes are chemical-free and celebrate bio-diversity and regional heritage by looking to nature for broad patterns and a plant palette. These landscapes don’t just use a single native plant or species but rather recreate a "community" or significant parts of them. A major role a natural landscape can offer is to enhance surrounding native vegetation or help to restore what once flourished in a particular location. This is especially true for homeowners who are fortunate to have woodlands or large fields as part of their property. Natural habitats require much less coddling than their more cultured counterparts of manicured lawns, masses of water-guzzling annuals; and the high-maintenance, over-clipped shrubs dominating the landscapes we see nearly everywhere today (The latter is often referred to by local design professionals as the "Pittsburgh gum-drop syndrome!").

Does this mean that formal herb gardens and English-style herbaceous borders must be relegated to the compost pile? No, not at all. Natural landscaping is simply suggesting that one should select plants that are suited to our Southwestern PA region—plants not requiring massive infusions of precious water or harsh chemicals that are harming our living environment and families over the long haul.

Dwarf Miscanthus grass (Miscanthus "Nippon") in early fall adjacent to a pond.

Additionally, a natural garden works with the natural cycle of decay and renewal. In nature, nutrients absorbed by plants are returned to the soil in the form of fallen leaves and other natural "refuse" (i.e., animal waste). It makes no sense to send leaves and grass clippings to an overburdened landfill and then drive to the nearest garden or home center for peat moss and fertilizer, when you can recycle yard wastes in your own backyard. In less than a year, these recycled wastes can be added to your landscapes as fertilizer. I recall my grandparents referring to compost as "black gold" and perpetually extolling its virtues.

By the same token, environmental pest control begins with good landscape design, proper selection of disease resistant plants and an understanding of the interaction of pests and beneficial insects. Natural landscapes work with the entire property as an ecosystem, not just the plants. This holistic approach is a healthier way of living in harmony with one another and with Nature.

A final alternative is encouraging a "freedom lawn" that utilizes a hands-off approach. With this newfangled approach to lawn care, all watering, fertilizing, pesticide and herbicide use are, at the very least, lessened, if not discontinued. Less frequent mowing means less toxicity to the environment and ourselves (Not to mention, it’s easier on the wallet!). Some municipalities have begun revising ordinances to permit "metaphoric meadows" or a no-mow landscape in various regions of the country. There is also a growing trend towards creating "rain-gardens" that catch storm water from roofs and gutters as another natural biological feature, and thus serve as a unique landscape feature.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida "Goldstrum").

By making better environmental decisions on an individual basis, one landscape at a time, we enter into a powerful agreement: the agreement to share the incredible experience of creating a world that is healthier and more sustainable to all forms of life—especially our children.

Richard Liberto is a professional horticulturist, landscape designer and consultant.