In part one of our series comparing ecological cleanups with traditional ones, we discussed the differences between ecological and conventional landscaping. In the second part, we reviewed some of the specific processes of ecological landscaping.
For the final installment in the series, we’ll take a closer look at the overall benefits of ecological fall cleanups and the cost considerations of embracing a more environmentally-friendly strategy. At first blush, this approach may seem counterproductive and “messy” – a lazy person’s excuse for avoiding more aggressive and vigorous traditional cleanup tasks. Also, many people believe that preserving nature through organic landscape techniques is more costly than conventional methods. Neither of these are true.
But in relatively recent years, advances in environmental science and ecological studies have revealed more fully the complex relationships between a remarkably wide variety of organisms and the tightly-knit and often-unseen interactions between plant, wildlife, and insect communities. It became clear that rich soil full of beneficial microorganisms is critical for supporting and nurturing the general health of the environment around us. Gardeners, landscapers, and property owners began to realize that autumn is not about stripping the earth clean of dead and decaying matter and more about putting gardens gently to bed and preparing the landscape for a long winter’s nap.
Rather than stripping the landscape of every single fallen leaf, it’s more beneficial to simply remove diseased plant matter and leave the rest to decay and return to the soil to enrich it, contributing to a healthier, more vibrant landscape.
Many homeowners view an ecological-landscaping investment through a short-term lens, measuring the cost based on money spent over the course of a few weeks or months. This is a mistake. Ecological landscaping should be considered a long-term tactic to invest in the prolonged health of your yard. You must think not only about what your yard looks like now, but what it will look like next season and the one after that, for years to come.
This reminds me of the famous quote from the Dalai Lama, who said “(Man) sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.”
You might be able to make your yard look great quickly with chemicals and shortcuts that address your landscape at surface level, but you will end up spending any savings you gained in the short-term supporting the long-term health of your yard. While ecological yard care can cost more in the short-term, you have to consider the long-term cost to your time and your yard’s health if you use quick-fix gardening tactics.
Interested in adopting more environmentally-friendly lawn and garden care practices? Our landscape specialists at Moodscapes have many years of experience with all kinds of cleanup and maintenance tasks. Contact us to set up an appointment so you can learn why ecological landscaping will end up costing less in the long run – for your wallet and the environment.
If you are in our service area in eastern Massachusetts and want to speak to us about an ecological fall cleanup, please reach out to us to schedule a call.
To learn about the best methods to landscape maintenance, please read the eBook titled "How to Maintain Your Landscape and Transform it into a Beauty You'll Love."