Climate Friendly Gardening

You love your garden, you want to keep it healthy and thriving. But, you are aware that you have some responsibility to maintain your garden in as an eco-friendly way as possible.

Here are some tips to help-

* Avoid nitrogen-rich fertilisers - they require large amounts of fossil fuel to make and emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more powerful than CO2

* Add home-made compost (about a bucketful per square metre) to boost the amount of water and nutrients that soil can retain - and avoid store-bought, peat-based composts

* Go manual - buy a push mower and a watering can

* Choose sustainable wood for your garden furniture

* When you're paving, consider lower-emission alternatives to concrete. Made from recycled and reclaimed materials, they have catchy names like pulverised fuel ash or ground granulated blast furnace slag.

* Get low-carbon outdoor lighting, such as solar lights or LEDs

* Check with your water company or council whether there are grants available for water-saving equipment like rainwater butts

* Recycle wastewater from the kitchen and bathroom for use in the garden and toilets.

* Discover plants that can withstand long spells of heat, including French honeysuckle, Lavender, Iris, and Salvia, and water infrequently but thoroughly, at the base of the plant

* Avoid patio heaters