The summer brings expectations for outdoor adventures. On top of that comes the sad waste that comes when preparing outdoor spaces. It is vital to understand the implications that come from changing things and maintaining past projects.
Making a backyard nature-friendly seems a lot harder than it is. Most people can create unintentional habits or make a few small (or big) changes that can broadly increase their backyard’s ability to create a safe space for local animals and insects.
How to Create a Nature-Friendly Backyard Space
It’s easy to create a nature-friendly space in your backyard.
You can use both cheap and expensive materials, depending on your budget. You can also use elements that are already in your backyard, which is a sustainable way to protect the environment.
A nature-friendly backyard space can also incorporate a beautiful swim spa that will improve both your health and your time spent outdoors in your backyard.
Keep reading to find seven ways to create a more nature-friendly space that can save you a little time, money, and effort in the long run.
1. Plant Flowers
Usually, people plant flowers because they are pretty or because they like their fragrance. However, planting the right flowers in your backyard can make it welcoming to useful animals.
Planting native flora comforts animals into thinking that the space is wild or untouched by humans. Obviously, it is not, but it can help encourage the feeling of safety and at-home-ness that can make a space more open to animal inhabitants.
There are a lot of benefits to planting native plants and flowers beyond attracting animals.
- Native plants will not need fertilizer or other boosters to help and keep them growing.
- They can help reduce air pollution.
- They require less water because they get what they need naturally.
- Native plants can encourage biodiversity.
- Native flora encourages insects to thrive which can increase pollination in the area.
It may seem unusual to plant a high concentration of local plants instead of random pretty flowers, but native flowers can be just as gorgeous, especially in their peak season.
2. Grow Your Fruits and Veggies
You may have wanted to grow a garden for years but sometimes it is a lot harder than it looks.
Growing your fruits and vegetables can be a game changer. Not only does it save you the money you would have to pay at the grocery store, but it also ensures that the food is healthy and free from the chemicals large farms use.
Food grown in your backyard tends to taste much better than imported produce.
Growing your produce helps reduce your carbon footprint. It may seem difficult to grow things where the soil is hard or ants always eat the produce first. You should consider gardening in containers above the ground.
There are lots of ways to garden that all suit different people trying to achieve the same goal of growing their produce.
3. Go Electric
Electric gadgets are on the rising trend, but hopefully, they will long outlast many of the other new fads.
Electric alternatives to lawnmowers, leaf blowers, weed eaters, and other types of gardening tools are slowly becoming available. They will typically charge for a little while and last for around half an hour.
Electric tools have some negatives that currently make them unappealing to large lawn companies, but they are ideal to use at home. Sometimes the electric, eco-friendly lawn tools seem too expensive, but the truth is that they perform in every category and last for years.
Switching to electric is a huge change that may take some time to build up to, and that’s okay! Sometimes the best changes start small with the easy things like backyards, rain bins, and composting.
4. Consider Going Grass-less
Sometimes the best way to go green is to have the least amount of green grass as possible. Plain lawn grass is highly discouraging to birds and insects because they cannot eat it and it has no natural cover.
Lawn grass produces a lot of oxygen, but other plants can release just as much and allow more animals and insects to gather on your lawn. You have many alternatives if you want an open space for entertaining.
You can use tons of plants called groundcovers that do not grow above a certain point, making them perfect for lawns, because you will never have to mow them. Consider the following options:
- Clover
- Moss
- Sand
- Mint
- Creeping thyme
You can still have a lawn but it requires constant maintenance and is generally dead for half the year. You can try Xeriscape when the area requires little to no water. It is mainly succulents, cacti, and sand, perfect for a hot place like Arizona.
5. Use a Compost Bin
Many of us remember parts of the lesson we learned in kindergarten about how compost bins are easy to make and help the environment. But we tend to forget that they actually can be instrumental in creating a nature-friendly space.
Composting can help reduce waste while also creating a natural fertilizer. Composting keeps you from having to buy chemical fertilizer. Putting chemicals in your backyard can deter and harm insects and animals.
Compost bins are easy to make, so do not worry about spending money to become greener. Simply grab a tub or wooden box and drill some holes in the bottom or if you feel dedicated, make a composting pile with no bin required.
The goal of composting is to reduce waste; so peels, eggshells, old food, and other recyclables can be tossed in with no remorse. It may take a while to fully compost some food, but once it does, you do not have to worry about having fertilizer on hand.
6. Use the Sun
The sun is a natural resource often overlooked in this technological age. The sun can do more than encourage plants along in their growth. While technology cannot be entirely supported by solar energy yet, you can use it to your advantage.
The sun is a free source of energy that is constantly renewable and wasteless. It is simply a matter of harnessing it in the right way. Here are some ways to use the sun in your yard:
- Use solar lights instead of plug-ins or battery-operated ones.
- Dry your clothes outside on a line.
- Use solar panels or collectors.
- Plant your garden and plants in a way that allows for the proper amount of needed sunlight.
Solar energy can seem tedious to use, but once you start, it will run itself.
7. Build a Rain Water Barrel
It seems a little too country to have a rain barrel in your yard, especially as most people do not use well water anymore, but a water barrel can provide the water for many things besides hot tubs and sinks that could save you money.
Your choice to collect rainwater does not have to be a barrel, although barrels tend to hold the most water and are typically easy to find. You can use any type of container that fits the look and ambiance of your backyard.
You can use rainwater to water your plants, shower, or cook. It can fill up your watering cans. Capturing rainwater can help reduce the flow into drains, which also keeps out debris.
Rain barrels provide a free water resource apart from pools or ponds and are safe to use. A rain barrel can catch that water and prevent flooding, erosion, and stormwater runoff when placed under downspouts.
8. Make It Welcoming to Everybody
Animals may not always be the best guests, but they can improve your backyard. Sure, we want our backyards to be welcoming to our neighbors and friends, but there are many benefits to having visitors that enhance them.
You want butterflies and bees, as well as other pollinators, to come into your yard! Not only do they need help spread pollen, but they also help your yard look the best it can. Pollinators tie back to having native plants because that is what the pollinators want to eat.
If you do not want to see any deer, foxes, raccoons, or squirrels, you can try to keep them out with a fence, but any animal that wants to get in your yard will find a way there. You can help ease the damage by planning for a friendly visitor.
Final Words
You have many ways to create a nature-friendly backyard space. It does not take a lot of money or time to make your yard a little more eco and nature-friendly. It can be as simple as getting a rain barrel or a compost bin.
Are you thinking of creating a nature-friendly backyard space with a hot tub? Take a look at our blog or FAQ section to find answers to your questions about including a peaceful water oasis in your nature-friendly backyard! If you’re ready to elevate your space with the addition of a pool, hot tub or swim spa, and really enjoy the nature in your backyard, contact us today.
Going green is a conscious decision that starts with a few small steps. Each step brings you closer to a space that welcomes people and nature alike.
