7 Eco-Friendly Decorating Ideas To Create A Greener Outdoor Space

Going green? You don’t necessarily have to go further and buy minimalist prefabricated kit homes and reside in the countryside. Taking part of the earth’s conservation may start in your own home, in a place where you are closest to nature – your home’s outdoor space.

If you’re renovating or redecorating, here are 7 smart ways to revamp your garden, lawn, yard, and patio, and make it greener.

1. Repurpose old furniture pieces

Reduce, reuse, and recycle – these are the three Rs to live by if you’re aiming to be a part of environmental conservation.

Before buying new outdoor ornaments, look for old materials you can reuse or recycle for your flower pots, swing chairs and hammocks, outdoor rugs, bird baths and feeders, and water fountains.

Repurpose furniture too. Unleash your innate D.I.Y. Skills or steal ideas from a vast number of D.I.Y. project rb_blog like Etsy and Pinterest to give your old furniture pieces a new life. D.I.Y projects will not just help you reduce waste and save money but can also help add character and visual interest to your space.

2. Support sustainably-sourced materials, like reclaimed wood

Woodsy interior designs can easily create that warm, close-to-nature vibe. Just keep in mind that every piece of wood comes from a tree. Make sure to avail wood furniture pieces that come from sustainable forests (sustainable wood) and avoid wood treated with chemicals.

If you can upcycle old wooden shelves or other furniture in order to minimize buying wood, do so. You can use them in creating bloom-filled wooden plant shelves, gardening pots, and crate, wooden walkway, wooden fences, and wooden pergola. Complement the rustic and masculine appeal of wood by combining your wooden furniture with plush upholstery and pillows.

3. Create a rain garden with reclaimed water solutions

The popular phrase “every drop counts” has no exceptions – even rainwater. If you love gardening but you don’t like the idea of watering your plants with gallons of fresh water, the idea of a rain garden may interest you.

A rain garden is a landscaped garden which uses excess rainwater in irrigating the plants on the surface. The garden is placed in a shallow hole where the runoff from your home’s driveways, roof, or hardscaping is directed. Aside from helping with water conservation, it also helps minimize water pollution and stormwater drainage.

Rain garden proves that underneath the lush and vivid array of plants may be a more beautiful breakthrough.

4. Go green with living walls and hedges

Another way to revamp your yard is to add living walls. Living walls are panels of plants that are grown vertically using hydroponics, and they can either be free-standing or attached to an existing wall.

Aside from their excellent aesthetics, living walls are praised for their functionality. They can improve air quality by absorbing and cleaning pollutants. They can also serve as a habitat for wildlife and beneficial insects.

You can also punch up a basic patio fence by replacing them with hedges, slim planters which create an eco-friendly rail or fill an existing fence with an array of potted plants.

5. Create a flora and fauna sanctuary

When decorating, think not only about aesthetics but also about how your outdoor space could benefit the flora and fauna around you. Consider having a birdbath, a small pond, and a few potted plants that will provide food, water, and shelter for birds, fish, and small creatures.

6. Pick air-purifying houseplants

Not all houseplants are created equal. Next, to their maintenance requirements, some plants differ in terms of air purifying qualities. Houseplants like ferns and palms, rubber plants, devil’s ivy, peace lilies, and spider plants are best known for combating pollutants and chemicals from man-made materials.

7. Plant deciduous trees

Because nothing says “I love mother earth” better than planting trees.

Think about how their lush greeneries, colorful fruits, and dramatic branches can add to your yard’s visual appeal. Apart from beautifying your yard, it is a known fact that trees help filter the air and provide a cooler environment.

Trees, specifically deciduous trees, act as the earth’s natural air conditioner, saving energy by providing a natural cooling and heating function based on the season. Some of the deciduous trees you may plant in your yard are oak, elm, and maple. If your lot permits, have them on the south and west part of your home.