Can a sustainable garden be created on a typical suburban block? It’s easy when you keep in mind the key aspects of sustainability: recovery, reuse and recycling. This is a garden I designed for myself and it’s a truly satisfying example of the ease with which a degraded, compacted and non-sustainable backyard was transformed into a fabulous, family-friendly, “green” garden. It’s bursting with easy sustainable ideas: chickens, recycled bricks, reclaimed items as focal points, reuse of demolished building materials, and a diverse selection of hardy, water-wise plants.
The design I wanted for the backyard included provision for open play areas, generous garden beds, vegetable gardens, a chicken coop, and rainwater collection and storage. Also important was that the garden be built and maintained along organic principles.
With this in mind,…