ECOLOGICAL SERVICES
OUR LANDSCAPES CAN BE A SOURCE
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
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We believe that if everyone did one single thing to support biodiversity in their garden or to reduce their landscape's carbon footprint, the cumulative effect, not only on our environment as a whole but also in the overall quality of our own personal lives, would be tremendous.
As Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy affirm in "LIVING LANDSCAPES - Designing for Beauty and Diversity in the Home Garden", the relationship between landscaping services and the production of ecosystem services is an ethical issue that every gardener is now faced with. "Perhaps one of the most important ecological functions of our gardens will be to sustain the diversity of life that sustains us."
Ecological services provided by Lavish Gardens:
NATIVE PLANTINGS
RAIN GARDENS
RAINWATER HARVESTING
PERMACULTURE
REFORESTATION
STREAMBANK RESTORATION
POLLINATOR HABITATS
SONGBIRD GARDENS
EROSION CONTROL
NATIVE PLANTS AS A SOURCE OF LIFE!
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The plants in our gardens differ greatly in how well they support wildlife. For example, native plants support many local insects at their larval stage - which has a direct impact on local birds rearing their young. Native plants also provide ecosystem services that support pollinators and other food webs in more complete ways than introduced ornamentals.
That doesn't mean that we can't still plant and enjoy exotic plants within our gardens alongside native plants that are more ecologically beneficial. Choose a garden that will support biodiversity! In order to create residential landscapes that are multifunctional, Lavish Gardens uses all-natives some of the time, and some natives all of the time.
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You'll be delighted to spot Hemaris thysbe - the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth - in your garden, as it is a magnificent insect that looks, flies and behaves just like a hummingbird! Larvae feed on viburnums, hawthorns, snowberry, cherries, and plums. Adults seek nectar from deep-throated flowers such as monarda, lilac, and stachys.
"Use of native plants allows wildlife to immediately recognize sources of food and shelter in the area... Planting a diversity of native species will attract a greater variety of wildlife throughout the year."
~ Quinte Conservation, Gardening with Native Plants
- WATER -
AN INTEGRAL PART OF A HEALTHY HABITAT
"A water garden will enhance the aesthetics of your property and increase the diversity of wildlife that visit your garden. Water provides wildlife with a place to drink, bathe, and in some cases, breed. When landscaping your pond, using native plants will enhance its value for wildlife and help to preserve our natural heritage."
~ Quinte Conservation, Native Plants and Water Gardens
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When landscaping your pond, we will always include native plants to support and attract surrounding wildlife to your water garden. These will include moisture-loving plants, marginal plants (shallow-water plants), and deep water plants such as water lilies.
Lithobates clamitans - Green frogs photographed in a waterfall we worked on in Ontario. One of these two is a rare blue version of the green frog, lacking yellow pigment.
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Did you know that everything that enters storm drains ends up in our watercourses untreated?
As urban areas have grown, asphalt and other impervious surfaces like concrete and even lawns have slowly replaced wetlands and forests, The resulting runoff gets carried away through the sewage system, transporting with it all sorts of pollutants from streets, lawns and parking lots into our streams, rivers and lakes.
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Not only are rain gardens beneficial to our watercourses, they are also a great habitat for wildlife. Be a steward of your land and ask us for help with the design and installation of your rain garden!
RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEMS
Our most precious resource - water.
Alleviate the demand on municipal water systems and avoid strict watering schedules in times of drought with rainwater harvesting.
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We all know that we can harvest rainwater in small or even large water tanks connected to our roofs' downspouts. However, these solutions are limited in terms of the amount of water storage they offer and are always unsightly.
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With the Aquascape Rainwater Harvesting System, you can store as much water underground as you would like to irrigate your gardens, AND have a beautiful, sustainable water feature on top of it!