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While landscaping has the potential to be part of the solution to certain environmental problems, the quest for beauty can also produce effects that are harmful to the environment. Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practices examines landscape practices that adversely affect the environment, which occur in the process of constructing, implementing, and managing residential and commercial landscapes. It explores ways to change these practices to have a more positive effect, describing the principles of sustainable landscaping and proposing solutions to challenges that can arise.
Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practices covers a wide range of landscape practices that fall under the broad subject of sustainability, providing detailed coverage of principles including the following:
- Conducting sustainability audits
- Using plants to maximize their benefits
- Regulating solar heat gain and loss with seasonal climate changes
- Directing wind using plants to minimize heat loss in winter and maintain cooling breezes in summer
- Addressing water quantity and quality
- Managing storm water
- Understanding and improving soil health
- Minimizing the impact of pesticides and herbicides
- Conserving energy and reducing air pollution
- Managing resources and reducing waste
Each topic is introduced by providing background information and terminology, followed with practical solutions that are being implemented by landscape professionals. Written for a general audience-from students of landscaping to homeowners and professionals in the landscaping industry-Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practices provides background information and practical solutions, offering sustainable approaches to the way landscapes are designed and managed.
Sustainable Landscaping
What Is Sustainability?
History and Background
Sustainable Sites Initiative
Environmental Issues and Landscaping
Nonrenewable and Renewable Resources
The Role of the Landscaping Industry in Sustainability
Sustainability in the Plantscape
Introduction
Environmental Aspects of Plants
Turfgrass
Woody Plants
Invasive Plants
Ecology and Plants
Ecological Landscaping
Attracting Wildlife
Programs for Habitat Development
The Sun and the Sustainable Landscape
Introduction
Studies Related to the Effects of the Sun on the Landscape
Solar Energy
Urban Heat Island
Other Considerations
Reducing Heat Gain in Summer
Increasing Heat Gain in Winter
The Wind and Energy Conservation
Introduction
Trapping Cold Air on a Slope
Planting for Insulating Properties
The Cooling Effects of Wind
Windbreaks to Reduce Heat Loss
Wind in the Urban Landscape
Water Issues
Introduction
The Water Cycle
Water Sources
Potable Water
Polluted Water
Preventing and Treating Contaminated Water
Reducing Use of Pesticides in the Landscape
Bioremediation and Phytoremediation
Wetlands and Constructed Wetlands
Water Conservation
Introduction
Precipitation
Drought and Water Shortage
Plant Water Requirements
Rainwater Collection Systems
Calculating Rainfall Amounts
Irrigation and Water-Use Efficiency
Drought-Tolerant Plants
Water-Wise Gardening
Mulch
Gray-Water Use
Timing of Gray-Water Usage
Managing Excess Water in the Landscape
Introduction
Storm-Water Runoff
The Urban Water Cycle
Solutions to Excess Water in the Landscape
Green Walls
Soil Health
Introduction
Soils and Construction Activities
Brownfields
Soil Testing
Addressing Problems with Soil Chemistry
Soil Organic Matter
Essential Plant Nutrients
Improving Soil Health for Landscaping
Sustainable Fertilization
Sustainable Fertilization
Introduction
Fertilizer
Plant Fertilizer Requirements
Forms of Fertilizers
Fertilizer Sources
Improving Landscape Soils with Organic Matter
Introduction
Organic Matter in the Landscape
Fate of Organic Matter
Organic Matter and Soil Health
Types of Organic Matter for Landscaped Areas
Organic Soil Amendments
Grass Clippings
Pesticides in the Landscape
Introduction
Pesticide Use in the Landscape
Types of Pesticides
Pesticide Regulation
Human Health Hazards
Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Other Health Effects
Environmental Hazards
Pesticide Handling
Integrated Pest Management
Introduction
Avoidance
Cultural Practices
Genetically Improved Plants
Treatment
Phenology and Degree-Days
Action Thresholds
Economic Thresholds
Aesthetic Injury Level
Alternative Pest Controls
Energy: Sources and Uses
Introduction
Energy Sources
Scope of the Problem
Government Support for Renewable Energy
Energy for Electricity
Energy-Efficient Lighting
Tools and Equipment
Introduction
Power Tools Used in the Landscape
Types of Engines
Sustainability Issues Concerning Landscape Tools and Equipment
Solutions
Sustainable Landscape Materials and Products
Introduction
Landscape Construction Materials
Recycled Materials for Landscape Products
Life-Cycle Assessment
Waste Management
Appendix A: Sustainability Audit
Appendix B: Important Websites Used as Resources in This Book
Index
Dr. Marietta Loehrlein is professor of horticulture and landscaping at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. She teaches or has taught 12 horticulture and landscaping courses, including Sustainable Landscaping Practices. She maintains a sustainable landscaping website (http:// thesustainablelandscape.com), is a public speaker on sustainable landscaping, and has written numerous articles on the topic and other horticultural subjects. Dr. Loehrlein is president of The Sustainable Landscape, a sustainable landscape design and consultation company, and is a member of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association (MELA). She holds a patent on the regal pelargonium "Camelot."
