INDEX gardening ...How green is your garden?
placed water butts will earn you some green credibility points. If you’re interested in having a living roof, a good first port of call is
www.livingroofs.org, which seeks to promote the concept and has lots of independent ideas and information to look at.
And if you really want to be a step ahead of the neighbours you could develop a fully- fledged rain garden, which will take water from your roof and feed it back into the ground so that the severely depleted water
table can be replenished. This is simply a step back towards the natural cycle and if only we could all revert in such a manner it could stem the occurrence of regular drought and flood crises. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has welcomed the recent Government White Paper on the environment, which is deemed to provide, “positive life- changing effects” – providing the proposals are implemented. The aim is, “to safeguard the environment for future generations” and the Paper confirms that gardens offer havens for wildlife and pollinating insects. It acknowledges the problems caused by higher air
temperatures in towns, an effect known as the ‘urban heat island’, which can be significantly improved by the incorporation of plants and green spaces, particularly
PROPERTY SERVICES
CHRIS THOMPSON LANDSCAPE &
species such as Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina).
The ‘greening up’ of towns and cities not only enhances wildlife, it has a been shown, too, to reduce temperatures, improve air quality and promote a feeling of greater health and wellbeing among individuals. It is said that we have now entered a new, Anthropocene, age – one in which the impact
we have made upon the planet can no longer be reversed. But we are at least beginning to recognise the need to manage the world in a more sustainable manner – and there’s no better place to start practising green habits than within one’s own garden. We don’t all need to be ‘worms’, but working with, rather than against, nature will reap rewards for all.
i
A Green roof shelter at Chelsea Flower Show provided by
www.livingroofs.org Photo: Jon Enoch
❖ Specialising in design, hard landscaping, property improvements & refurbishments
❖ Over 20 years’ experience ❖ Fully insured ❖ References available on request ❖ Free, no-obligation estimates supplied
T: 01342 314959 M: 07771 346687 & 07771 346688
christhompson959@btinternet.com www.christhompsonlandscape.co.uk
www.indexmagazine.co.uk ILEX T: 01892 614 614
www.ilexbuildings.co.uk 103
Quality Oak Buildings & Landscape Architects
The INDEX magazine september 2011
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