Give your customers what they want
The fastest growing sector of the landscape industry is providing services that minimize chemical use and water waste, and maximize plant health and efficient resource use. Get started with Natural Landscaping: Design, Build, Maintain (pdf).
Use these resources to learn more about:
- Watering and Irrigation – for irrigation maintenance, scheduling, rebates, and more, including Designing Irrigation Systems to Save Water.
- Integrated Pest Management – Learn pest identification, and find the least toxic control methods.
- Landscape Maintenance Plans – Use these examples to develop professional plans that sell your services to homeowner associations, institutions, and residents.
- EnviroStars Certification for Landscape Professionals – Get certified and promote your business as an EnviroStar.
Quick tips
- Group plants by water need, and match them to each irrigation zone. Select low water use varieties.
- Use Irrigation Association certified designers.
- Schedule irrigation based on plant needs and weather, see a list of sprinkler watering calculators on the Garden Washington website.
- Zone turf separately, and consider letting low-wear turf go dormant.
- Test irrigation systems annually, and observe monthly to find and repair broken or misdirected heads
- Install weather or soil-based irrigation controllers that adjust controller runtimes according to the weather or the moisture content in the soil.
More information
Natural Landscaping: Design, Build, Maintain (pdf)
Ecologically Sound Lawn Care (pdf) – 90-page manual, or a short summary Sustainable Lawn Care for NW Professionals (pdf)
Questions? Call the Garden Hotline at (206) 633-0224 or email help@gardenhotline.org
Related Links
Natural Pest, Weed and Disease Control – Practical IPM approach and resource links
Watering and Irrigation – Irrigation tips and rebates for system upgrades
Choose the Right Plant for Your Site – Plant lists, planting, and plant care tips