Roger Noakes - Helping To Make Your Life Better.

• Get into the habit of mulching your borders and beds - benefits: conserves and saves you water and suppresses weeds so less work.
• Plant a tree - benefits: absorbs CO2 and adds a new dimension to your garden.
• Start a compost heap - benefits: an easy way to get rid of kitchen vegetable waste and green garden waste; a cheap source of soil improver; healthier plants.
• Get a water butt to collect rain water.
• Invest in a simple automatic irrigation system - benefits: need not be expensive; targeted watering as opposed to sprinklers; minimises water waste.
• Reduce the use of chemical pest control and fertiliser products and find out about non-chemical methods - benefits: kills fewer insects including the good guys like ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies.
• Have a pond, (not if you have young children) - benefits: attractive in itself and attracts frogs (they eat slugs), newts and dragonflies.
• Don't use peat based composts - helps conserve peat bogs
• Get a bird table and/or feeders.
• Plant berry producing shrubs e.g.Pyracantha, Hawthorn. Cotoneaster to provide food and nesting places for birds.
• Have shrubs that attract butterflies and bees e.g. Buddleia (butterfly bush), Lavender, Pyracantha, Escallonia.
• Have an area for native wild flowers and meadow grasses - benefits: attracts beneficial insects; is little work; looks good.
• Grow fruit and vegetables. Even a small patch or containers can provide really great tasting fresh produce.
• If you want lighting have LED lights - use much less electricity than conventional lights.

• Try to ensure that any timber used in garden construction comes from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sustainable sources.
• Where possible use purchased materials that are reclaimed or recycled.
• Use drought resistant plants in planting schemes.
• Use locally grown plants and locally sourced hard landscaping materials to reduce our carbon footprint. Our main local plant supplier grows about 75% of their stock each year on site.
• Use wildlife attractive plants.
• Where possible and appropriate use e mail and phone to communicate with clients. Some of our suppliers bill us by e mail. Saves just a little bit more paper and money.
• Not use peat based composts for soil improvement or pots and containers.
• Where possible recycle existing materials in clients' gardens - just a bit less landfill.
• Try to design environment friendly gardens in the first place.
• Try to keep ourselves updated about developments in conservation and sustainability.