As a gardener, planning for the future seems like a no-brainer.

Starting seeds at the right time so they can mature to fruit, planting a tree in a location that will allow it to have enough room to grow to its mature size, tracking the sunlight changes from season to season so that a shade loving perennial does not get scorched — these are all forward-thinking gardening practices.

There are less obvious sustainable gardening strategies that we can implement to enable gardens as well. A few adaptations can be made to engage gardens with the natural environment allowing them to be more sustainable.

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Gardens are not manufactured products. They grow and die. They change and adapt. Like the individual plants that occupy them, they are living and dynamic.

There is a recent trend in the residential gardening world that places value on the health of the entire ecosystem. These responsive garden spaces have little or zero negative impact on the environment. They are engaging and sustainable.

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All sustainable gardens start with healthy soils. Establishing a baseline for a garden with a soil test, available through the Routt County CSU Extension office, is ideal. Creating a plan to amend soils by incorporating organic matter and minerals will be the cornerstone to healthy plants in a garden and thus the entire garden community. Organic soil amendments include compost, biosolids, manure, peat and sphagnum mosses, coconut coir, worm castings and biochar. Routt County Master Gardeners can help determine the appropriate amendment of soils based on a soil test results.

Sustainable landscapes also incorporate water conservation strategies. Water is a precious commodity and should be used wisely. Irrigating at the ideal time of day for plants to maximize the benefit of this valuable resource is a sustainable gardening strategy that cannot be understated.

The ideal time to water is between 2-7 a.m. This allows plants the opportunity to absorb water prior to evaporation. Perform a weekly irrigation check to make sure spray heads and nozzles are functioning well and are not broken. Try locating plants into wet and dry zones to reduce overwatering all plants. With a limited growing season, “hose dragging” is a responsive gardening strategy that allows water when a garden needs hydration. This gardener adaptation saves water by placing it only where it is needed.

Soil and water practices are an awesome start, but selecting plants that contribute positively to the ecosystem cannot be understated. The use of native or naturalized plants that promote pollinator activity is a must with forward-thinking sustainable gardening. Native plants require less soil amendments and irrigation since they are adapted to the local climate. They offer the added benefit of not requiring heavy fertilization. Plant selection can be deceiving. For example, there are over 10 species of echinacea. The native coneflower is only found in the United States. It is a single flower offering nectar to pollinators and seeds to birds.

The horticulture industry is producing countless double flower hybrids and, while beautiful, they are completely useless to the functioning ecosystem. The multiple layers of petals block any pollinator access to nectar sources and many have sterile seeds. This almost seems like a cruel trick to play on bees and butterflies working hard to survive. Here is an amazingly attractive flower that offers no resource.

What a trick we play on the struggling pollinators!

Another profound impact that in the landscape is to reduce the need for mulches that are harvested, shipped and even sometimes dyed with toxic chemicals. A sustainable alternative is called “green mulch” or living mulch. Green mulch reduces evapotranspiration and weed germination just like the layers of wood mulch to which we have become accustomed. However it is alive. Just think how beautiful violets, pussytoes, thyme or a carpet of pasque flower would look surrounding perennials. These short, spreading, perennial groundcovers between larger garden plants offer insects, butterflies and birds additional opportunities to forage and nest. Let them fill in over time and replace the mulch as they grow. These plants take time to fill in but there is a strategy for that forward-thinking transition as well. Small sized pine or mulched aspen leaves provide the ideal substrate for ground covers to take root and grow.

Overall, the trend in residential garden design lately has been toward a more sustainable, pollinator-friendly landscape. This is great news for butterflies and birds, both of which have seen staggering decreases in populations as of late. From native plants that can survive on the land’s natural rainfall to pollinator-friendly ornamental grasses and gardening styles that improve biodiversity, gardening with the natural setting rather than dominating it will require less resources. Engaging a garden with sustainable strategies is a win for the wallet and for the entire ecosystem.

Email or call the Master Gardeners during office hours at 970-879-0825 to ask a question. Please bring in pictures or attach pictures of the issues so they can better help. MG’s will reply within a week.

Stephanie Appel grew up gardening in Grand County and now designs landscapes for a living. She is a Colorado Master Gardener based out of Routt County.