Could global warming be responsible for causing this weird weather? I don’t know about the temperature rising, but I believe the weather patterns are affected. And boy are they affected.

So if these weather patterns have you worrying about your plants and how to keep them looking healthy with less water, here is a suggestion: sustainable gardening.
What is sustainable gardening? Well in short it is an environmentally friendly way to garden.

One of the tricks to sustainable gardening is using native plants. Native plants are plants native to an area. They evolved there. They are used to the soil, temperature and weather patterns. By evolving in an area, the plants generally require less fertilizer and other additives, less water, and less effort in pest control.

Mulching is another aspect of sustainable gardening. Mulch helps keep moisture in the ground rather than evaporating. By keeping moisture in the ground there is less need for water. As it breaks down, it also provides food to the soil.

Of course the above statement is only true if the mulch is organic. There are a couple of new mulches available that are made from recycled products. Some of the products used to create synthetic mulch are rubber and cocoa shells. Be warned, if you or your pet love the smell of chocolate, cocoa mulch could be a problem.

Reduce lawn area. Lawns are the most resource intensive form of flora. You have to mow it which uses gasoline (unless you have an electric or push mower), and causes air pollution. To have a green lawn, you will need to fertilizer and water regularly. What a waste. As I said at the beginning of the blog, let it go dormant.

Last but not least the rain barrel. Of course you need rain for this to work. I was all ex-cited about installing one and it worked very well with normal rain patterns. I kept my small garden watered for seven days between rain showers. I am now patiently waiting for my next supply of free water.

I guess nothing is perfect but then again, if we practice some of these tips, we will save time and money and reduce our impact on the environment.