♦ Reduce your use of petrol-powered tools and, instead, use energy-efficient technologies such as solar-powered garden products and automatic irrigation and light timers.

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♦ Plant trees and shrubs, as these help lock up carbon from the atmosphere over a long period of time, and release less from the soil due to low requirements for soil cultivation. (See the Woodland Trust advice on on the following pages)

 

♦ Install green roofs and walls. These result in energy savings in the region of 15% (particularly for old buildings) due to a cooling effect in summer and an insulating effect in winter.

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♦ Ask for and use peat-free composts. Peat bogs store considerable amounts of carbon and support wildlife.

 

♦ Compost your garden and kitchen waste. This provides nutrients for the garden, but thrown away as household waste, it ends up on landfill and produces methane – a potent greenhouse gas.

 

♦ Minimise the negative environmental impact of gardening by:

► Reducing the use of resources in your garden wherever possible.

► Reusing household materials and seasonal items year on year.

► Recycling your garden waste, plastic, glass and metals. ► Reinvesting – stimulate demand for recycled products by buying recycled items.

 

♦ Avoid using chemicals with a high carbon cost, such as some pesticides and fertilisers.

 

♦ Minimise the possible spread of invasive species into the wider environment by ensuring that cultivated plants remain in the garden, and that legislation is adhered to during plant disposal. * This specifically relates to gardens, rather than wild areas or countryside. Care should be taken when planting non-natives close to wild areas that garden plants do not escape.