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Loving Your Little Landscape

I have never been a natural gardener. For years, I struggled to keep basic houseplants alive, only to kill them at the first opportunity. It was difficult and stressful to buy a home with a yard, but I knew that I might be able to learn what I was doing wrong and correct the problem. To start off, I focused heavily on the lawn, and tried hard to keep it trimmed and well-maintained. Next, I cleaned up the flowerbeds. It was a lot of work, but I knew that it would pay off in the end. When I was done, my front yard was gorgeous, and guess what--it even stayed alive. This blog is all about loving your little landscape.

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Loving Your Little Landscape

3 Reasons To Recycle Rainwater

by Charlotte White

Investing in a system to recycle rainwater can reduce your monthly water bills while adding to your landscape. Depending on the amount of rainwater you typically collect each month, there are numerous usages for your recycled rainwater.

Have A Luscious Garden

There are numerous plants you may want to add to your landscape, such as flowers or edible plants. To have the ideal conditions for adding plants, you will need to make sure your plants are watered regularly, especially in the warmer months when plants typically need more hydration. To minimize the amount of water you use from your home to maintain a garden and the labor involved, you should integrate a drip irrigation system. You can collect rainwater in a large container. Typically the rainwater collection system has filters to trap large debris, such as leaves, and another filtration to eliminate smaller contaminates. With a drip irrigation system, tubing is used to carry water throughout the garden. The small holes in the tubing allow small quantities of water to leak out at the base of the plants. Watering plants slowly is ideal, especially on hot days. The water has the opportunity to be absorbed by the root system instead of turning into run-off.

Add Aesthetic Value

The same rainwater capture system can be used to improve the look of your landscape. One option is the creation of a fountain. Many people enjoy the sound of water and installing a fountain can be a peaceful addition to your yard. At night, you may want to have soft lighting so the fountain remains illuminated. If you enjoy watching birds or other animals in your yard, you might prefer a birdbath or a koi pond which would be maintained with filtered rainwater. Since the water is continuously filtered, there is little risk of algae or other toxic growths contaminating the birdbath or pond. All of these options generally reuse the same water continuously, so once you add the rainwater, it takes little additional water for maintenance.

Save Water On Simple Tasks

The rainwater you collect can easily be used for tasks around your home. For example, many people who live in areas where water restrictions are common try to salvage as much rainwater as possible to wash their car. Other household tasks where saved rainwater might be useful are cleaning the deck or exterior of your home, which often requires pressure washing and large quantities of water. Using rainwater in this way can allow you to maintain your property, even if you are under a water restriction. Filtered rainwater can also be used to fill up small pools in your backyard or to play in the sprinkler, without unnecessary increases in your water bill.

Investing in a method of recycling rainwater can give you more flexibility to have a garden or other additions to your home without high water bills.

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