 First seen in Hus & Hem, beautiful black stained beds are a new take on the traditional raised garden bed. Photograph by Peter Carlsson. Last weekend, thousands of people flocked to the annual Novi Spring Home and Garden Show at the Suburban Collection Showplace. This popular home exposition offers everything you could possibly need for your home and garden. Visitors strolled through over 25,000 square feet of gardens featuring patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, water features, and plants created by 24 landscapers. “First seen in Hus & Hem, beautiful black stained beds are a new take on the traditional raised garden bed. Photograph by Peter Carlsson.” First seen in Hus & Hem, beautiful black stained beds are a new take on the traditional raised garden bed. Photograph by Peter Carlsson. Eco-friendly gardening includes tactics such as using rain barrels to conserve water; mimicking nature’s own method of planting in layers of trees, shrubs and groundcover to minimize runoff; growing edible gardens; and incorporating products that have a positive impact on the environment. If you missed the show, fret not. Here are a couple of easy, eco-friendly outdoor garden trends that enable you to go green—and save green too! More Edibles—Microgreens A recent Garden Writers Association Foundation survey revealed that 58% of Americans plan to grow at least some of their own edible plants this year. Many will be incorporating ‘microgreens’ which are tiny, edible greens that germinate in vegetable and herb seed soil. They are much smaller than baby greens and are harvested later than sprouts, however they offer a variety of sweet and spicy flavors, and colors. Popular varieties that are rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K, and vitamin E are red cabbage, cilantro and garnet amaranth. These powerhouses have up to five times higher levels of vitamins than their respective mature plant varieties. In many upscale markets, microgreens are used for garnishing salads, soups and sandwiches, however more and more gardeners are planting them because they are harvested in less than two weeks after germination; offer a powerful punch of nutrition; and are simply adorable and easy to clean. Raised Garden Beds Go Green Natural wood has always been the preferred material for creating raised garden beds, however the current trend is to stain them dark hues of gray, blue, green and even black instead of keeping the natural wood as is or painting it a barn red color. As the shabby-chic style maintains its popularity, many homeowners are opting for reclaimed wood when building these box gardens. If you are building your new home, how neat would it be to take a few pieces of unused wood from your old home and construct a raised garden bed with them on your new lot? Repurposing old materials is a cost-effective way to decrease your environmental footprint. Bamboo is also becoming popular for use in many garden products including box gardens because it is teeming with ecological benefits. Many people think bamboo is a tree because it is so hearty, however it is actually a grass—and the fastest growing plant in the world. This rapid rate of growth enables frequent harvesting without disrupting the ecosystem. Learn how to build your own box garden. Visit us next week when we will reveal two more easy, eco-friendly ways to make your garden grow. Article by: Jennifer Elkow
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