Whether you’re planting tomatoes or tulips, nothing beats a day of getting your hands dirty in your garden or backyard. While gardening is “green,” it can use a lot of energy — but it doesn’t have to. After all, the only thing worse than picking weeds is wasting energy.
Whatever you’re planting this summer, follow these four easy, energy-efficient tips to make your garden greener.
Plant a shade tree
Don’t get stumped by the summer heat. “Leaf” your A/C on 78 degrees and plant a shade tree instead!
For best results, plant deciduous shade trees about 15-20 feet away from your home on the east-facing side to shade your house in the morning, and on the west-facing side to shade your house in the afternoon and night. For helpful tree planting tips, check out PSO’s Tree Tip Guide.
Install solar landscape lighting
When it comes to lighting your backyard at night, take advantage of the biggest light there is: the sun! Okay, so the sun takes a nap every night, but you can still store its energy for nighttime use with solar landscape lighting.
Solar landscape lighting comes in many shapes and sizes, as well as several stylish designs, to give your garden some gusto.
LED lighting works too
Prefer to use electric lighting instead? That works too! Just be sure to use ENERGY STAR® certified LED lights.
ENERGY STAR LED lights use up to 75% less energy than incandescent lights, while still delivering that delightful glow that looks great in any garden.
Skip the zapper
The only bad part about spending a summer day in the garden are the bugs — flies, mosquitoes, June bugs, no thanks. It bugs us to say this, but a zapper isn’t an energy efficient solution. (A large bug zapper can use up to 100 watts per hour.)
Do you know what uses 0 watts? Planting bug-repellent plants. Bugs hate these plants, but they aren’t an eyesore and include some of the most popular herbs, grasses and flowers, including marigolds, petunias, bay leaves and garlic.
Try these four simple tips to soak up the sun – and the savings – this summer!