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Going the ecoscape way

Last Updated 05 November 2016, 08:06 IST

Working along with nature is a sustainable way of life. In the long run, it is economic, convenient, and enriches the environment. To work in tandem with the surrounding environment, an understanding of local ecology is important. Ecoscapes are landscapes that follow these principles. The concept behind ecoscaping is to develop landscapes with the awareness and inclusion of local ecology.

In coherence with the local set of conditions — of soil, climate, plants, water, other living beings and practical situations, ecoscapes are practical and sustainable. They are aesthetic creations that are unique, when compared with cookie cutter foreign aesthetics which are not supported by the local environment or resources.

Ecoscapes should not be mistaken for wild or untamed gardens. Innovative and relevant methods are applied to establish and maintain these landscapes. Their spatial and plant management is in cognisance with the local environment. These fit the climate resources and are unique. Recycling, rainwater harvesting, composting, growing own produce,
supporting community and various forms of life are at the heart of an ecoscape. All these factors make ecoscapes low-input high-reward landscapes, without disturbing the surrounding ecological balance.

In a larger scheme of things, ecoscapes connect us to the history and culture of the place, bringing together skill sets within the community.

Revival of Mehrangarh Fort vegetation in Rajasthan is a wonderful example of not only greening up of a desert with originally native vegetation, but also reconnecting with the amazing skills of Khandvalias – specialised rock miners. Anyone can choose to adopt this way of creating and managing gardens.

In order to shift towards ecoscaping, the starting point is to objectively appraise the existing local conditions, available resources and native vegetation. Recognise the uniqueness that local conditions offer and utilise it to create a unique low carbon footprint landscape. Existing water conditions can be wet, dry, or low lying and swampy. The ground texture may be anything from dry, rocky, poor or rich.

Adapt naturally

Instead of trying to change the natural soil condition to fit foreign plants or compensate for the climate, choose native plants for a well-adapted, naturally disease- and pest-resistant garden. Use drought-resistant plants for dry regions, and water-loving, marsh plants for swampy areas. With such matchmaking, automatically watering is no more a challenge. High windsituations, salt-laden air, wet climate, sandy soils etc all have their own challenges that can be easily handled by adopting native vegetation. A desert climate will never support an English garden, whereas a cacti garden can easily be in its full glory in the desert land.

Trying grass lawns in perpetual wet soil or hot climate is failure, whereas marshland vegetation gives easy, unique waterside experience. Work with the given. In Bengaluru, the tropical scheme of planting is easier to achieve and manage. Hardy, less water requiring plants are good for drier and rocky regions. But the starting point is always native trees. Also, tree selections based on novelty element borrowed from foreign lands is detrimental to local ecology. Native trees play critical roles in ecological balance, as they support a huge number of animals, birds, and organisms in terms of food and
shelter. There is no substitute for that.

Similarly, unless you are in Scotland, manicured grass lawns do not fall under ecoscapes. These do not match with most Indian regional climatic conditions and are an environmental concern all over the world. These are heavy resource guzzlers — be it water, fertiliser, pesticides, fuel etc. How the area will be used is a very significant question to ask before going with lawn. If it is not going to be directly sat upon, then other easier solutions should be adopted — for example, local grasses, native low growing plants, meadow plants, fruit orchard, butterfly attracting native plants etc. Mix with hardscapes to achieve practical, aesthetic and meaningful space.

For every soil, climate and water situation, there is a plant or tree which will ask for negligible maintenance and still enrich the environment. A good design successfully brings a sustainable balance. For hardscaping, local architecture and building materials are best clues. Design elements like local art, handicraft, rockery, architecture etc add wider interest and a unique stamp to any ecospace. So, why restrict our visions to cookie cutter design when ecoscapes can conserve and utilise available water in best ways?

Xeriscapes

A xeriscape design is one that incorporates local material; and hardy plants suits dry regions. A series of marshland planting treats grey water. Before starting, identify the local top soil and conserve it. This is the living, mineral and micro-organism rich layer.

In urban situations, more often than not, the natural top soil is lost during construction, only later to be replaced with rubble-ridden poor construction soil. It’s wiser to safely secure the top soil before construction begins and later bring it back to the garden space. Adopt plant- and animal-based composts instead of chemical methods. Set in-house composting unit or contribute the waste to community composting plant.

Native plants are rarely taken over by pests. In unlikely events, adopt neem oil and biological control by beneficial predatory insects. In any garden, not all insects are pests, and not every bug is going to take over your garden. Know the good bugs and the tolerance level for the not-so-good ones. Let natural predators like ladybugs, wasps, praying mantis, predatory mites etc keep harmful pests in check. Plants naturally suited to depleted soils are sedums, coreopsis, tradescantia, echinacea, vinca and many more. Damp or swampy soils lend themselves well to cannas, umbrella plants, colocasias and equisetums.

Ornamental grasses are the unsung heroes of low maintenance landscapes. Oleander, bougainvillea, Caesalpinia, lend lovely colours in drier regions with negligible input. Organically rich soils support a wide range of bold leaf bright flowered tropicals. Huge range of solutions makes the shift to ecoscaping easy. The need is to look at personal or corporate gardens, not as copies of seen somewhere space, but as an opportunity to create sustainable and relevant spaces.

(The author is a landscape consultant)

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(Published 03 November 2016, 16:21 IST)

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