SUSTAINABILITY

Light Dark Landscape strives to repair the Earth by offering sustainable alternatives to the traditional landscape practices that misuse resources, reduce habitat for pollinators and native species, and contribute to climate change.

Instead, we use landscape practices that are ecologically appropriate and designed for the long term. Our practices including providing turf alternatives to traditional lawn, chemical-free invasive species removal, managing stormwater runoff, creating pollinator-friendly habitat, and increasing edible and native species. Check out our sustainability approach and sustainable business practices below, and how we implement it in our Portfolio.

OUR PORTFOLIO

OUR APPROACH

A landscaper weeding plants with sustainability techniques amidst blooming orange, yellow, and purple flowers and large boulders.

Planting Native & Edible Species

For their numerous benefits, we prioritize planting natives, averaging 75-90% native species and native cultivars in our landscapes.

Native plants are adapted to local climate conditions and therefore better withstand weather variations than exotic species such as traditional turf lawn. Deep rooted natives offer more sustainability benefits that combat climate change by filtering pollutants, stabilizing soil, and sequestering carbon.

Natives also support pollinator and avian species by providing food and habitat, protecting biodiversity all the way up the food chain. Since they evolved together, their bloom-times correspond to the life cycles of insects that are essential food for these species.

At our clients’ request, we also incorporate edible species in our planting plans, allowing homeowners to be more self-reliant and provide food for themselves.

RECENT PROJECTS
EDIBLE YARD
URBAN PERMACULTURE YARD

Removing Invasives

Light Dark Landscape is committed to chemical-free, organic landscaping.

We remove both invasive species as well as turf grass through organic methods such as sheet mulching, solarization, and hand removal. We use mechanical methods only when necessary to avoid soil compaction.

We even harness the power of animals to aid us in chemical-free invasive removal and follow our sustainability principles. To avoid using chemicals next to a wetland site, we’ll collaborate with a local farmer to temporarily house woodland pigs in an area overrun with deep-rooted invasives that are a favorite food of pigs, such as burdock.

RECENT PROJECTS
PIGS REMOVAL
MINNEHAHA CREEK SHORE
A landscaper staking a wide swath of thick black plastic along a lake shoreline. A yellow sign staked into the ground in the foreground describes the sustainability technique they're doing.

Providing Turf Alternatives

Traditional turf lawns often require high water, chemical, and time inputs to maintain, but there are more ecological and cost-saving alternatives.

Other options beyond the traditional lawn include pollinator lawns (also known as ‘bee lawns’), grasses like no-mow fescue, sedge, and buffalo grass that look more like turf, and getting rid of “lawn” altogether by creating planting beds. All of these options use less water and fertilizer, and require less mowing than traditional turf.

Bee or pollinator lawns have the added benefit of incorporating low-growing flowering species along with sedges and fescues. This increases habitat and food sources to areas that are traditionally food deserts for pollinators and provides an interesting textural look to the lawn.

RECENT PROJECTS
A LAWN FOR POLLINATORS
BACKYARD OASIS

MANAGING WATER

We design solutions with improved sustainability methods to these common landscaping challenges, like standing water and seepage into structures.

Water issues can stem poor grading, poor plant selections including traditional lawn, unnecessary reliance on irrigation, and even bigger forces like shifting climate patterns.

We utilize and divert water through proper grading, topography manipulation, and plants suited to wetter environments. We use dry creeks (mock stream beds), raised soil mounds (berms), and low areas or channels (swales) to create beautiful spaces while directing water away from structures and towards rain gardens. Rain gardens are planted with species that filter and clean water before it sinks into the groundwater, preventing unfiltered runoff from entering our waterways.

When building hardscapes like paths and patios, we incorporate more permeable materials like gravel, brick, and stone pavers instead of impervious options like concrete. These materials slow water movement, allowing for more filtration and retention on site.

RECENT PROJECTS
WETLAND YARD
INDUSTRIAL RAIN GARDEN
A rocky dry steam with a bird feeder, grasses, and a small bridge over the creek.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES

We believe in centering sustainability not only in our designs but also in how we run our landscaping business. Our business practices include:

  • Avoiding heavy machinery to reduce compaction
  • Never using toxic fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemicals
  • Buying from local growers whenever possible, and choosing growers who use organic and neonicotinoid (insecticide)-free practices
  • Reducing waste by reusing and redistributing our plant containers to amateur growers
  • Reducing our use of plastic bags by buying mulch, soil, and other landscaping materials in bulk
  • Using an all-electric fleet of equipment, both reducing our carbon emissions and sound pollution
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