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Floating Solar Powered Eco-Friendly Fountain

Formulating Your Design
As a gardener, it is important to me that I try to be as eco-friendly as possible when I design my garden. I have to take many factors into consideration such as the climate in which I live, the average amount of rainfall in my area, and the natural contour and content of the land I will be gardening.

All of these things will help me determine the steps I need to take to make my garden environmentally friendly but still yield beautiful, lush flowers and shrubs or tasty, healthy vegetables. Some eco-friendly garden designs can be quite involved and a little expensive while others are simple and affordable.

The steps you take designing your eco-friendly garden will depend on the level of desire you have to protect the environment as well as your budget.

Eco-Friendly Designs
There are several garden designs that you can use to make your garden eco-friendly. Some of my favorite designs are:

* Balancing ponds
* Eco-friendly planting
* Rainwater Harvesting
* Sustainable materials

There are other eco-friendly garden designs that you can use, but I think these are some of the most important. Each plays a distinct role in making your garden more eco-friendly, and the design you choose can be based on your personal needs, desires, and overall gardening goals. A further explanation of these aforementioned eco-friendly designs may prove helpful.

Balancing Ponds
Balancing ponds are ideal for areas with excessive rainfall. These ponds are designed to hold and store flood water. They help to filter the water and remove things like trace metals and organic matter.

Eco-Friendly Planting
Using eco-friendly planting helps to attract wildlife and increase the biodiversity in a garden. Plants can attracts wildlife such as butterflies, birds, and bees.

Rainwater Harvesting
Using diverters on down spouts to collect rainwater in barrels is an excellent way to harvest and reuse rainwater. It is estimated that approximately 25 percent of the water we currently use could potentially be harvested simply from the water that runs off our roofs. Rainwater harvesting is ideal for small gardens.

Sustainable Materials
Some garden materials will have more of an environmental impact than others. Less damaging materials should be used in an eco-friendly garden.

Use materials that require less energy to manufacture and install, less energy to transport them, and that are least harmful to the garden and environment.

About the Author
Emma Spivey writes for http://www.solarwaterfountains.org, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to design an eco-friendly garden to protect wild fauna (mostly birds).

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