Sustainable wood is the garden trend for 2019
02.21.2019
Winter is here. But Spring is just around the corner. Isn’t it time to start your garden plans?
Plastic and concrete are out, wood is in. Cosy, Durable, Natural!
The use of sustainable products is a trend that also applies to gardens. With increasing awareness of high quality, sustainable materials the use of plastics and composites are declining. More and more gardeners are turning to sustainable and natural products that fit with the aesthetic of their own personal green haven.
There are even awards for sustainable gardeners. Following the trend we are also seeing less paved and covered gardens that are supposedly maintenance-free. Paving your entire garden has more effect on yourself and the environment than you might think. Research suggests that laying patio is contributing to climate change. Stones are reflecting more heat, warming the environment. More water is ending up in sewers, overloading the system leading to reduced biodiversity. Plus rather than a concrete ‘garden’, natural green space makes you happier.
How do you make your garden more sustainable with wood?
As companies consider their Corporate Social Responsibility, more sustainable products are available. Consumers now have more choice and don’t have to sacrifice responsibility for design. Now we can have the best of both worlds.
Sustainable materials lessen the burden on nature of manufacture and transport. A long life span reduces replacement and maintenance. And the product should fit into the ecological balance of the garden rather than disturb it. Wood is natural. Concrete is not.
Robust wooden pergolas, verandas and decking give your garden extra body. The thick beams of wood will not easily be overlooked. Now we’re considering , what is our choice? Douglas fir is commonly used, as a reasonably hard and durable coniferous wood, but will succumb to requiring regular maintenance and rot unless treated with toxic chemicals. Then there are traditional hardwoods like oak. But these are old-world, slow growing woods, which will suffer a similar fate of maintenance and rot. Let’s look to the future. Try Accoya® fsc certified wood. A fast growing pine that after acetylation (non-toxic modification) outperforms the competition in terms of sustainability and durability. With durability class 1 that can withstand rotting in the ground for over 25 years and above ground for 50 years, no hardwood can come close. Accoya guarantees a long life span.
How do you choose the right wood for a wooden terrace?
Exposure to the wind and weather, moisture and extreme temperature differences, wooden terraces have a lot to cope with. The right material must combine durability, strength, wear resistance and good machinability. As well as potential considerations like not splintering, or the risk of fungi when in contact with the ground.
Based on their natural durability, different wood species fall into 5 durability classes. With Class 1 the most durable and class 5 not very durable.
Sitting outside for a large part of the year?
Then you will want some cover. A shady spot, protecting you from the bright sun while enjoying your garden. Even in winter you can sit outside with a fire or heat lamps and keep an unobstructed view of your garden. Outside is the new inside. If you take a sunshade, you can lose part or all the view towards your garden. A good quality pergola or terrace roof can have a long life when using the right materials. If you take care of the necessary cleaning yourself, you can enjoy your terrace roof for many years. Almost half of new patio roofs are made of wood due to the many advantages wood provides.
We’ve listed them for you:
- Wood has a natural and warm appearance. This makes a wooden terrace roof suitable for almost every home.
- Wood comes in many types, colours and textures. So you can choose the type of wood that suits you and your home best.
- Wood is easy to work with, increasing design possibilities and ease of installation.
- Wood is durable. Especially if you take a terrace roof made of durable Accoya® wood, you have little or no maintenance. Such roofs have a 50 year guarantee against rot.
So we look forward to seeing much more garden woodwork in 2019.
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You can buy Accoya and Accoya products from our selection of distributors or manufacturers in your region. Use our map search tool to find your nearest Accoya supplier.
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