For weeks, I have been avoiding looking at my garden beds and resisting the temptation to get rid of brown, frost-damaged leaves and branches when we have had a few warm winter days. As a result of winter freezes, however, we can reassess our landscapes. Now – not when the first signs of spring appear – is the time to think about making our landscapes more sustainable whether we choose to replant perennials, shrubs and trees or start a vegetable garden.

Although the word sustainable is applied to many things from sustainable development to forestry and more, we more often hear it in the context of the environment. Here our discussion will focus on the sustainable landscape.

A simplistic description might be an organic landscape with the added benefit of protecting natural resources and creating a healthy environment for people. I like to interpret it in terms of adopting a mindset or way of living. When we garden sustainably, we work with nature, not against her. It is a way of looking toward the future and leaving things better than when we started. Too often our need for instant results gets in the way of any forward thinking. Above all, we do no harm.

To move toward sustainable landscaping, we can take several steps, with all of them being ultimately interrelated. The goal, as described in the collaborative effort of the U.S. Botanic Garden, American Society of Landscape Architects and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center called the American Sustainable Sites Initiative, is to “protect, restore and enhance the ability of landscapes to provide ecosystem services that benefit humans and other organisms.” Although this may seem very lofty, it is certainly attainable, and many gardeners already are on the path to sustainability.

When creating the design, the sustainable gardener considers many resource-conserving principles that achieve the least negative environmental impact. Attention is paid to enrich soil, make wise plant choices, conserve water and protect water quality. Landscape structures are made from recycled, environmentally friendly building materials.

Composting is the ultimate in garden recycling and can be viewed as a cornerstone of sustainability. Creating compost, that rich organic matter that is the result of microbes and microorganisms breaking down garden waste and kitchen scraps, means less of these will end up in landfills. When incorporated into landscape beds, vegetable gardens, or raked into lawns, compost builds healthy soil.

Care is given to choose plants, primarily native plants, that are well-adapted to soil and climate conditions. In the sustainable landscape, care is taken to insure proper spacing of plants. This is where forward thinking is essential. Research a plant to not only discover its light and moisture requirements, but also its mature size.

Chris LaChance is director of education for Urban Harvest. Contact LaChance at chris@urbanharvest.org. This column is sponsored by Urban Harvest. To find out more about community gardens, school gardens, farmers markets and gardening classes, visit www.urbanharvest.org.

Wondering what to plant in your yard during this drought season?

Help, if not inspiration, may be at hand with new gardening books. If you can’t plant, at least you can dream a bit about gardens.

At the head of the list is the redesigned and updated “Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping,” ($29.95)

From the editors of Sunset Magazine comes a look at trends and forward-thinking designs for the West. Touted as “the ultimate resource for turning garden dreams into dream gardens,” it’s a photo-rich collection showcasing projects that range from rooftop gardens to “room-scaping”— creating outdoor living rooms from homelike elements.

Designed for beginner and expert gardeners, “The Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping” showcases new ideas in garden design, complete with tips, guidelines and how-to content, providing ample information for “do-it-yourselfers” to tackle basic projects — or for the less ambitious to take to landscape professionals.

The book features 600 full-color photographs of the Western gardens,  large to small, urban and rural, on beaches and mountains and surburban lots.

According to the editors, three main elements set this book apart from previous editions:

• A focus on earth-friendly garden design reflects the latest guidelines set by the American Society of Landscape Architects, highlighting permeable paving, use of recycled materials, recirculating water features, waterwise and native plants and low-voltage lighting.

• Expert tips from professionals, like adding depth to a narrow garden by orienting it diagonally and using compact and columnar plants around the perimeter.

• “Cool ideas and secrets from first time gardeners who have already gone through a landscape remodel and learned from it,” like tossing wildflower seeds out the back door if you can’t stand looking at the dirt patch but aren’t ready to remodel for another year.

The emphasis is on native, sustainable and waterwise, with a section devoted to “Drought Strategies.”

The trends in gardening styles in using small spaces, driveways and rooftops, as well as container gardens, and vertical gardens. Alternatives to lawns is another hot topic, as is incorporating found “stuff” into landscaping.

It also includes fresh ideas for garden elements like arbors and trellises, colorful paint, fences, firepits, fountains, outdoor kitchens, paths, patios, pools, sheds, tool storage and walls

“The Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping” features a practical section on planning a new garden or overhauling an existing one. Tips include how to chart the sun across the property to pinpoint areas of light and shade, how to choose a landscape professional or work up a DIY strategy evaluate your site, how to make a plan and checklist, cut down on garden design and material costs, and find solutions for dealing with regional problems such as drought, wind and fire.

Many of the projects are accompanied by before-and-after photographs from real gardens.

“We designed this book to showcase the West’s hottest garden design today as well as to inspire and empower gardeners to create their outdoor dream spaces,” said Sunset’s garden editor Kathleen Brenzel. “Whether you’re a true DIY-er or will enlist the help of a landscape professional, this book is an invaluable resource.”

For the less ambitious but still aspiring, Sunset has also published “The 20 Minute Gardener, Projects, Plants and Designs for Quick and Easy Gardening” ($24.95). Here are ideas like a “Moon Garden”with white and silvery plants that will glow in moonlight, or a “Unthirsty Herb Garden” of water-wise favorites.

It also includes “the top 10 easy care plants” in categories of perennials, annuals, grasses, ferns, bulbs, shrubs and edibles.

 From Taunton Press comes “Landscaping Ideas That Work,” by Julie Moir Messervy ($21.95). Although its emphasis is not specifically the Western U.S., it has a rich assortment of design ideas that include outdoor living spaces and diagrams.

One of the most charming new garden books is “The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener, How to Grow Food in Harmony With Nature” by Tammi Hartung, with lovely illustrations by Holly Ward Bimba (Story; $16.95). Hartung, a medical herbalist and organic grower from Colorado, addresses the challenge of creating a “peaceful place where perennials attract pollinators, ponds house slug-eating frogs, mulch protects predator insects in the soil, mint gently deters unwanted mice and hedgerows shelter and feed many kinds of wildlife.”

She includes “smart stragetics for peaceful coexistence” with unwelcome visitors as well as ideas for attractive beneficial residents in gardens.

Finally, the “The World’s Largest Seed Catalog” is out from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. This is a book you have to see to believe; 355 pages of seeds from amaranth to wildflower, plus stories, recipes and growing tips. It’s a treasure. Even if there is no water to grow anything. For more information, visit RareSeeds.com.

Thursday night, right after the doors closed on Day 1 of the 2014 Connecticut Flower Garden Show, the many professional landscapers who created the show’s 20 lush, live gardens on-site gathered.

More than two dozen design awards were presented by Kristie Gonsalves, President of North East Expos, organizer of the 33rd annual show. A panel of horticulture and landscape design experts strolled the gardens earlier in the day and selected the winners.

A Berlin garden store was honored with one of the top three awards on the evening: Best Horticulture Award was presented to Hillside Landscaping Co. of Berlin (landscape #12).

Best of Show was awarded to Pondering Creations of Terryville (landscape #1) — for the second year in a row — and Best Design Award was presented to Supreme Landscapes LLC (landscape #4) of Bristol.

Awards are on display in front of all of the winning landscapes.

The Connecticut Flower Garden Show continues Friday through Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Connecticut Convention Center on 100 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford.

Find out more about the show at www.ctflowershow.com or call North East Expos at 860-844-8461.

Based off a release from the Connecticut Flower Garden Show.