Summerhill Landscapes in Sag Harbor takes a sustainable approach to most projects by promoting native plants and water conservation. Photo courtesy of Summerhill Landscapes

Using native plants and less water isn't just cheaper- it's chic now that sustainable landscaping has come to the Hamptons.

But what does "sustainable" mean exactly? Even though everyone is using the term, the meaning is still up for discussion, with no consensus among landscapers and builders. The American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanical Garden are working together to develop guidelines and standards for landscape sustainability. However, until they do, you'll just have to trust a landscaping company that claims it creates "sustainable" or "green" designs.

That said there's little risk of hiring a green landscaping firm only to find them secretly pouring toxic chemicals into your flowerbeds. But consumers should be aware that the various sustainable landscapers form something of a continuum, and you may want to choose a company that matches your ideals.

On one end of the spectrum is Summerhill Landscapes in Sag Harbor, which takes a sustainable approach to most projects by promoting native plants and water conservation, but ultimately, "the client has the last word," says Jeff Negron, master gardener. "If we're dealing with a sandy landscape, we're not going to want to add topsoil and change its structure," Negron says. "The natural eco-systems will eventually take over, but this is the Hamptons, people want what they want." Negron added.

Negron recounted that the majority of his clients are in fact open to creating a landscape that is in tune with natural environmental structures. And no matter how hard customers push, some options simply aren't available. Various popular plants and trees are outlawed by the state each year. For example, the New York Russian Olive and the Purple Lustrife are on the 2009 invasive plants list, and no landscaper will be allowed to plant them unless they already exist on the property and simply need to be moved.

Negron says Summerhill tries to avoid pesticides, but sometimes it's the best control. This point of view is more lenient than that of Frederico Azevedo, the proprietor of Unlimited Earth Care in Sag Harbor. Azevedo says that proper pruning and trimming can minimize and even eliminate the need for pesticides, and if one must spray, he recommends organic horticultural oil.

The pros at Unlimited Earth Care suggest proper pruning and trimming can minimize and even eliminate the need for pesticides, and if one must spray, they recommend organic horticultural oil. Photo courtesy of Unlimited Earth Care

Azevedo takes a more holistic approach, working closely with ecologists and arboriculturalists. He claimed that he isn't following a trend, rather realizing a clear vision of landscaping that's perfectly in tune with its natural setting. His plans minimize both maintenance and cost, however clients who want plantings that are aggressive towards the natural environment must take no for an answer.

On the greenest end of the spectrum are the permaculturalists, who haven't yet made inroads in the Hamptons. Ethan Roland is a permaculture expert working in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley who asserts that native plantings and water conservation are nice, but there's a revolution on the horizon. "Sustainable landscaping is an empty term that doesn't really mean anything," Roland said. "Permaculture is a holistic design science that started in the 1970s in Australia. It brings together all of the pieces of green design."

Roland explained that permaculture is not a movement of convenience. "It's a movement of necessity if we're going to survive in the coming years," he says. "It's a necessary tool that we need to learn. It teaches us to meet our basic needs of food, water, shelter, and energy and also increases the eco-system's health," Roland added.

Further, Roland recommends that, here in the Hamptons, we learn to meet our own needs. "Concretely, we need to be planting low-maintenance food forests, fruits and berries and nuts and mushrooms right outside our front door," he says. "I would recommend catching rainwater to drink or to water the landscape. I would recommend that we start thinking as a community. It's a lot about connecting with other people."

Roland says that sustainable landscaping is a good step, but that we need to wake up to the reality of a food shortage. He points out that the average supermarket has three days of food on the shelves and suggests that Hamptons residents learn how to grow their own food. He recommends planting long-term tree crops, like an orchard of fruit trees; getting a cistern and water tank on site; and even putting dairy-producing animals on the land instead of thirsty lawns.

Although "going green" can mean something different to everyone, the experts agree that any step in the right direction towards sustainability is a positive one.