Ecological landscape design differs from conventional landscaping in a number of ways. Conventional landscaping treats plants more like sculptures than living beings, and in doing so requires regular maintenance such as hedge-trimming, mowing, blowing, and mulching. Besides the fossil fuels burned running most of this machinery, many landscapers use chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides to try to keep away imperfections, which can harm the environment and our own health. Ecological landscapes focus on plant communities rather than individual plants and embrace dynamic change as the designs adapt over time. While the beginning of an ecological design may require more maintenance upfront, they almost always require less and less maintenance as they mature.