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| Create a water wise garden |
| The magic of mulch |
| Harvest water |
| Gardening with brak water |
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All you ever need to know about water smart gardening.
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With water security now a global issue, water smart gardening has assumed worldwide importance. This international trend is particularly easy to achieve in South Africa because the vast majority of our indigenous plants are specially adapted to thrive in a low water environment. By creating a water wise garden, you will also save money on your water bills and end up with a garden that requires relatively little maintenance. Tips on planning1. Zone your garden:Divide areas of the garden into high water usage, medium water usage, and minimum water usage zones. Position your high water zones - with waterholics such as roses and the lawn area - near the patio where you will enjoy seeing them the most, and place your low water usage zones in less frequented areas of the garden. Try to keep the area of high water usage as small as possible, and the low water usage area as large as possible. Different irrigation lines with appropriate irrigation programmes can be installed in the different zones. 2. Choose water wise plants:All water wise plants have certain characteristics that make them extremely water-efficient.
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- Waxy leaves. A waxy coating helps to prevent moisture loss. Examples: euonymus, kalanchoe and Indian hawthorn.
- Plants with lighter colours on the undersides of their leaves. When stressed, they turn the lighter side upwards to reflect the sun away. Examples: wild olive tree, gazanias, and indigenous buddlejas.
- Sturdy internal structures. Water wise plants have a strong internal skeleton which supports the leaf and prevents wilting during dry spells. Examples: strelitzia, restios, agaves and New Zealand flax.
- Volatile oils in the stomata. This is common in plants and herbs from Mediterranean countries, which experience a hot, dry summer, and is an extra protection against water loss. Examples: rosemary, lavender and sage
3. Reduce your lawn
Think about how much lawn you actually need as lawn is a high water usage feature. Replace your lawn with water wise paving, timber decking, pebbles, gravel or water wise low-growing ground-covering plants. Once you have reduced your lawn area, take into account the following when reshaping your lawn:
- Plan a simple shape. Make your lawn circular or oval rather than curvy - this will 'match' the shape of your lawn sprinkler.
- Plan to harvest water. Before laying the lawn, shape the area to have a slight hollow in the middle - like a shallow saucer - in order to hold rainwater on the lawn.
- Choose the right grass. In the winter rainfall Western Cape region, plant low water usage indigenous buffalo grass. In summer rainfall areas, use water smart indigenous Cynodon species.
- Water efficiently. To encourage deep rooting, irrigate lawns deeply and infrequently. Cut back on watering during winter and let the grass go dormant.
4. Wise up on water features
How to create a water smart water feature:
- Position in a shady or partially shady spot.
- Position in a wind-free spot to save water loss through evaporation.
- The less water movement there is, the less water will be lost. The most water thrifty are millstones, bird baths and still ponds.
- A shallow pond loses more water to evaporation than a deep pond.
- If you choose a fountain, the pond beneath it needs to be one and a half times wider than the height of the fountain to prevent water splashing out of the pond.
- Fountains that produce course droplets rather than sprayers or fountains with a fine spray lose less water.
- Switch off the pump of a fountain or waterfall when you don't actually need to see it.
- Check old concrete ponds regularly for cracks and leaks.
