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Harvesting rainwater involves capturing every drop of rain that falls for use in the garden instead of letting it flow out of the garden. Water harvesting works well in regions which have heavy rainfall or prolonged rainy periods, both of which result in water run-off. Here are some strategies for trapping rainwater.
Construct channels
- Underground pipes or a French drain connected to your drainpipes can carry water to where you want it.
- A dry river bed can serve as both an attractive feature as well as a seasonal water channel.
- A 'green carpet' channel with either lawn or a variety of low-growing ornamental grasses such as mondo, fescue and liriope planted in patterns can also serve as a seasonal water channel.
Landscape with berms and swales
Within the garden and particularly in lawn areas construct low, gentle rises that will direct rainwater from one area of the garden to another. The creation of gentle dips (swales) and rises (berms) in the garden allows for the creation of an undulating landscape that can improve the visual interest in an otherwise flat garden. An undulating landscape also permits the creation of a bog garden in one of the dips. Make sure that the slope and ridge of the constructed swales are gentle enough to ensure that your mower doesn't get damaged and doesn't 'scalp' the lawn.
Harvest water from the driveway
- Angle the paving so that rainwater flows into adjoining beds or grassed areas.
- Construct low swales (mini humps) to redirect rain water in the direction you want it to go.
- If your driveway has curbing, make sure that there are gaps at selected spots to allow water to run into the garden.
Install water tanks
Store rainwater from the roof for later use - a roof of 100m2 will provide 5 000 litres of water from a rainfall of 5mm. Use discarded drums cleaned and painted with anti-corrosion paint. Alternatively, install a 1 000-litre tank and connect it to the gutters. These tanks have outlet pipes to which a hose can be attached. Or consider installing a larger tank buried in the ground. Tanks are available from Jojo Tanks, tel: 013 262 3021, website www.jojotanks.co.za.
Gardening in low rainfall regions
Even in the driest areas you can create a beautiful garden if you are willing to change your expectations of what a garden ought to be. And the new trend towards creating gardens that have an affinity with the local landscape is making locally indigenous plants more popular - these plants are obviously ideally suited to the local climate.
Planning tips
- It is the way in which the garden is laid out, and the how textures and colours are combined that makes a garden interesting.
- Use materials such as rocks, pebbles, paving, wood, concrete, wattle branchlet screens, and decorated walls to create texture.
- Many low water usage plants have fascinating shapes, and can be used as focal points or accent plants. Small-leafed plants can be used as contrast between the more sculptural plants.
- Rely on foliage colour rather than flower colour.
- Plan shady, sheltered places for people and plants.
- Replace lawn with gravel, stamped earth, wooden decking, paving, or areas of low water usage plants.
- Grow plants that need special care or extra watering in containers.
Plants for dry, cold gardens
- Exotic plants. Callistemon, olive, yucca (trees); agave, ceanothus, cistus, echium, rosemary, westringia (shrubs); echeveria, sedum (ground covers).
- Indigenous plants. Wild olive, mountain cabbage tree, karee, sweet thorn acacia, jacket plum, shepherd's tree (trees); bitter aloe, tilt-head aloe, pork bush, Karoo gold, lion's ear, red ruspolia, broom karee, purple broom, cancer bush, strelitzia, Crassula arborescens (shrubs); aptenia, bulbine, some vygies (ground covers).
