South Africa has been dealing with drought conditions for the last few months and with a lack of rainduring the winter season creeping up on us, its time to start thinking about cutting our water usage. We look at how you can have a beautiful garden without wasting copious amounts of water.

 

First things first, if you have a large garden and most of it is covered by lawn, it’s time to reconsider. The lawn can be the biggest water consumer and when it fills up most of the garden it can end up costing a lot of money to keep green. What are the possible alternatives to lawn, though? Placing stepping stones, rocks, and pebbles, gravel, and bark in certain sections of the garden is a good way to reduce the area covered by lawn.With regards to watering your garden, we all know that the best time is between sunset and sunrise but a better water saving tip is to collect rainwater in plastic barrels and slowly use it to water your garden over time.
It’s also best not to water your plants when it’s windy outside.
Another obvious way to reduce watering costs is to utilise plants that require less water. Indigenousplants are best for our gardens. This doesn’t mean you can’t have pretty flowers or other plants in your garden, though. Water zoning combats this issue. By planting together groups of plants with the same watering requirements, you can save water and still have all the plants you enjoy in your garden.
Low water use plant zones should take up the majority of your garden. You can use plants such as:
The Iris
Bird of Paradise
Agapanthus
Aloe
Succulents
Wild Rosemary
Blue African Sage
Milk Bush
Cape Honeysuckle
Dietes
Pincushion Protea
Wild Geranium
There are many more plant options that don’t require lots of water to survive.
Once you have filled up the greater part of your garden with these plants, you can create zones for medium to high water use plants. These can act as focal areas as they are usually the most colourful flowers and plants. You can also create a feature by using larger planter pots to zone high water use plants. This way you fill most of the space with planters instead of the plants and still get an attractive effect. Take a look at some Allsorted planter pot options to inspire you.
The use of alien plants should be seriously restricted, if not completely done away with, as they are often the culprits of heavy water usage.
Check your sprinklers to make sure they aren’t watering pavements or road.Covering your pool with a cover prevents the water from evaporating, reducing the need for refilling it.Try one or all of these tips for a more environmentally friendly garden!
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