Make every drop count to beat the big dry

ATER is a scarce resource and as residents of Gauteng we need to act responsibly and use it sparingly by adhering to the restrictions put in place by the City of Joburg. This includes no excess outside use such as filling up swimming pools, irrigating gardens and using a hosepipe to wash vehicles, clean paving or driveways from 6am to 6pm.

However, residents can use hand-held garden hoses and/or watering cans within the allocated timeslots and in compliance with the guidelines.

Godfrey Budler, chief executive of the GardenShop, a leading garden retailer, nursery and lifestyle centre, believes that consumption should be regulated ahead of shortages and homeowners should practise “xeriscaping” – dry landscaping, which emphasises the conservation of water by growing plants that are appropriate to the local climate and using organic materials.

Developed for drought-afflicted areas, “xeriscaping” has widening appeal, and can be implemented through mulching, selection of plants and soil preparation.

Wnutrients and sunlight.

Mulches are best applied from mid- to late spring and autumn, when the soil is moist and warm. It is best to avoid mulches in winter and early spring as the soil is too cold, and in summer, when it will be dry.

They can be applied around new plantings or to established beds and specimen plants.

The most popular mulches include bio-degradables such as grass clippings, sawdust, bark chips, well-rotted manure and garden compost.

Non-living options include crushed stones, rocks, gravel and pebbles. Indigenous or exotic grey-silver foliaged plants have the ability to reflect the sun’s rays away from the plant, keeping it cooler, which in turn reduces water loss.

There are a number of watersaving plants for sustainable gardening:

provides great colour contrast with grey foliage and white or blue flowers from September to May.

– have the ability to survive in hot and dry conditions and are ideal for flower pots, grouped in borders or grown in clipped box hedges.

is an easy to care for ground cover that grows in full sun or semi-shade.

Flowers in summer with pink to purple coloured spike-like flowers.

is a vigorous, tough and sprawling-ground cover that is ideal for water-wise transitioning because they survive in sunny dry areas of the garden.

is a soft, aromatic foliaged shrub that can be planted in full sun.

It is important to prune it heavily in winter to encourage lush growth. Composting returns nutrients “taken” from the soil back into the ground and is a valuable component to soil preparation for planting that will improve the soil’s capacity to hold and retain water.