Water Miser™

We would all recognise that we are experiencing one of the lowest rainfall periods on record. We also know that this means greater care and responsibility must be exercised with how we use our water resources.

Australians, because we are so garden-conscious, must consider how we can best ensure that our plants will survive ~ and thrive ~ with fewer waterings.

Halve your watering ….

We have managed to halve the amount of watering required by a large group of stock plant tubs by mulching the surface of each with a 2cm layer of washed river sand. Heat bounces off this rather than being absorbed by the dark potting mix. The effect is that less surface moisture is lost, there is less stress on surface roots because the soil temperature is lower, and less water is needed, all adding up to a saving of this precious commodity.

Mulching is essential …

A similar effect can be achieved for plants in garden beds, using a range of mulch materials. Choose from light coloured gravels, sand, straw, shredded tree clippings or raked up dried and fallen leaves (do not use fresh grass, however), all of which will give excellent results.

But what you do beneath the mulch is even more important.

Preparation is vital to success …..

When you buy a plant from the nursery it will be sitting in pot perhaps 15-18cm (6-7”) deep. In this pot will be a top quality potting medium.

The quality of the soil in the garden beds you will be planting into should be a macro version of the single pot. That is, 15-18cm minimum of top quality material, and not just plonked on top of a clay base. It should be well blended through that base, with any clay lumps being broken up and thoroughly forked over, to allow plant roots access to the nutrients they seek.

If you cannot justify the cost of a complete garden rebuild with potting medium, keep an eye out for old stable litter. Just be sure that it has weathered for at least three months so that most of the urea has leached out. Not only is such material great to condition soils (whether clay or sand), it is also an effective mulch.

Recent Innovations:

Two smart moves in the Nursery and Garden Industry will help you to choose the most suitable plants for your climate and soil. One will attract wildlife into your garden. The other will help you select plants with lower water needs once established.

Next time you visit your retail garden centre, look for labels with the distinctive Flora for Fauna logo on them. Such plants will often be grouped in a special location for easy identification, and bright point of sale posters will also help you to find them. Whilst bird attraction is a major focus for many people when selecting from the Flora for Fauna range of plants, remember that butterflies, moths, native bees and frogs are wonderful to include in your garden planning. Anything we can do as a community to increase habitat for our native fauna is vitally important. A healthy environment is paramount for not only the survival of the human species, but just as importantly for our native animals, birds and other fauna.

Water Miser™

The second initiative of the Industry is the Water Miser™ program, and you will see more and more information becoming available as we progress through this drought period. Plant labels and point of sale material are designed to inform you about plants which have low water needs once established.

With water restrictions likely to be a way of life for a long time to come, and quite possibly even as a permanent arrangement, it is essential that our gardens reflect wise and sensible use of this resource. We simply cannot continue to be profligate in the way we exploit our natural resources, and wise and thoughtful water use is one way in which we can, as a community, exercise responsibility in our daily lives.

It is easy, with so much information readily available, to create and retain a lovely garden, knowing you have plants which will attract and assist our native fauna, and at the same time reducing the demand on that essence of life, water.

Favourite Plants?

A recent enquiry about our favourite group of plants, suited to the broadest range of soils, climates and moisture regimes, prompted an instant answer … Callistemons ~ so aptly named ‘Bottlebrushes’.

Bottlebrushes are available as groundcover (Candle Glow), low hedging or screening (Rosy Morn, Summer Days), medium screening (Mary MacKillop, Cherry Time, Genoa Glory, Betka Beauty, Candelabra) or specimen/street planting (Edna Walling Scarlet Willow); and a garden full of others.

Many Callistemons will tolerate seasonally saturated soils, but will also cope with dry conditions once established. They suffer very few disease or pest conditions, are top of the pops for bird attraction, and will flower generously every spring and autumn. And the harder you prune them the more they flower, and the denser their shape.

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