There are two main components to using less water in landscaping:
Plant selection and design.
A waterwise garden is a balance between plants, lawn and hardscapes such as paving, to provide a fit for purpose space that suits the resident’s lifestyle.
Plant selection
Selecting plants which are appropriate to the existing soil and climate type will significantly reduce watering requirements. watercorporation.com.au/plants has comprehensive information and advice on waterwise plant selection, including waterwise themed gardens; Coastal, Mediterranean, Native, Tropical and Cottage.
http://anpsa.org.au is a very good resource for information on Australian plants compiled by the Australian Native Plants Society (Australia).
Another excellent resource is the Nursery and Garden Industry. There are a number of very good nurseries in WA who have many years of experience and knowledge of drought tolerant planting options and hardy new releases.
Local knowledge is invaluable as choosing plants for West Australian conditions are important.
The simple rule
is to select a drought-tolerant plant over a water demanding plant. If high water use plants are required as part of a planting scheme then keep their use to a minimum — using them as focal points or features in a suitably protected spot.
Reduce the use of water demanding bedding plants which need to be replaced annually unless they are seasonal varieties established with winter rains eg. Everlastings.
Note: Nursery labelling can often be for Eastern states or NZ conditions. Make sure you are regularly in touch with growers about suitable drought-tolerant varieties for specific project requirements. Many will contract grow or obtain suitable species for challenging sites.
Hydro-zoning
When using plants which will require regular water it is important to group plants together in hydro-zones. For more guidance, visit Water Corporation website for more info.
Often referred to as hydrozoning, creating zones based on plant needs allows you to set up your garden with irrigation stations which will deliver the required amount of water for the plants, as well as help prioritise maintenance and fertilising requirements.
Think about the following zone types when setting up your garden:
- Primary: These are high demand water areas and may require daily watering by hand. Examples include vegetable gardens.
- Secondary: These are moderate demand water areas and thrive on the two days a week watering roster. Examples include turf and ornamentals.
- Minimal: These are low demand water areas and may only require hand watering in the hotter months. Examples include established natives.
Here is a short video on how to group plants, after watching the video you will continue to the next stage …
