The water crisis that is hitting so many parts of the world, from Australia to the Middle East, is threatening to put a halt to gardening in dry climates.
Water conserving gardening is a complicated process involving questions of design, professional irrigation, as well as a good store of practical tips on how to save water.
If you know very little about these things however, there is one golden rule you should be aware of.
Whatever you do or do not do, the golden rule is to group together plants that have similar if not identical water needs.
Maybe this sounds obvious, but judging by what one sees in private gardens, it is clear that many people are unaware of the importance of it.
It is common to see palms next to olive trees, tropical foliage plants with massive leaves like Philodendron, underneath an oak or pistachio, quite apart from the usual "peppering" of annual flowers at the foot of a hedge.
The reason this wastes water, is that it forces you to irrigate the whole garden according to the needs of the most demanding plants.
For example, in a Mediterranean climate, shrubs and trees such as Melaleuca or Myrtle, can grow on a regime of 0.
5 mm a day or less, (1 mm = 1 liter per square meter) at an interval of 30 days between each watering during the summer.
On the other hand, annual bedding plants may require as much as 6mm a day at an interval of between 2-4 days.
So if the two plant types, with radically different requirements, are intermingled, then the water conserving potential of the drought-hardy species is lost, as you grow them on an irrigation regime that is not only unnecessary, but may even be harmful to their growth and development.
In fact, many drought hardy genera, such as Pistachio, Grevillea, Carissa, and Callistemon, suffer from constant moisture in the root zone.
They are more sensitive to a lack of oxygen than to a shortage of water, and do far better on occasional but deep soakings.
The same can be said for Junipers and Cotoneasters, amongst the most important landscaping bushes available to the dry climate gardener.
Grouping different plant types goes hand in hand with supplying each group with a separate irrigation line, so that they can be watered entirely independently from each other.
It is often forgotten that the term "water requirements" does not only refer to the amounts of water a plant needs, but also to the interval between each watering, some as mentioned, demanding almost constant moisture, while others needing a dry period, to allow air back into the root zone.
So if you garden in a dry climate, be water wise, and separate your flowers from the shrubs, the trees from your lush, tropical, foliage plants, and you may find that as well as managing the water at your disposal more efficiently, you end up with a more satisfying plant composition in the process!
Water conserving gardening is a complicated process involving questions of design, professional irrigation, as well as a good store of practical tips on how to save water.
If you know very little about these things however, there is one golden rule you should be aware of.
Whatever you do or do not do, the golden rule is to group together plants that have similar if not identical water needs.
Maybe this sounds obvious, but judging by what one sees in private gardens, it is clear that many people are unaware of the importance of it.
It is common to see palms next to olive trees, tropical foliage plants with massive leaves like Philodendron, underneath an oak or pistachio, quite apart from the usual "peppering" of annual flowers at the foot of a hedge.
The reason this wastes water, is that it forces you to irrigate the whole garden according to the needs of the most demanding plants.
For example, in a Mediterranean climate, shrubs and trees such as Melaleuca or Myrtle, can grow on a regime of 0.
5 mm a day or less, (1 mm = 1 liter per square meter) at an interval of 30 days between each watering during the summer.
On the other hand, annual bedding plants may require as much as 6mm a day at an interval of between 2-4 days.
So if the two plant types, with radically different requirements, are intermingled, then the water conserving potential of the drought-hardy species is lost, as you grow them on an irrigation regime that is not only unnecessary, but may even be harmful to their growth and development.
In fact, many drought hardy genera, such as Pistachio, Grevillea, Carissa, and Callistemon, suffer from constant moisture in the root zone.
They are more sensitive to a lack of oxygen than to a shortage of water, and do far better on occasional but deep soakings.
The same can be said for Junipers and Cotoneasters, amongst the most important landscaping bushes available to the dry climate gardener.
Grouping different plant types goes hand in hand with supplying each group with a separate irrigation line, so that they can be watered entirely independently from each other.
It is often forgotten that the term "water requirements" does not only refer to the amounts of water a plant needs, but also to the interval between each watering, some as mentioned, demanding almost constant moisture, while others needing a dry period, to allow air back into the root zone.
So if you garden in a dry climate, be water wise, and separate your flowers from the shrubs, the trees from your lush, tropical, foliage plants, and you may find that as well as managing the water at your disposal more efficiently, you end up with a more satisfying plant composition in the process!
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