Article & photos by Andrea Durrheim
H
aving an efficient garden is a boon, especially
at those times of the
year when you really
don’t feel up to spending a lot of
time working outdoors. But what
do I mean by an efficient garden?
Use water efficiently
Use labour efficiently
Still have a great looking garden
How to achieve efficiency
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First and foremost, limit lawn.
You want some lawn area for kids
and pets to play, but lawn uses a
lot of labour and a lot of water,
especially if you want to keep it
looking good all year. By the way,
did you know that many of the
playing fields we see when we
watch sport on TV these days aren’t
planted with grass at all?
There are some very realistic
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‘artificial grass’ products on the
market. They wear out in a few
years, but then they are recyclable.
It’s turning into quite a trend
among gardeners in the US, particularly in California’s drought.
Plan your garden wisely.
Most of us have a few highmaintenance favourites that need
lots of water and attention. Consider laying on grey water from your
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