14 | Greenstone garden guide november 2017
14 | Greenstone garden guide november 2017
Water-wise festive gardeningI
Despite good rainfall in many regions of the country, the recovery from last year’ s drought will be slow. This is not great news for gardeners, but by using water wisely you can still have a bright, colourful garden over the festive season.
y following some drought-wise garden tips, you can have your water, and your garden too! Water saving is mostly common sense, requiring the use of simple techniques and a few adjustments to your thinking. By changing your practices, you can easily save 20 to 40 % on your water usage. Adapting to a water‘ crisis’ by learning new techniques, which will stay with you even in times of plenty, will not only make you a better gardener but a better citizen for it too! Here are some simple procedures to help conserve water, and at the same time, promote a pretty yet healthy garden.
Getting colour in your garden Colour in the garden can still be achieved during a drought as long as you don’ t plant more than you can water, so if you are staying at home and expecting guests over Christmas, you can certainly plant some summer seedlings to brighten up your garden. If you are going away, mulch your beds and let them rest. To keep flowering annuals blooming and looking good, they should be watered more often than shrubs, and to a depth of at least 15cm. Those growing in containers may need extra watering. At this time of the year choose‘ instant colour’ flower seedlings which are reasonably well developed. Identify a few spots in the garden where a splash of colour will draw the eye, or plant up a few cheerful containers, placing them where they will be most appreciated by your guests. The garden centres stock up on tough seedlings during a dry season and can advise you on the best water-wise selection for your region and garden, whether it’ s in sun or shade. Waterwise perennials which flower in December are also a great way to introduce colour into your garden. Perennials will provide colour this season and even more next season, saving you in the long run. If you want a peaceful and pleasant end result, do not overdo colours in your garden, and stick to a simple colour scheme.
Water-wise rose gardening To keep roses healthy during a drought you simply need to toughen them up! Although roses are known to be water lovers, a lack of precipitation will certainly reduce the number of flowers they produce during a drought, but it need not kill them. Actually, roses are quite capable of surviving drought – think of those very old specimens growing in abandoned gardens or graveyards – they have been surviving for years on their own! So, don’ t worry if you have to leave town and your roses go without water for a few weeks. When you stop watering, it forces them into semi-dormancy, but as soon as the rains arrive, or you start watering again, they’ ll begin to leaf out and bloom again.
Actually, you can water roses mush less frequently than you would imagine, but when you do, water deeply. For example, if you typically use 8 litres per plant twice a week, switch to 11 or 12 litres once a week. If you are unsure about how often to water, after you’ ve watered really well, stop and wait. Don’ t do anything until you see the rose wilt and the little buds start to hang their heads. That will give you a baseline. So if it takes
10 days for your roses to wilt, then you know you should water every eight days or so. Newly planted roses will need regular watering until they are established.
Reduce the amount you water Most gardeners tend to overwater anyway! If you will be going away in December it is vital that you harden off your established trees and shrubs before you leave – overwatering them before leaving is not going to help them, but will rather stress them further if the drought persists. Start by gradually reducing the frequency, and the amount you water your shrubs and trees – you will be surprised at how easily plants adjust to less water. This also hardens the plants off during dry seasons, as lots of new growth requires yet more water. You want to keep the plants alive and healthy while restricting growth until the drought is broken. Watering very early in the morning or in the evening when there is less heat and wind, will reduce water lost to evaporation. When you do water, give the plant a really good soaking – this is much better than frequent, shallow sprinklings – allowing the water to penetrate deeper into the soil and encouraging deeper roots, which are much more resistant to prolonged drought conditions.
Established trees and shrubs whose roots are relatively deep should survive on one or two deep irrigations to a depth of at least 30cm, several weeks apart in spring and summer. And, if the drought is very severe, many can survive with no watering at all, because these large-rooted plants are able to draw on reserves of moisture deep down in the soil. If they should really start to look like they need watering, established plants are great candidates for watering with“ grey water”. Grey water is the recycling of‘ waste’ water that is generated in homes and commercial buildings through the use of water for laundry, dishes, or for bathing. Grey water differs from
“ black water” which is waste water used in toilets and designated for sewage systems.
Vegetable gardening can be water-intensive, and water restrictions should be taken into consideration when deciding on starting an edible home garden. Plant only what you need for your family and try to select drought resistant varieties. Compost acts as mulch and adds nutrients to soil, so dig generous amounts into your beds before planting. Water your newly transplanted seedlings regularly for a week or two after they go into the ground, after which they should be able to fend for themselves, except during severely hot and dry spells. Water deeply and infrequently, rather than a little every day. If you are going on holiday, harvest as much as you can before leaving; clean and mulch the beds, and hope for the best.
Herbs are great water-wise plants which will survive happily with little water and fuss. Mulch and water them well before leaving – even if they wither a little, the plants will quickly recover when watered again. If your herbs are growing in containers, move them into a more sheltered and semi-shady area of the garden, and group them together to form a small microclimate. Do not place them underneath evergreen trees or shrubs whose dense foliage will prevent rainfall from reaching them. Source: www. gardeninginsouthafrica. co. za
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