Revamping an existing garden
Revamping or redesigning any existing garden to make it more water efficient can save a considerable amount or water and energy. The key is to carefully assess the garden.
The aim in redesigning the garden to make it water efficient is to keep the amount of water you use to a minimum, but also make sure there is only enough applied to the garden to adequately water plants to give healthy growth. Over watering and wastage must be eliminated.
Discover where you can modify the design, the plant management and maintenance practices in accordance with water efficient principles, then implement them, either in stages as part of an overall plan or as a total ‘one off’ overhaul. The main difference in redesigning an existing garden is that some hard decisions will need to be made about what is to stay and what has to go.
Discover where you can modify the design, the plant management and maintenance practices in accordance with water efficient principles, then implement them, either in stages as part of an overall plan or as a total ‘one off’ overhaul. The main difference in redesigning an existing garden is that some hard decisions will need to be made about what is to stay and what has to go.
The key points to address are:
- Prepare a plan showing the existing garden.
- Prepare a new overall design and layout. Make sure it is designed to suit your needs, incorporating water efficient design in respect of current and future family needs, paving, lawn and surfacing of areas, using features and microclimates to advantage.
- Assess the value of all the existing plants and features in the context of your preferred design and layout and whether they are suitable in a water efficient garden. It will be obvious the some plants and features will have to be removed or relocated. Some compromises may need to be made to your preferred layout based on cost, the importance of saving valuable trees or shrubs and decisions about existing features, while not ideal, will do.
- Prepare a final layout showing existing features to be retained along with new plantings and new features.
- Develop water zones for planting - grouping plants with similar water needs together in zones having regard for the requirements of existing trees and shrubs.
- Effective and efficient watering - ensure any existing system is water efficient and know when to water for the best results.
- Analyse then improve the soil to make it more water retentive
- Mulching - mulch the soils and garden beds to retain moisture and give optimum conditions for plant growth
- Plant choice - choose plants for your garden that suit your needs, soil, climate, the microclimates of your block.
- Maintenance practices- ensure good health of all your plants by mulching feeding, pruning, watering and weeding effectively.