Plant Gardens 101

Harvesting Rainwater to drought proof your garden seems like a contradiction in terms as it implies the use of water to save water. After all the reason that you drought proof your garden in the first place is to decrease your water usage so using water to save water in some respects may not seem to make sense. Having said that though, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I use water to save water and in particular I use rainwater. One of the things that I’ve noticed in the hotter months is that hot winds can dry out your garden a lot quicker than the sun just on its own. The way I’ve gone about solving this problem in my garden is to grow a hedge as a windbreak along the northern (for the southern hemisphere) boundary of my backyard. The first important thing to consider in doing this is to select the correct plants to start off with. I’ve used Callistemon Salignus, aka the Willow Bottlebrush and here are the reasons why. Firstly it will not grow too large if you restrict the amount of water you give it after it’s achieved the desired height to block the wind. That way it won’t become a problem in a small suburban garden. Secondly it is also fairly drought tolerant. Last summer my hedge of Callistemon Salignus withstood some fairly strong, hot, drying winds without any extra water so it’s an ideal tree to use as a windbreak. Thirdly and most importantly they can withstand water logging. This means that during winter and spring when you may have excess water in your rainwater tank you can direct it straight to your hedge of Callistemon Salignus. I direct rainwater from the overflow of my rainwater tank straight to my hedge so when my tank is full the excess rainwater doesn’t go down into the stormwater, but into the soil where it is stored for when the trees need it during spring and summer. This means that the trees get rainwater from the sky and the overflow from my rainwater tank at the same time. This fits with what most gardeners know. Less frequent deep watering is much better that more frequent shallow watering. Another great feature about Callistemon Salignus is that it is reasonably quick growing and also very hardy. Both of these qualities are very important when growing a hedge. How many times have you seen hedges that have been grown with plants that look great but aren’t necessarily very hardy. Quite often these types of hedges always seem to have one or two plants in them that have died. It really can detract from your hedge. Also most hedges are normally grown for a reason such as privacy or as in this case a windbreak. Therefore, being able to grow fast and establish quickly is a definite requirement. Callistemon Salignus will certainly grow fast but what I’ve discovered is that if you give them lots of water not only during winter and spring but also during summer, when rainwater is scarcer, they will grow even faster. This means that the more I use my stored rainwater to increase the growth of my windbreak then the faster it will protect the rest of my garden from hot drying winds during summer. Once your drought tolerant windbreak is then established and at a height where it is shielding those hot summer winds you can then back off on the watering and start saving on water in other parts of your garden such as a lawn. So there you have it, the use of water when used correctly can save you water in the garden in the long run and of course there is no better water to use than rainwater. So for me there is no better way than harvesting rainwater, so I can drought proof my garden.

I’ve been harvesting rainwater for my garden for the last three years and as a consequence have become quite adept in the process of rainwater harvesting.

View more articles from Michael Bowater

This article is provided by Amazines.com – The ULTIMATE Article Database

Nearly all Grevilleas can be classified as Drought Tolerant Plants but some are even more Drought Tolerant than the rest.

Grevilleas have long had a reputation as being drought tolerant plants. Mostly all the 300 plus species are native to Australia which is a continent well known as one of the driest continents on the planet. It’s little wonder that most Grevilleas have evolved to survive on a minimal amount of water.

In these times when certain areas around the world are receiving less and less rainfall never has it been more important to look towards drought tolerant plants as the solution for home gardens as well as public landscaping. The grevillea of course is one plant that more than qualifies as a tough drought tolerant plant for the home garden. (more…)

The words “drought tolerant plants” have different meanings to different gardeners. I once knew a gardener who believed if a plant was considered to be drought tolerant it meant that once you’d planted it you could then walk away and never have to water it again. The funny thing about it, in some respects this can be the case with some drought tolerant plants, in some situations.

If you are a gardener though who wants to give your plants a better that even chance of surviving their first summer then here is the best way to go about it.

I’ve always found that the best time of the year to plant is in autumn. This gives the roots some time to get established over winter and spring before the following summer. It also gives the plant a head start, especially if you have a large garden full of drought tolerant plants that rarely get watered over summer. The next important thing to do is then water the plant for the first summer and after that it should be able to survive just from the water that falls from the sky. This to me is what the term “drought tolerant plant” means. It describes plants that have evolved in their natural environment to withstand long periods without rainfall and as a consequence can do the same when introduced into a garden situation. (more…)

The debate about climate change has been raging for quite a few years now. Not only about what may or may not be causing it but also as to whether it actually exists. I suppose as a gardener one of the things that you do tend to observe on a regular basis is the weather and in particular rainfall.

Now without getting too deeply into this debate the one thing that I’ve noticed over the last ten years where I live in Melbourne, Australia is that we are now getting less and less rain. In fact it’s now at the stage where our water storages are at an all time low.

So having said that there has never been more reason to plant drought tolerant plants in your garden. I’ve been growing them for over ten years but I also realize that not all gardeners are into drought tolerant plants. So whether you are or aren’t here are some tips so that your plants can survive on less water. (more…)