F16a
Issued 23/11/2006

91 Hammond Avenue, PO Box 456
Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
Phone 02 6922 0608 Fax: 02 6921 2241
Email: admin@rwcc.com.au

Overall Design

These are generally high water use plants which need a sunny positon. Site very tough shrubs on the exposed side to act as a windbreak and protect them. Slowing down the hot dry winds is a very important water saving feature. It will also prevent damage to the more delicate plants.

Planning

Before planting you will need to investigate and analyse:
Orientation, sun and shade, the prevailing winds.
Topography, water run off.
Soil types, water holding capacity compaction, water repellence, fertility levels.
Availability of accessible ground water.
Views both inwards and outwards.
Overall area available for the garden.

And consider your oher needs for:
Utility spaces (clothes drying, compost and storage areas).
Outdoor living spaces (barbecues, seating areas).
Special needs (vegetable garden, swimming pool; etc).
Functional and aesthetic requirements.
Plant preference and design styles (native/exotic, formal/informal etc.)
Maintenance expectations.
Budget available.

General Design Principles

Do not plant areas unless it is necessary for functional or aesthetic reasons.
Maximise the use of non-planting treatments such as paving and mulches.
At the same time, beware of excessive unshaded paving which can be hot and glaring.
Vary materials and arrange planting to frame and shade paved areas.
Make use of windbreaks, pergolas, screen lattice, shadecloth and vines to shelter the house, outdoor living areas and plants.
Keep planted area dense and consolidated. Sparse scattered plants are more difficult to water efficiently than ones that are in defined areas.
Keep lawn to the minimum consistent with functional and aesthetic requirements.
Avoid planting lawn on slopes or in narrow necks or paths which are difficult to water efficiently and maintain.
Garden design blueprints in a variety of themes are available from leading nurseries.

Hydrozoning

Apply the principles of hydrozoning to plant selection and arrangement:

A broad selection of plants may be used, but keep high water-demand plants to a minimum.
Arrange plants having similar water requirements together (hyrdrozoning) and take this into account when deciding soil improvement and mulching, and when managing irrigation.

Some leading nurseries label their plants with drop icons signifying the appropriate hydrozone, dscribed in three categories:

Primary (3 drops) high water use plants
Secondary (2 drops); moderate water use plant
Elemental (1 drop); low water use palnts.

Garden Practices

Soil improvement in the garden:
Adding organic matter to the soil improves both its moisture and nutrient holding capacity thus saving on water and fertilizer. It is particularly important to improve the top 15-20 cm of soil where the feeder roots of plants will develop. Old animal manures, compost and proprietary products are ideal soil improvers. Mix them in equal parts with the soil prior to planting out.
Use these points as a guide:
Shrubs, groundcovers and climbers 30cm in depth and up to half a metre across.
Trees 40cm deep and 1 metre across and bedding plants 25 cm deep for the whole bed.
Garden soils are just as prone to becoming non-wettable as are lawn areas.
A regular application of a soil wetting agent in spring is recommended.

Mulching
Mulching is enormously beneficial for all plants. The mulch should be spread over the entire planted area to a minimum thickness of 50mm.

Organic mulches are preferred because they:
Break down over time and feed the plants.
Improve the soil organic matter content as they break down.
Reduce evaporation loss from the surface.
Encourage earthworms and soil microbial activity.
Restrict week growth. Any weeks which do germinate are easy to remove.
Prevent wind and water erosion.
Protect the roots from daily temperature fluctuations.
Improve the appearance of the garden area.

Mulching material
Raw water materials like woodchips, chipped tree waste or similar, whether bought-in or homemade, are ideal mulching materials. However, if the mulch is watered regularly you may need to add some extra nitrogen in the form of animal manures, blood and bone etc, to prevent the natural breaking down process from drawing nitrogen away from the plants.
Materials such as lucerne hay, pea straw, seaweed and compost can be used for mulch, but since they are more expensive and break down quicker, they are best used within the drip zone of plants.
Lawn clippings do not make a good mulch, they are best composted. However, if mixed with a coarser material like chipped prunings or woodchips they can be used as mulch.
Old newspapers can be used under a mulch as a week control layer, however, thick overlapping layers of newspapers may prevent water penetration.

Applying mulches
For general garden use mulches should be spread at 50-75mm thick.
Always leave a breathing space of 50mm around stems and trunks of plants.
Organic mulches enriched with animal manures are enormously beneficial when applied thickly (to 30cm) around the drop zone of fruit trees. They should be topped up as necessary during spring, summer and autumn to maintain a minimum thickness (after settling) of 15 cm.
Vegetable gardens should be mulched with "softer" mulches such as compost, pea, hay or lucerne straw or seaweed.
In garden areas mulches should be topped up as necessary; perhaps twice a year in both autumn and spring.
Mulches should never be raked up, turned over, dug in or disturbed in any way. To do so will damage the fine feeder roots which plants develop in the zone between the mulch and the soil.

Maintenance
Do not force plants on with large amounts of strong fertilizers. They produce lush growth that has a high water transpiration rate and is more prone to insect and fungal attack.
Slow release fertisliers, including animal manures, are the best type. The produce steady, healthy growth and minimal leaching of nutrients into the ground water.

Bedding plants
Plan your flower beds to be mass displays.
Do not place a few plants here or there in odd spaces all over the garden, but ratehr group your flowers together in a suitable area which can be watered independently of other areas of the garden.

TWENTY TIPS FOR A WATERWISE GARDEN

Appreciating the economic, environmental and psychological benefits of palnts is easy. Just imagine a world without them. These assets, and the time and money already invested in landscapes, re reason enough to preserve thjem. Water Wise gardening has advantages of its own: stronger plants, less maintenance, lowered water bills and decreased demand on natural resources. Even in drought-free conditions, these principles make good gardening sense.

1. Group plants according to water requirements to avoid over-or-under watering
2. Use plants that need less water. Plenty of attractive varieties meet this definition.
3. Install new plants when reliable rainfal is expected. In many regions, Autumn is the best time to plant.
4. Build basins around shrubs and trees to limit runoff.
5. Mulch to reduce moisture evaporation.
6. Fertilize properly - too much stimulates thristy new growth.
7. Pruning keeps plants strong and less water dependent.
8. Prioritize watering. New plants need more frequent watering than established trees and shrubs.
9. Irrigate lawns only when needed. If grass springs back up after you walk on it, it doesn't need water. Or, let your lawn grow dormant; most grasses rebound when rains return.
10. Mow higher and less often. Longer leaf surfaces encourage deeper roofing and shade roots. Mowing puts grass under additional stress that requires more water.
11. Water plants when the soil is dry, not before.
12. Use a srping-loaded hose spray or hose-end turn-off device.
13. Adjust sprinklers so water reaches lawns and gardens, not pavement.
14. Inspect sprinkler systems for leaks.
15. Time your watering. Water early to decrese evaporation. Avoid windy days for the same reasons.
16. Water infrequently, deeply, and thoroughly. This stops wasteful runoff and encourages deeper root development. Plants with deep roots develop greater tolerance to dry spells.
17. Install a drip irrigating system. You'll save us to 60 percent of the water used by sprinklers.
18. Movel container plants to shady areas. Watering them over the root area of atree puts excess wter to good use.
19. Remove weeds. Weeds rob water and nutients from valuable plants.
20. Watch the wether. Don't irrigate if rain is predicted. Skip at least one watering after a good rain. Cut back watering times and frequencies in cool and/or humid weather.

By using water wisely, you will:

• Reduce the need for new dams and supply systems
• Keep your water bills down
• Make large savings on your energy bills for water heating
• Reduce the risk of water restrictions
• Reduce the impact on the environment.

Be WaterWise…..it's worth it !