Do you have a brown, patchy lawn no matter how much water you use? Do you have plants struggling in your garden, when you have seen them flourish in others? If these statements are true for your garden, chances are you should give Xeriscape gardening a go!

Xeriscape is a term coined by the water authority in Denver, Colorado to describe water-efficient landscaping. It aims to creatively combine the best elements of traditional landscaping with contemporary conservation techniques. This makes it the cost-saving, time-saving and water wise choice for everyone.

There are seven principles of Xeriscape gardening. These include the importance of planning your garden, awareness of vegetation types and the efficient use of water.

Many of the principles rely on knowledge of natural conditions. For instance a tree's shade lowers air and soil temperature. Evergreens are

natural wind-shelters, while large deciduous trees provide summer shade.

Awareness of alternatives to lawn and the variety of grass types are one of the principles. Many people are rethinking how much lawn they want and need. For example, you might consider reducing the area of lawn you presently have by replacing some areas with water-efficient groundcovers and shrubs. Drought-tolerant grasses may be substituted for water-thirsty grasses with great results.

Perhaps the most important benefit of Xeriscape gardening is that a well-planned garden requires less

The ripe fruits of the Quandong

Tree make excel-lent jams and

chutneys. Photo: H.Weber

Water is one of the most important natural resources on earth. It is also the one that is most often taken for granted. Each year the average household uses nearly two swimming pools worth of water in the garden alone! Careful planning and design of your garden can save a lot of

water. Effective landscaping can save up to 50% of the water you use in your garden. Remember that a Waterwise garden provides 3 major benefits. It will save you money, is low maintenance and is environmentally friendly. Check out these basic tips for conserving water in your garden.

General Waterwise Tips

Planting the right plant for the right conditions

Xeriscape Gardening

Goulburn Valley Water

April 2000

Sources: ● Discover Xeriscape. A Yard-

by-Yard Guide to Water Wise Landscaping in Colorado Denver Water, Denver Colorado.

● Yarra Valley Water website www.yvw.com.au Yarra Valley Water

● Personal communication - Alex Sislov Tree Growing Advi-sory Officer, Department of Natural Resources and Envi-ronment Tatura.

Waterwise Tips for Australian Gardens: ● Mulch garden beds to at least 75

mm to conserve water and suppress weeds

● Reduce lawn areas,

● Plant lawns with native grasses, eg Weeping Grass (Microlaena stipoides), or Wallaby Grasses (Danthonia spp.),

● Deep watering occasionally encourages a deep root system while frequent light waterings encourage shallow root systems,

● Re-use ‘grey-water’ wherever possible

● Apply water around the base of plants, not over the foliage

● Plant shade/wind breaks to pro-tect more sensitive plants

Principals of Xeriscape Xeriscape, pronounced 'zerry scape' is a term derived from the Greek word 'xeros' meaning dry and from the word landscape, to form a new term for water con-serving gardens.

Over 300 communities world wide have adopted the Xeriscape program and many cities have established Xeriscape water con-servation gardens.

There are seven main principals of Xeriscape gardening, and while none of these are particu-larly ground-breaking, they are a reminder of the important gar-den planning elements of which every gardener should take no-tice.

Step One: Better by Design

A bit of planning and design ini-tially will yield beautiful Xeriscape results you’ll enjoy for years to come. Landscape professionals are a good information resource, although many people enjoy excel-lent results on their own.

To begin planning, you need to think about how you use your backyard and what you want your landscaping efforts to accomplish. For example: what are your priori-ties - do you want to create space for entertaining or increase your privacy? Do you have a natural slope? Lots of southern exposure?

Start a list of plants, trees and shrubs you like with as many local species as you can.

Step Two: Know your Turf

Generally an area of lawn re-quires more wa-ter than the same area of gar-den. So when designing land-

scape, reduce the area covered by lawns as much as possible. The shape of lawns and gardens is also important—while a design may look nice, it may not be suitable

for effective watering.

Where possible, build drive-ways, paths and paved areas in

such a way that rain run-off can be directed onto a lawn and/or garden area, rather than going down the drain.

Step Three: Make Friends with Mulch

Mulches can prevent up to 73% evaporation loss and they are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make the most of water in the garden.

Mulches cover the soil and cool it, while minimising evapora-tion, reducing weed growth, and slowing erosion. Mulches can also provide landscape interest and offer protective cover until plants mature.

Step Four: Plant Like with Like

By grouping the plants in the garden into high or low water users, you can design a water-ing pattern that is better for your plants and will prevent waste on plants that don’t need it.

Make use of the range of micro-climates available in your garden created by shade trees, walls and other features, to provide each plant with the best possible conditions.

Step Five: Go Organic

Before you plant, you may want to add some organic matter to your soil which will help it to retain water better and make nutrients available to plants. The best organic matter to ap-

ply is well-aged manure and compost.

Step Six: Water Wisely

Contrary to popular belief, wa-tering the leaves of trees and shrubs is not beneficial. It in-creases water loss through evaporation and in some cir-cumstances water on leaves on hot, sunny days can damage them.

Frequent watering makes your plants shallow rooted and more dependent on you for survival.

Water your garden less often, but more thoroughly. This en-courages your plants to extend their roots deeper, making them hardier, and less thirsty.

Water your garden early in the morning when wind and evapo-ration are at their lowest Wa-tering late in the evening means that water will stay on the leaves for most of the night, increasing the chances of fun-

gal and other diseases.

Step Seven: Proper Main-tenance

Maintain a regular sched-ule of well-timed mowing

of your reduced grass areas, as well as pruning, pest control, and weeding your planting beds will help ensure your landscape develops beautifully. The pay-off is worth the investment of time because a well-planned xeric landscape requires less maintenance as it matures!

Page 2 Xeriscape Gardening

“Mulches can prevent up to 73% evaporation loss…”

Blue Pincushion (Brunonia australis)

Gold-Dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea)

Common Name Botanical Name Comments Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha Fast growing, short lived Mallee Wattle Acacia montana Rounded shrub to 1.5 m Umbrella Wattle Acacia osswaldii Summer flowering Bent leaf Wattle Acacia flexifolia Winter flowering Grey Mulga Acacia brachybotrya Grey foliage Varnish Wattle Acacia verniciflua Shiny foliage, winter flowers Spreading Wattle Acacia genistifolia Winter flowers, prickly Gold Dust Wattle Acacia acinacea Winter flowering Oondoroo Solanum similie Purple flowers, orange berries Weeping Pittosporum Pittosporum phyllyraeoides Drooping foliage Sweet Bursaria Bursaria spinosa Summer flowers, prickly Waterbush Myoporum montanum Deep green foliage Emu Bush Eremophila longifolia Tubular flowers Desert Cassia Senna artemisiodes Yellow flowers Wedge Leaf Hop Bush Dodonea viscosa ssp. cuneata Pink-Red capsules Common Fringe Myrtle Calytrix tetragona Pink flowers Hooked Needlewood Hakea tephrosperma Needle like foliage Cherry Ballart Exocarpus cuppressiformis Cypress like foliage Sweet Quandong Santalum acuminatum Red/yellow fruit Grey Parrot Pea Dillwynia cinerescens Orange pea flowers Common Eutaxia Eutaxia microphylla Yellow pea flowers Old Man Saltbush Atriplex nummularia Blue-grey foliage Ruby Saltbush Enchylaena tomentosa Red & yellow berries

Common Name Botanical Name Comments Murray Pine Callitris glaucophylla Slow growing, light soils only Lightwood Acacia implexa Long live wattle Willow Wattle Acacia salicina Long lived wattle Black Wattle Acacia mearnsii 15-20 years Buloke Allocasuarina leuhmanii Slow growing Drooping She-oak Allocasuarina verticillata Drooping foliage Red Box Eucalyptus polyanthemos Excellent shade tree Yellow Gum Eucalyptus leucoxylon Can grow to 20 m Red Ironbrak Eucalyptus tricarpa Can grow to 20 m Blue Mallee Eucalyptus polybractea Multi-stemmed Moonah Melaleuca lanceolata Low growing Kurrajong Brachychiton populneus Excellent shade tree

Small Medium Trees

Xeriscape Gardening Page 3

Shrubs

Here is a list of indigenous plants that will be suitable for low water use gardens in the Goulburn Broken Catchment.

Some of the plants will be difficult to purchase and you may need to go to specialist native or indigenous nurseries, of which there are a few in the area.

The following plants will require frequent watering (ie, weekly or fortnightly) over their first summer till they establish. Once established they will require only monthly watering or even less, over summer.

Locally Indigenous Plants

Common Name Botanical Name Comments

Wallaby Grass Danthonia spp. Fluffy seed heads Common Wheat Grass Elymus scabrus Curved awns Weeping Grass Microlaena stipoides Weeping heads Common Tussock Grass Poa labillardieri Tussocky grass Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra Rusty coloured heads Feather Spear Grass Stipa elegantissima Feathery heads

Xeriscape in Action

Common Name Botanical Name Comments

Cut Leaf Goodenia Goodenia pinnatifida Yellow flowers Creamy Candles Stackhousia monogyna Small cream flowers Showy Viola Viola betonicifolia Violet flowers Tufted Bluebell Wahlenbergia communis Small metallic-blue spiky flower Austral Bugle Ajuga australis Blue flowers Blue Pincushion Brunonia australis Blue flowers Pink Bindweed Convululus erubescens Pink flowers Pussy Tails Ptilotus spathulatus Fluffy flowers Wattle Mat Lily Lomandra filiformis Strap like foliage Saltbushes Creeping Saltbush Atriplex semibaccata Red berries Saloop Einada hastata Deep green foliage Nodding Saltbush Einada nutans Red berries Bush Peas Twining Glycine Glycine clandestina Blue pea flowers Running Postman Kennedia prostata Red pea flowers Twiggy Bush Pea Pultanaea largiflorens Small leaves Broughton’s pea Swainsona procumbens Purple pea flower Lilies Bulbine Lily Bulbine bulbosa Yellow flowers Chocolate Lily Arthropodium strictum Smells like chocolate Nodding Chocolate Lily Arthropodium fimbriatum Blue flowers Blue Grass Lily Caesia calliantha Blue flowers Black Anther Flax Lily Dianella revoluta Blue berries Pale Flax Lily Dianella longifolia Blue berries Twining Fringe Lily Thysanotus pattersonii Blue flowers Yellow Rush Lily Tricoryne elatior Yellow flowers Daisies Swamp Daisy Brachyscome basaltica White daisy flowers Scaly Billy Buttons Leptorhynchos squamatus Small yellow flowers Drumsticks Pycnosorus globosus Large yellow flowers Golden Billy Buttons Pycnosorus chrysanthes Small yellow flowers Common Everlasting Chrysocephalum apiculatum Small yellow flowers Mayweed Sunray Hyalosperma praecox White bracts, yellow centres Common New Holland Daisy Vittadenia cuneata Mauve flowers

Gardeners can learn practical tips on how to conserve water from a special garden planted in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

In February 2000, the Minister for Environment and Conservation, Ms Sherryl Garbutt, launched the garden that has been set up to teach visitors about water conservation. Eighty different species of colourful and exotic plants, suited to Melbourne’s climate and with low water requirement, have been established in the Water Conservation Garden.

Visitors will find the Water Conservation Garden on the eastern lawn of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Sources: ● Water Matters Vol.

1, Issue 3 March 2000 Victorian Water Industry Association News

Ground Covers 104-110 Fryers St, SHEPPARTON

Education Officer David Hodgkins

5832 0460 Email: davidh@gvwater.vic.gov.au

Goulburn Valley Water

This information is brought to you by Goulburn Valley Water with the help of the

Department of Natural Resources and

Environment, Tatura.

Grasses

We’re on the Web!

Www.gvwater.vic.

gov.au

Check Out these websites for further information:

• Just Natives - Australian Native Plant Nursery

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~artgib/ • Association of Societies for Growing

Australian Plants http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/index.html

• Yarra Valley Water http://www.yvw.com.au/conserve/default.htm