Water Savvy Plants The Gardener : The Gardener

Water Savvy Plants

Splashy is out, saving as much water as you can in your small gardening space with the right plants and products is in. Get waterwise with these water savvy plants and flowers!

Before you start . . .

Before you even think of planting water savvy plants, attend to the soil. Improving the soil with well-decomposed organic material, such as compost, will improve its water-holding capacity drastically.

Now think plants . . .

Pick species with a good drought-tolerant factor. Such as plants with grey foliage. These reflect the sun’s rays away from the plant and keeps it cooler which in turn reduces water loss. Pick modern hybrids of old favourite perennials, bred with a higher resistance to heat. And these water savvy plants have much lower water needs.

Silver Stalwarts

Helichrysum petiolare (everlasting) –indigenous, spreading shrub or groundcover with velvety, round silver-grey leaves. Honey-scented, creamy flowers in spring.
Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ears) – mat-forming groundcover with soft and woolly lanceolate leaves.
Artemisia afra (African wormwood) – silver-grey, very aromatic leaves and sprays of white flowers at the tips of stems.
Senecio cineraria (dusty miller) – velvety and deeply lobed silver-grey leaves and yellow flowers.

Thirst-Free Flowers

Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow White’ – perennial that flowers profusely on compact plants. Very drought-tolerant and easy to grow.
Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage) – arching spikes of purple and white bi-coloured blooms.
Salvia greggii (autumn sage) – tough perennial available in different colour shades. Good repeat bloomer.
Limonium perezii (paper flower) – evergreen perennial that forms a rosette of large leathery leaves. The flowers are large clusters of bi-coloured blue and white blooms.
Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ – delicate looks with a mass of small, white flowers. But very tough and rewarding.

Water Savvy Grasses

Aristida junciformis (nGongoni grass) – tufted indigenous grass with beautiful mauve plumes.
Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ (purple fountain grass) – sturdy tuft with arching leaves with a rich burgundy colour.

Water Savvy Tips

Do not be shy to plant the above-mentioned quite densely together. As they take time to mature.
Cover any open soil between plants with layers of organic mulch – compost, shredded bark, bark nuggets, leaf mold or straw to prevent moisture evaporation. Mulches keep the moisture in and reduce evaporation by up to 70%.
Planting fast-growing groundcovers like lamb’s ears with naturally low water requirements in your flowerbeds will keep the root areas of other plants cool and moist and will reduce evaporation.
Another way to keep the water where it is most needed, while waiting for plants to establish, is to create a soil basin around each plant. After watering deeply at ground level, apply a layer of mulch around the plant, keeping it away from the stems.
Test if your plants need watering by pushing your finger into the soil. If the soil feels damp or sticks to your finger, it does not need watering.
Rather than watering lightly and often, water less often but well to encourage roots to grow deeper.
Water in the early morning or late afternoon to reduce evaporation.
Avoid watering on windy days or in the middle of a hot day.
Remember to check the four-day weather forecast before watering your garden. Let a possible rain shower do it for you instead.
Water leaks from taps and pipes can be costly. Repair them immediately.
Make use of flow regulators or aerators on taps to reduce the water flow.

Other ways to save water

Succulents need very little

Using more succulents that store water in their leaves and stems is easy on your water bill and if displayed well can be a garden all on its own.

Save every raindrop

Harvesting rainwater makes ecological and financial sense. Rainwater is relatively clean water. It can be used in the garden for irrigation. And it’s free! Using untreated water in this way reduces the demand placed on the country’s water systems which are constantly under threat.

Install an irrigation system

Watering a garden properly by hand takes time. Often the water does not get to the roots of plants – where it is needed. Installing an irrigation system can alleviate these problems.

A drip irrigation system would be a good choice. This system uses a series of perforated pipes or soaker hoses that can be positioned anywhere throughout the garden without the need of trenching. There is no water pressure needed and the slow rate that the water is delivered means that the water gets to where it needs to go – at root level.

It can be controlled manually, or connected to an automatic controller to time the start and end of a cycle. You can even get weather monitoring systems that will switch off the system if there is going to be rain.

Use water retention products

You can use water retention granules in flower beds when planting young plants. Water retentive products break the water-resistant layer of certain soils, draws the water deeper into the plant’s root zones and keep the soil moist for longer.

Treat container plants with water retention crystals, gel or granules. Simply dig it in lightly around the existing plants, water well and finish off with a decorative mulch like bark nuggets. This can also be added to the potting medium before planting.