Arid designs can be pretty too

Now, I do need a decent drink. 

We’re about to go away for a short trip to Sydney and while half of the travelling party are busily watering the plants before we leave, not so,  in my winter wonderland of a sustainable garden, where there is very little to be done watering wise. I have to admit I’ve been really ignoring watering the celery!  And I have been known to neglect the peach tree, a heinous act because it produced the most divine fruit known to man, but that was before I started my sustainable landscape design course.   

Aridity does not equal ugly! The trick is to select different colour tones and foliages to add visual interest that thrive on drought and neglect.  The plants hardly required fertilising (which can cause pollution to our ground-water and detriment to our creeks, acquatic life etc). So I have a few of all of these: Adenanthos sericeus (the beautiful Albany Woolly bush which can go to 3m), Ficinia nodosa (knobby club rushes, a rain garden plant to 1m),   Isopogon dubius  (not so dubious about the rose cone flowers), one Leptospermum petersonii (lemon scented tea tree to 3m), Libertia peregrinans (rhizomatous perennial),  Leucospermum patersonii (spreading bush with orange sunburst flowers) plus herbs such as basil, a silvery curry plant, vegies such as celery,  spring onions spinach and sprawling ground cover sedums that add gorgeous hues and cover spots where weeds would grow.  The Telopea corroboree (Waratah) is not doing too well as it's got singed by our 35 degree days too many times. The garden started off with a two tone mulch swirl reminiscent of an aboriginal painting with its contrasting earth tones, but with time the swirl has dissipated.   We chose mulch from a recycled timber source. Best to use the larger variety that doesn't blow away! 

To avoid weeds, try a weed mat before planting, that degrades over time.  Wish I had used one, but over time the weeds are starting to slow down.  When weeding or spraying, wait a couple of days after the rain, when the roots are regaining their mojo.  Being wet, the roots will also dislodge easier.