Water Wise Gardening Saves Money and the Planet
October 1, 2018
While those with green fingers will never neglect their gardens they do often overlook the fact that the design and landscaping of your garden needs to be as carefully thought out as the interior design of your home, particularly in hot climates such as ours.
Africa is synonymous with dry plains awaiting thirst-quenching thunderstorms that soak the earth and bring new life with a new season. Often however, the dry weather stretches on for months, resulting in water-restrictions and drought-ridden gardens.
The answer to helping save water is to plant a water wise garden that consists of beautiful and drought-tolerant plants that survive on minimal water. The use of water outdoors can make up almost half the total household water consumption so being water-wise with your garden not only helps the planet but your budget too.
Planning, planting and watering
Water-wise gardens use mainly indigenous plants because they require much less water than exotic varieties. These plants are mostly evergreen, and hardy enough to eventually begin to thrive in low grade soil conditions. The most important factor to consider when selecting plants is placement, watering techniques and of course your overall design.
Water-wise plants won’t properly thrive unless the soil they are planted in is able to retain some moisture. It should also aid aeration and drainage so start by adding some conditioners and compost and then add mulch around the base of the plants. This will really help retain moisture as well as heat, which means plants will be protected from drought and frost.
Another way to preserve water is to watch what watering methods your plants prefer and don’t just water in a routine. Test the moisture in the soil by pressing your finger in up to your knuckle and feel for dampness. If the soil is damp then it doesn’t need water. Remember to only water in the early morning or evening and avoid watering in hot, windy conditions.
Did you know that grass uses up the most water? If you are serious about becoming water wise, then look around for areas that can be replaced with a hard surface. There are plenty of paving stones and outdoor African decor and furniture that can make a beautiful feature in your garden and most importantly, don’t require any water.
Lastly, weed your water-wise garden often. Weeds are pests and a complete waste of water.
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Back in March of 2020, Bianca and Jana were dusting off their Fez’s and grabbing the pashminas out of storage in preparation to Rock the Casbah! However, as we all know and vividly remember - with March, came the eventual Covid shutdown, and instead of frolicking down the Moroccan streets, we all shut ourselves inside and watched the days tick by… 3 Years later, and now we can finally say - with conviction - that they’re going to Morocco at the start of September! This blog, filled with excitement and curiosity about all the weird and wonderful curios they might find, and endless sourcing they’ll do, stays as a reminder that sometimes plans change, things go awry and there’s not much you can do about it other than persevere - and that we did! So, here’s Bianca and Jana’s innermost thoughts about the trip, 3 years before it came to fruition, enjoy :) We've got our passports out and Jana has already picked out what she's going to wear each day… Come March [September] we'll be heading north with Air France to the Kingdom of Morocco, bright eyed and bushy tailed as we make our base in the ancient city of Marrakesh (also known as Marrakech to the French, but we're not French, so we'll go with the English version until all that fuss about Brexit is sorted out) - This turned into a year long negotiations trade, and now us outsiders would pay nearly double what we used to if we visit the UK - thankfully our flight is direct!! We'll be looking for inspiration and will be investigating what's there that we could possibly bring back to The Hoed. We can't wait to experience the atmosphere and afro-arabic influences of this amazing place as we visit the celebrated souks and off-the-beaten track artists and craftsmen that make Marrakesh so special. We're desperate to see the beautifully hand-crafted furniture, textiles, fabrics, rugs, carpets, objets d'art, accessories, lighting… anything that catches our eye and could possibly be brought back south. Berber mats and rugs are definitely on our list, as are the kind of furnishings you might find in a gorgeous Bedouin tent. If you think about it, the Bedouin refined the art of "glamping" into an artform - fabulous carpets on the ground, soft, billowing fabrics hung here and there, plump cushions spread on the ground, intricate leatherwork and carved wood, patinated metal… Total Glamping vibes! We just love all of it and will be tracking as much of it down as we can. We'll also have an eye or three out for wonderful ceramics and glassware and wonderful lamps that give off soft, filtered light. For us it's about workmanship, so we'll hopefully be finding the people who make furniture and ceramics using techniques that have been passed down over countless generations meaning that everything we look at will have its own, and its own special story. Our mission is to share those stories with you and, if it's feasible, bring some of that special workmanship home to the Rainbow Nation. We're most definitely inspired and are sure this is going to be a truly special trip! Counting the sleeps till then! Less than a month to go now - we will be keeping the updates going on our social channels as well as another few blog posts to explain in detail our wild adventures - Stay tuned!
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