Few people think about saving water when they do gardening work but you should not make this mistake. Creating a highly water-efficient landscape will help you to save even 10,000 gallons of water every single year. This means you get to save much more than anticipated. We normally do not think about water waste until we have to contact Fix It Right emergency plumbing Melbourne due to the presence of a leak. What we do in our garden can have the same water-wasting effect. With this in mind, here are some really simple tips that help you to save a lot of water as you work in your garden.
Choose The Native Plants
Native plants are always preferred because of the fact that they are perfectly adjusted to the local soil, rainfall levels and climate. As you add these to your garden, watering needs are low. Research native plants and see what is highly recommended based on where you live. If there are some that you would enjoy, why not add them to your garden?
Never Supersize Plants
This is quite logical since a bigger plant will need more water. Do not plant the shrubs that are genetically programmed for a growth that is higher than what is actually needed. Look online to see exactly how wide and tall the shrubs grow. As an example, the Leyland Cypress can grow to a height of 20 feet in just a few years. If you just need a hedge of five feet, this is what you can keep it at.
As a related tip, do not overcrowd your plants. Label planting instructions should always be respected. When you have fewer plants, you use less water. Also, the flora that looks really sparse in the beginning can end up filling the entire area after just a few seasons. If you add too many plants because you think that too much space is free, you can end up with the exact opposite of what you initially wanted if you do not take this into account.
Mulch Around Plants
This is a really good way to reduce how much water is lost in your garden. Mulch can also cut down on the weeds that are stealing water. The natural mulches include bark chips from wood chippers, pine needles and compost. Spread grass clippings on vegetable and flower gardens. Such organic mulches end up gradually breaking down as they add nutrients to your soil.
It is also possible to use inorganic materials, like rocks, landscaping paper or pebbles. This is quite a permanent solution but it does not work everywhere because of the fact that they can end up heating up too much in some parts of the world.
Make Your Paths Porous
When you use porous materials for your garden paths, rainwater can seep right into the ground. Plant roots can be nourished as opposed to having water just run off to areas where it is not needed. Try to use pebbles, spaced bricks or gravel for your paths but be aware of the fact that weeds can grow through paving materials. You can use landscaping paper to avoid this.