In certain parts of Western Australia this year there hasn't been water, water everywhere, in fact the Perth rainfall so far is approximately sixteen per cent below the average. Rainfall has not been high over the past five to six years. In addition, I suppose one could call the Perth metropolitan area a Mediterranean type of climate. At least that's what all the guidebooks tell us. I suppose there must be places with low rainfalls in countries around the Mediterranean. But certainly, water needs to be conserved no matter where we live.
Some years ago the Water Authority of Western Australia produced 5 booklets describing how to design a water-wise garden for differing styles of garden they were:
· Designing a Mediterranean Waterwise Garden · Designing a Native Waterwise Garden · Designing a Tropical Waterwise Garden · Designing a Coastal Waterwise Garden · Designing a Cottage Waterwise Garden
All of them paid attention to soil improvement, surface mulch, intense and moderate layering of organic material, irrigation, types of plants and other garden element such as stepping stones, ponds/rocks, and trellis work. They all said too that the irrigation system should be designed so the lawn (if there was any) and each separate zone could be watered independently.
All of the systems mentioned said that soil improvement around new plants, and mulching garden beds will help conserve water. The most important factor in converting an existing garden is rationalising the landscape treatments and plants to create areas that require similar amounts of water - HYDROZONES. This obviously requires some thought about how you want your garden to look and to function.
As we, in my little garden corner of the state, approach the summer of 1998/99 one must ponder whether or not we have done enough to keep the water usage for this season down to the very minimum. We have no lawn these days; we got rid of that some years ago. The material we replaced the lawn with, mulch and pathways, in itself will have saved us a considerable amount of water. As I think I mentioned before, a couple of years ago we installed an irrigation system which uses a timing system. Now at least we can control the time we water the garden.
There is a great possibility that there will be water restrictions this summer. At this time of the year, perhaps every year for the past ten years, ideas proliferate as to what should be done to ease the water shortage in the heavily populated part of the state, around the Perth metropolitan area. One such idea, is the building of a pipeline, from the North West of the state, to carry the results of the heavy rainfalls experienced in that part of the state. Another one, of course, is the installation of desalination plants. May be next year I will be writing to tell you all that great decisions have been made in this area, but I doubt that very much.
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