In planning your Water-Wise garden, there are many sources of landscape information including books and the internet that will help you make decisions, draw your detailed plan, select your plants and outline a budget. A plan will decrease the number of monitary errors and unproductive time by identifying the actual material/amounts needed, by creating a timeline to organizing materials and labour, and by outlining a budget. The following tips will help you with your design.
1) Draw the layout of your property paying attention to:
- property orientation (north, east, south, west), wind direction
- influences of neighbouring buildings and/or trees plus sun, part sun and shade areas
- existing buildings/hardscape
- your activities (play area, gardening, compost, storage)
- Microclimates
2) Decide what level of Maintenance you are willing to provide, as that will affect plant selection, number of plants, amount of hardscape, type of mulch, amount/type of grass (removal, covered or planted) etc.
3) Draw the layout of your future design with the above in mind and paying attention to:
- determine what style you prefer. Styles vary anywhere from a minimalistic, arid look to a lush, continually flowering look
- water use and collection (see Water Conservation)
- place new and existing plants in the best water-use zone for each plant (see Selecting Plants)
- take into consider possible topographic alterations due to trouble areas, plant water needs or aesthetics (could including new hardscape, modifying a poorly draining low spot/using it for more water-loving plants, terracing slopes)
- building/hardscape alterations
- Soil alterations
Click on the links below for more information (in progress, links will be active soon)
Soil - decriptions and identifying soil types
Creating a Garden from a Grassed Area - different methods
Simple Smother Method - using common materials to cover sod
Sheet or 'Lasagna Gardening' Method - layering materials to create better soil
Raised Beds - how to create raised beds