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With some careful planning you can create a thriving water efficient garden that can be just as stunning and beautiful as a water intensive garden

Careful planning saves costly mistakes later, so the first step to creating an attractive and water efficient garden is to work out your needs. A home garden should be designed to reflect the personality of the people who live there, suit their needs and lifestyle demands and match the design of the home. It should be flexible enough to allow for changes as children grow up or as elderly members become less active.

You could write a whole book on this subject and many people have, so keep researching. This story about Jenny’s flourishing near-waterless Papamoa garden is a great place to start.

• Select plants that can thrive in dry soil and will grow in Tauranga. Visit your local nursery to see what kind of plants they recommend.
• If you are renovating an established garden, existing plants may need to be pruned, shifted, or removed to allow for the creation of your new garden. Some should be replaced with more suitable varieties to make the overall design more water efficient.
• How much lawn do you really need? A lawn uses up to 40% of a household’s water. Consider less lawn and alternatives like paving, gravel, or groundcovers.
• Using mulch helps regulate the temperature of the soil and prevents evaporation.
• Add nutrient rich compost to your soil, it helps to retain and efficiently transfer water through the soil.
• Make the most of run-off on sloping, rocky and paved sites by plantings that catch the run-off water and use it effectively.
• Plant in zones, with plants with high water needs together. This makes it easier when you are maintaining the garden too.
• Consider terraces, with gravels and ground cover plants.
• Use windbreaks, screens, and shade from trees and canopies to reduce evaporation.
• Use pots and containers for a low water use garden.