Being Water Wise

Water wise gardens use less water, are low maintenance and can save you money on your water bills.

Did you know?

Pot plants use a lot more water than plants in the ground. They are more exposed to sun and wind, and only have a small amount of water stored in them, meaning they get hotter and dry out faster. Be ruthless and only keep the pot plants you truly love and group them together in a cool, shady part of the garden, out of the wind.

Top 10 Tips for being Water Wise in your Garden

1. Reduce your lawn cover - Choose lawn that requires low water use, and is heat and drought tolerant. Warm season grasses such as Couch, Buffalo, Saltene or Kikuyu respond well to the hot summers in Western Australia. Establish lawn during autumn to early spring and when natural rainfall is available and conditions are not too cold.
2. Plant Local Natives - Native species are adapted to the local climate and conditions, once established they require minimal watering and fertilisers; more often than not they can simply rely on rainfall for their water needs.  View the City's Local Plant Brochures to determine the best native plants for your soil type.
3. Mulch - Organic mulches are very beneficial for your plants as they reduce evaporation loss from the surface, encourage earthworms and soil microbial activity, restrict weed growth, protect the roots from daily temperature fluctuations and improve the appearance of the garden area.
4. Verges - Consider making your verge waterwise and replacing surplus lawn with waterwise plants and mulch or a waterside ground cover.
5. Collect rainwater - Try to redirect rainwater to areas where storage is possible. It can be used for watering gardens, flushing toilets and generally replacing the use of mains water supplies.
6. Water deeply - It is better to water slower, for longer, but less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Watering rapidly  means the soil cannot absorb the water quickly enough and it will simply run off and be wasted.
7. Use greywater - Bucketing of greywater is an effective way to re-use water from the laundry and bathroom on your garden. To go one step further, a subsurface greywater reuse system can be installed.
8. Install a drip irrigation system - It is more efficient to water the roots of plants rather than the leaves. Drip (or waterside) irrigation systems deliver water directly to the root system, don’t cause overspray and prevent excess surface evaporation. 
9. Landscape - Have a plan for your garden, patios and paved areas depending on the position of the house, local climatic conditions, topography and garden watering needs. Create ‘watering zones’ in your garden by grouping plants with similar watering needs.
10. Use a pool cover - Swimming pools can lose their entire volume of water through evaporation every year. The use of pool covers can reduce evaporation by up to 97%.  You may be eligible for discounts on your pool cover through the State or Federal Government rebates.

Visit the Water Corporation website for more information on being waterside in your garden.