When summer’s heat is on, your garden is under stress. Whether you are at home or away dehydration, sunburn and bushfires cause terrible damage to plants, not just to people. The effects can potentially destroy valuable flowers, shrubs, lawns or your whole garden-scape.
The southern hemisphere Christmas to early January period is an extra-hot time for your garden, just when you might be away. Parts of Australia endure successive days of 40 degrees Celsius, meaning your plants may not survive your vacation.
A wilting rosebush, desiccated tree-fern, sorry brown gardenias and a crunchy lawn can bring your holiday mood crashing down. So, don’t let that happen to you. Get your garden ready for summer with the following tips:
- Think of the future and install a rainwater tank. Water restrictions won’t be a worry. Your water bill will benefit. Hopefully those summer storms will result in a full tank and plenty of free, environmentally-friendly soft water for your thirsty garden. Ask us more about our rainwater tank installation services .
- Self-watering pots will help conserve moisture for your potted plants. For pots attached to a wall, buy special pot clips so your wall-hanging plants can be quickly unclipped and popped in a shady sprinklered area if you are planning to be away for a few days.
- For large pots, an aqua globe or a ceramic water spike with a glass globe provides a gradual supply of moisture. Put ceramic spikes in the ground and fill with water before adding the glass globe. A low-tech tip for a little constant moisture over shorter holidays is to use a cut-off plastic bottle as a water spike. Water spikes are especially good for potted roses that require deep watering.
- If you like to take a long summer holiday or don’t want to worry about having to water your garden day and night, plant a drought-tolerant garden. Native plants often cope better because over many years they have been conditioned to withstand the harsh Australian climate. Here’s a handy guide that might help you decide on the right plants for your garden.
- Go for groundcovers that can absorb the sun and protect the roots of other plants.
- Call us at Curran to talk about installing the right sprinkler system for your garden. Fitting a timer to your sprinkler will also free you up, and ensure your garden is always watered during the cooler parts of the day.
- Utilise shade-cloth to protect large areas of the garden from the sun. For smaller areas, pieces of fine net or tulle draped over plants can help filter the sun’s rays (and deter possums), but still allow rainfall to get through when summer storms eventuate.
- Consider installing an aerated water system, especially if you have a larger property with extensive lawns. An aerated waste water treatment system (AWTS) will treat waste water and convert the effluent into irrigation for your property’s lawns. Treated wastewater can be released onto your property through amended soil mounds, sand mounds, absorption trenches and beds, evapotranspiration absorption beds, subsurface irrigation and surface irrigation.
If you wish to install water-efficient appliances that will ease your garden through the summer heat, including rainwater tanks, sprinkler systems and aerated waste water treatment systems, please contact us today.
