Good Gardens With Less Water

It is possible to have a great garden anywhere in Australia, even under the toughest water restrictions. Good Gardens with Less Water will show you how. A companion to Kevin Handreck’s best-selling Gardening Down-Under, this new book is a practical guide to gardening with limited water. This beautifully illustrated, full-colour book contains a wealth of information on such key topics as: how to improve soil structure to maximise the retention of water for use by plants; selecting drought-tolerant native and exotic plants; working out how much water to apply to different types of plants; choosing the best lawn grass for your climate; rainwater harvesting and use; and how to avoid problems when greywater is used in the garden. With specific chapters devoted to watering systems and equipment, mulches, planting techniques and potted plants, this book offers practical solutions for anyone who wishes to garden sustainably.

Presents easy-to-understand advice on how to care for garden soils and grow good quality plants even under the toughest of conditions.

Are you facing drought or water shortages? Gardening with Less Water offers simple, inexpensive, low-tech techniques for watering your garden much more efficiently — using up to 90 percent less water for the same results. With illustrated step-by-step instructions, David Bainbridge shows you how to install buried clay pots and pipes, wicking systems, and other porous containers that deliver water directly to a plant’s roots with little to no evaporation. These systems are available at hardware stores and garden centers; are easy to set up and use; and work for garden beds, container gardens, and trees.

“I can't imagine a designer or avid gardener who wouldn't want this on their bookshelf.” —Garden Design Online Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens is a practical guide to the best 200 plants guaranteed to thrive in low-water gardens. Plant entries provide the common and botanical name, the regions where the plant is best adapted, growth and care information, and notes on pests and disease. This practical and inspiring guide includes a variety of plants, from trees to succulents, perennials to bulbs, all selected for their wide adaptability and ornamental value. Companion plants, creative design ideas, and full color photography make this guide a must-have resource for any sustainable gardener.

A guide to growing beautiful gardens in drought-prone areas utilizing minimal water for maximum results. With climate change, water rationing, and drought on the rise, water conservation is more important than ever—but that doesn’t mean your gardening options are limited to cacti and rocks. The Water-Saving Garden provides gardeners and homeowners with a diverse array of techniques and plentiful inspiration for creating sustainable gardens that are so beautiful and inviting, it’s hard to believe they are water-thrifty. Including a directory of 100 plants appropriate for a variety of drought-prone regions of the country, this accessible and contemporary xeriscaping guide is full of must-know information on popular gardening topics like native and drought-tolerant plants (including succulents), rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, permeable paving, and more.

Backyard Water Gardens is a complete overview of everything you need to know in order to create a backyard water feature, from ideas, to installation, to maintaining, to stocking with plants and fish.

In this book, we share our successful, proven methods for productive organic gardening while saving valuable time and water. We have developed these techniques ourselves in our own food gardens, and we have successfully taught them to many gardeners. During Waikato droughts in recent years our clients continued to garden productively, some bringing in record harvests of kumara (sweet potatoes), pumpkins and tomatoes. There are other benefits to being waterwise: you'll have fewer weeds, stronger plants and a more vibrant garden ecology.