Every summer, the plants that adorn our gardens and balconies look sad due to the extreme heat and lack of water, to the point that many do not make it through the season. However, the abundant daily watering is neither economical nor ecological and can even be prohibited within the framework of the water restrictions which weigh on more and more regions.
It is therefore necessary to put in place clever and sustainable solutions. We give you the instructions for intelligently designing your exterior.
Select suitable plants
Obviously, all plants are not equal when it comes to lack of water! Where some need several liters per day, others are more economical, like xerophyte plants which live in an arid environment and are easily satisfied with a single watering per week, or even per month.
In particular, you can bet on sure values, such as Mediterranean herbs and plants (lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, acacia, holm oak, pine, oleander, cistus), as well as on species that manage to survive in a desert environment, like the essential cacti and succulents, with beautiful graphic silhouettes and very trendy for a few years.
Finally, think of grasses but also of trees of the palm family, such as cycads and dracenas. However, be sure to do your research to ensure that your plants will also withstand the winter season.
Prepare the ground well
To help your garden become self-sufficient in water, it is also helpful to condition the soil with organic materials, such as natural fertilizers, compost, garden waste (mowed grass, branches, leaves) and manure. These will help to better retain moisture, but also nourish the plants.
In order to limit the rapid evaporation of water and the drying out caused by the sun, also consider protecting your soil with a mulch, such as gravel, pozzolana, bark or wood chips.
The rise of the mineral kingdom
Undeniably aesthetic, our beautiful green lawns are nonetheless large consumers of water. Indeed, it is estimated that between 4 and 5 liters daily are needed per square meter for the maintenance of the lawn, or nearly 1,000 m3 per year for a garden of 500 m2!
If it is possible to turn to the synthetic, this one is however not the ideal in the regions subjected to a strong sun because it tends to overheat and to burn the feet.
The solution is then to replace your lawn – or at least part of it – with rockery, pebbles, slate flakes or sand.
We also appreciate the minimum maintenance generated by this process, with the end of the chores of pulling weeds, watering and mowing!
If, however, you absolutely want to keep grassy areas, bet on varieties with low needs, such as kikuyu or zoysia.
