How I Keep My Garden Alive In A Drought
by Michelle Parker on Feb 23, 2007 with 6 Comments
You will be shocked with the answer on how you can but it’s true.
In late 1999 when I was diagnosed with a painful illness I could no longer do a lot of things which included watering my garden. So I knew when the water restrictions that came about in Australia in December 2006 would not affect my garden nor would it die off. It was by accident or luck if you will I found out or discovered that you can have a garden in Summer with water restrictions due to a drought.
Someone was able to water my garden for me up until 2001. But that summer he too was sick (but got better a couple of months later) and wasn’t able to water it for me and I was to ill to care if my garden died or not but to my amazement it didn’t. So since the summer of 2001 my garden has not been watered once with the exception of when it does rain of course. Yes you have read right and no I am not lying it is all true! Not only is my garden still alive it has flourished and has grown more now then when I watered it to the extent that I need someone to prune it regularly.
I have about 8 rose bushes of variety of colours, different colour geraniums bushes, daffodils, irises, trees, plants and cactus bush and two plants growing that I never planted courtesy of the birds that left seeds in my garden perhaps.
Not only that but the person who prunes my garden for me decided to put tomato and cucumber seedlings in not long ago without fertilization or mulch etc and they live on water from a watering can. Some of his plants died in the heat wave but some lived and even though they aren’t the biggest tomatoes you have seen they sure are yummy.
I also get the person to really be as harsh as possible with pruning the garden. The harsher you are with them and the more you prune them you can get more roses all year round. I once met a man who said he prunes his roses with a chainsaw. Yes, my lawn dies off a bit in the summer but in the winter it’s back to a luscious green colour.
I am proof that you can grow a garden with water restrictions and no water at all as your plants they adapt and learn to survive without water. The first year you may have some dead leaves and even a dying plant but don’t rip it out of the garden. Give it a chance to grow again for you in the winter and if it does it won’t die on you again.
I know I am doing my bit and following the water restrictions. I hear people complaining about their garden dying when they are caught out watering during the middle of the day. Which by the way is a waste of time anyway not only does it immediately dry up it scorches your plants. I say to them people you would be really complaining if we as people had to go on water restrictions by the government turning off water on certain days in which they have said they would do if people keep failing to follow the water restrictions guidelines.
Liked it
Published in: Gardening
Lucy Lockett | Sep 8, 2007 | Reply
Droughts and water restrictions apply in NZ at times too! It is good to know that you can still have a great garden!
Ruby Hawk | Nov 5, 2007 | Reply
You are so right Michelle, We can learn to do with much less water and we are learning it right now in Ga.I think we should only put in plants native to our area. We should not waste water on lawns and plants.We now have about enough water to last us 6 to 8 weeks and then we don’t know. We will see what happens then.
I have cut my water usage to the bone. I don’t see now how we could save more but when the real crunch comes we might.Whatever happens there will be a way.
Glynis Smy | Aug 9, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for this great article, we are in major drought crisis here in Cyprus, we are having water brought over for drinking from Greece, it is sad to see the garden that you have nurtured, die but this article shows me not to give up hope
Michelle~Parker | Dec 30, 2008 | Reply
Dear Rbuy Hawk and Glynis Smy and Lucy Lockett,
your very welcome and your so right. Things could get worse where we could face a future to go certain days where the water would be turned off. It happened in one state of Australia last year. Where I live they have old pipes and won’t fork out the money to buy new ones so we go many hours in a day without water without warning when the pipes break so I buy bottled water for the cupboards for emergencies, make sure my kettle is full of water before I go to bed, have a bucket of water for the toilet, and bottles of tap water under the sink and in the shed. I even buy 1 bottle of water every time I do grocery shopping for the cupboard for when the day comes that the government has to turn the water off. I see people watering their gardens in the day time and when my husband says something they simply say it’s our water we pay for it. Even though if we were to report them they face a fine penalty and after the third time could face jail time. These people will be the first people complaining to the government when we go days without water which could happen as we are at the start of summer now and it’s already hot. I have a pot plant garden now that I water with watering cans at either 5-6am before the sun comes up or 8pm when the sun goes down. We don’t water our garden on the land just when we empty out the container waters for the ducks what is left when we need to clean them, just enough for one plant out of many plants every couple of days but my garden survives and my lawn grows back. It is scarey to know that the government may have to turn off the water on certain days. We do our bit by not showering every day. This winter gone was the first winter there were no creaks for the ducks. I keep containers of water around for them near there food bowls. Some of my ducks have such bad legs as they can’t paddle in water it is heartbreaking. It doesn’t take much to do our bit.
Thanks for doing your bit so we can have the privilege to drink water and have a shower.
Love Shelley.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
angie | Feb 16, 2009 | Reply
Whats water restrictions ? i live in Scotland and now have webbed feet lol but i would rather live in rainy glasgow than beautiful Australia with the heat ! i couldn’t take it dont know how you cope ! but it is such a beautiful country if you could turn the heat down a few notches and get rid of the spiders and snakes i would love to live there lol it was -7 in Glasgow last week and -17 in Aviemore ! brrrrr kinda cold lol Hope you and the ducks are all doing well shelley
Michelle Parker | Feb 21, 2009 | Reply
Dear Angie,
No I guess you wouldn’t know what its like to experience having days without water and not watering your lawns with sprinklers or hoses and if you water your garden do it at the times the government has set. Or the extreme heat. I choose not to water my lawns or gardens. The only thing I water are my pot plants with watering cans only. I see so many people blatantly not following the rules even though it could mean a fine and third strike jail time. ‘I pay for these plants and water’ they say when my husband says your not suppose to be watering now. All they are doing anyway is killing of their plants by watering in the heat of the day. That is why there plants are dead. I get up early to water my pot plants at 6am and water them at 8am if I am still up. They can go 24 hours without water I only water twice a day if I am up by 6am or still up by 8pm this morning I slept in so will have to water them tonight. They also love to leave their hose still on with water flooding the streets and say oops. They are the first people who are going to complain and knock on my door signing their petition to have the water turned on. Their is no water to be turned on. I have ducks turning up everyday from all over the state and other countries as their are no lakes and ponds for ducks. So I buy bottled water. Keep tap water in bottles under the sink. Keep a bucket full of water for the toilet when the water does get turned off we are prepared. Always keep the kettle full. Do all these checks every night before we go to sleep as the pipes burst a lot around here.
You are on the other broad of the spectrum! I too hate snakes am absolutey terrified of them, have an absolute phobia of them! Spiders I don’t mind as long as they are not on me. A lot of people exagerate the snakes and the spiders in this country. You could visit and I would guarantee you wouldn’t probably ever see a snake unless your in the bush hon. So come on down and visit and I will make room for you hon.
Love Shelley.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo