The Horticultural Society of Johannesburg held its bi-monthly meeting at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens in Emmarentia on 26 August. The society was founded in 1907 and is affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society in Britain and educates its members about all things horticulture.
President of the society Glynne Case encouraged members of the public to join and attend the meetings to learn more about the environment. The society hosted Leslie Hoy from Rand Water, who spoke about water conservation in the garden and changing weather climates.
Hoy, who has been with Rand Water for over 15 years, said that the minimum and maximum temperature in Gauteng was expected to rise by about 50 per cent above what it had been for the past year.
He pointed out that Johannesburg’s chance of rainfall was estimated to be 50 per cent less than what it had been last year, for the coming months, September to November, and highlighted that it was important to use water in a wiser way.
Hoy encouraged members of the society to mulch (materials such as leaves and grass are placed over the soil surface to maintain moisture and improve soil conditions). This helps with water retention in the soil and deposits nutrients in the soil.
With rainfall becoming more unpredictable, Hoy encouraged gardeners to plant for the long term over a few years as an alternative to short term or seasonal planting.
“Another water-saving option is artificial grass, which needs no water and will keep looking green for close to 15 years,” he said.
Hoy listed 10 ways that the conventional gardener can save water in any sized garden:
- Zone your garden (high, medium and low)
- Mulch (materials placed over the soil surface to maintain moisture and improve soil conditions.)
- Water garden at correct watering (time, type of system, rain checks)
- Harvest rain water: it’s free and it’s effective
- Use compost to retain water
- Soils and slope
- N Choose the correct species of lawn to prevent over-watering
- N Choose the correct plants for the season either indigenous or exotic
- N Use low-flow water features to prevent splashing and wasting
- Start a vegetable garden as an organic alternative to reduce carbon emissions
- Start a compost heap to reduce waste sent to landfills
- Avoid watering garden between 10am– 2pm especially in summer.
