Here are five tips for saving water

gardening

Water-saving tips from Toowoomba’s top gardeners FROM SECRETS OF TOOWOOMBA’S GARDENERS BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE CHRONICLE OFFICE 5

The cruel truth of the matter is that most of Toowoomba and Darling Downs region is in drought – and has been for years. So, rather than fight it, we have to work with it. For gardeners, this means creating a drought-resistant garden with fewer thirsty plants. It also means developing watering systems to minimise waste. Some people recycle their grey water, others just use tanks. Water is a huge issue for our awardwinning gardeners, and here they share some of their tips on how to save money on water.

JULIE ROGGEVEEN

Try not to overwater, this encourages surface roots and will in turn leave your garden exposed when rain has taken a holiday. Deep watering once a week promotes deep roots. Dripper hoses work well as little water is lost to evaporation. The top soil will feel dry but the moisture remains down at the roots where it is needed.

PETER & CHARMAINE WILIAMSON

We make extensive use of waterwise systems and principles. Grey water recycling, tank water, mulch, specially designed sprinkler system, misters etc. we use minimal town water and recycle 50 to 100 litres per day. We also have a 15,000-litre rainwater tank.

Charmaine waters in the mornings and only during the day if it is very hot. She doesn’t water much in the evenings.

BOB AND VAL FORD

Hand-hosing is best. I use a soft wand –don’t be tempted to blast the plants on jet settings and do water at the base of the plant only. If frost is forecast don’t water in the evening, as that will only add to the severity of the frost, do water in the morning as it will help to get rid of frost on plants and will help prevent leaves from burning and going black from the frost.

CHRISTINE HOTTON

Irecommend drip irrigation, mulch and tank water. Also, try and shape the garden to catch and keep rain run-off. Remember, deciduous trees provide free mulch. Grow shade trees, use some inorganic mulch to let rain through easily, break up organic mulch, and don’t water the lawn. Above all, if possible, grow plants that are waterwise themselves.

VICKI LAYTON

My best advice on flowering perennials is to try and group together plants that have the same watering requirements.

LOUISVILLE

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REDUCING THE

ENERGY WITHIN

like. Many people now are wanting to know their house is energy efficient in these areas too, so their impact on the environment is as neutral as possible. We have always minimised our environmental impact by including as much recycled material as we can. Our steel reinforcing is an example. You may recall our previous article (STYLE July 2018), where we outlined our recycled advances into phase change insulation, another aspect of reducing embodied energy. Some products have a very low energy draw in their manufacture, like concrete, but as so much is used in the average house construction, its embodied energy rating is high. To counter this, we have been moving more into geopolymer-type concrete, which is much more energy efficient to make, as well as being a significantly superior product, with several local companies focussing on it for the future. In the world of building homes, these are exciting and challenging times. — Geoff Gibson T hese days, pretty much everyone is at least aware of the term ‘energy efficiency’ even if they are not fully up to speed on all it means — especially when it comes to designing and building a home. However, we are finding more and more, the people who are approaching us for guidance on building their energy efficient home are not only well versed in the basics, but they are also taking a wider environmental view. Not only are they determined to build a home that consumes the least amount of daily energy to run (as their budget will allow), they are also much more conscious of what ‘it costs the planet’ for their house to be built. The energy consumed in the daily running of your home is referred to as Operation Energy, and there is much that can be done to minimise that usage — from clever building materials and methods, to smart kitchen appliances. As technology expands, there are always more efficient ways found to do things, and we always keep a very close eye on those cost-saving developments, implementing them as they are proven. But, before Operational Energy is considered, there is Embodied Energy. It’s what has already been consumed in creating the products that actually build your home. The steel reinforcing, the concrete, the timber and roofing and the

BUILDER OF QUEENSLAND’S MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME QUEENSLAND GREENSMART ENERGY EFFICIENCY H Look for this column in next month’s Style... we will continue digging deeper into what ‘sustainability’ means for your home. OME OF THE YEAR IENT HOME

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