I'm looking for some information on how to create an attractive garden that thrives without much, if any, watering. Is there someone who can steer me in the right direction?
HI and where are you , what type of garden (indoor out door) from the info given I would suggest rocks . do not take offence if watering is super tight then it is not bad suggestion. ie a Japanese meditation gardenmade up of mainly sand and gravel
try searching the term " xeriscaping " I think that is the technical term for the dry landscaping style.
I made a scree garden about three years ago and it has been very successful. The eves of my house are very deep and the rain never reaches an area of about 2'6'' around the perimeter of the house. Along the back of my house, which gets full sun, I dug out some of the soil, put in a layer (about 3ins.) of a mix of sand and gravel and small stones. I then put in a layer of really well-soaked peat moss and then covered the area with pea gravel (about 4 ins.). The only soil the plants need are what is in the pot they come in. Just push aside the pea gravel and put in the plant complete with the soil from its pot. There are many plants that will grow in a scree garden - rock plants, alpines, sedums, hens and chickens, thymes, campanulas, aquelegias, conifers and dwarf shrubs, etc. Try anything you would normally put in a garden except plants that you know need a lot of water. Everything I put in has grown exceedingly well. By the second year all of the pea gravel was covered by the plants. I never, ever water the area. You can make a scree garden any size, any shape. If you have a very small garden, such as a town house garden, you can turn your whole garden into a scree garden and you would never need to own a sprinkler! In Southern Ontario, where I live, where the summers can be very hot and dry, (it has been over 30 degrees here for the past few days, even in June!) it is a boon to have at least one area of the garden which I don't have to have the sprinkler on.
I too am interested in "no water" gardening. I live in the South Surrey - White Rock area of Greater Vancouver and would appreciate any additional tips, ideas and research resources.
The GVRD publishes a booklet called "Waterwise Gardening", including a garden plan and plant recommendations for the Lower Mainland of B.C. Try www.gvrd.bc.ca or call 604-432-6200.
Try planting native plants (allows you to get rid of lawns which are horrendous water consumers!). Naturescape workshops are available all aound the province and can help yuo get started. www.hctf.ca/naturescape In Nanaimo, I offer native plant gardening workshops periodically. www.naturepark.com/nativepl.htm
