How to Create a Water-Wise Indigenous Garden for Your New Home

Cape Town, South Africa, July 10, 2007 --(PR.com)-- When purchasing a new house the first thing we tend to do is look for ways to convert a house into our home and while the interior is definitely a priority, the exterior is number one on the list. Your home and garden must shout the words “Welcome Home” after a long day at the office and echo your family’s personalities and values.

Unfortunately, over the past few years this has been a difficult task for those with green fingers due to the water shortages. Our well kept lawns have found chameleon-like characteristics and change colour with the seasons, from brown to more brown.

So what is the Solution? Pauline Marsden International Realtors have found the answer. (For more answers to FAQ visit http://www.internationalrealtors.co.za)

David Davidson and Raymond Hudson recently added another medal to their collection for their wonderful indigenous garden display at the Chelsea Flower Show. (For the people who would like to catch a glimpse of this garden display, it is being reconstructed at Lourensford Estate, Somerset West from 24 October to 28 October 2007.) They used water-wise indigenous plants to create an attractive display that you could recreate in your own garden.

Pauline Marsden International Realtors reminds house owners that a lovely garden adds value to your property and water-wise gardens are also lower maintenance than normal gardens.

Below are 8 tips you should consider when designing your garden:

1. Grow water-wise plants – generally the best suited plants are those indigenous to the area, as they seldom need additional watering.
2. Group plants according to their water needs – this avoids wasting water on plants that don’t need it.
3. Consider the quality and type of your lawn. Lawns guzzle water, so consider reducing your lawn area. At least use tougher, low-water lawn types such as Buffalo (coastal areas) or Kweek (inland) rather than Kikuyu.
4. Maintain your garden – remove unwanted plants, plant more perennials than summer annuals, as they have deeper root systems and so need less watering.
5. Improve the soil and mulch. Soil water-holding capacity is improved by higher organic matter content. Mulching (covering the soil with a thick layer of bark, compost, straw etc) keeps the soil much more moist.
6. Plant in the right season – For winter rainfall areas this is in autumn and early winter so the plants have a chance to develop their root systems before the dry season. In summer rainfall areas it is spring and early summer for the same reason.
7. Water correctly – avoid watering during the heat of the day or in windy conditions.
8. The best irrigation system is drip irrigation – it uses 25% of water used by normal irrigation systems with the same effect, and can even be placed under lawns.

Pauline Marsden International Realtors have recently relocated to Ground floor, Seven Miles South (corner of Main Rd & Old Stanhope Roads) Claremont in Cape Town where they hope to continue providing the very best service to their clients.

Contact Pauline Marsden International Realtors for more property tips or for information on property in South Africa. Direct line: 021 671 4309 Email: admin@paulinemarsden.co.za . Other helpful information regarding this press release can be found at: http://www.internationalrealtors.co.za

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