The 2011 winner of the Water Wise Trophy at the Lifestyle Garden Design Show was the Food in a Pot garden, designed and created by David Shepperson, Raees Hercules, Kyle O’Brien and Brandon Janssen.
As the youngest team on the show, with the oldest member being 21 and the youngest 19, the Food in a Pot garden is designed to engage all the senses.
Rand Water presented the 2011 Water Wise Trophy at the 14th Lifestyle Garden Design Show Awards recently.
The Water Wise Trophy is intended to encourage designers to incorporate water-wise principles in their designs, which in turn influence gardeners to do the same.
Food in a Pot exhibited many innovative water-wise concepts, ideas and design features.
“We were very impressed by the attractive non-splash, water-wise ‘manhole’ water feature”, says judge, Leslie Hoy of Rand Water.
“Water trickles out of four manhole pots in a retaining wall, through pebbles that lie between a set of circle paving and down into a lower pebble water feature that has a creative wrought iron cover for protection,” he explained at the award ceremony.
The water flows through the three different levels, all designed with meticulous attention to detail, using differing shapes. The water flows into a pond, which creates a sense of calm in the garden.
Surrounding the water feature is a spectacular kitchen garden with ‘‘Bright Lights’’ spinach, red-hot peppers (Capsicum spp), mulches of different textures and menthe planted in the shade, which adds colour. Other plants include pennyroyal, golden thyme, silver thyme, oregano, golden sage, coriander, chives and mint.
Interested in water-wise concepts?
It is a great time to plant beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onion, radish, Swiss chard and turnips. Follow these tips for creating your own water-wise kitchen garden:
Soil
Add water-retaining granules to potting mixes to reduce the frequency of watering.
Soil rich in organic matter can hold more water and nutrients. Add compost to your soil and use mulch that degrades over time.
Containers
Plant herbs and small vegetables in containers close to your kitchen for easy access. This also allows you to separate your edible plants according to watering needs.
Zoning
Practise hydra zoning by grouping plants according to their water needs and, importantly, water each zone separately. Low zones need less watering than high zones.
Plant sun-loving plants with high-water needs in east-facing beds as they will stay moist longer.
Plant choice
Herbs and vegetables make good use of water and provide attractive foliage and aromatic scents. Start with rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage and lemongrass.
Indigenous plants will need little watering, so grow these wherever possible.
Choose drought-tolerant annuals such as marigolds to add colour and deter aphids.
Herbs that have grey, succulent or hairy leaves can survive with less water.
Mulch
Reduce evaporation and run-off by using mulch (wood or bark chips, gravel, pebbles) in beds and pots.
Use ornamental mulches or hardy ground covers in difficult areas, instead of lawn.
Mulch prevents raindrops from forming a crust on the soil surface, which causes water to run off rather than soak in. - Saturday Star