Water-Wise Gardening

Water-Wise Gardening

- Glenice Ebedes

Situated in North West Province, Madikwe is a magnificent game re-serve where visitors have the opportunity to observe the Big Five and many other animal species, as well as numerous reptiles, insects and birds (the reserve’s bird list stands at more than 350 species). The temperature year-round is moderate to hot and the average annual rainfall is 500 millimetres, although this has been decreasing over the past few years. It was with this in mind that the owners of a four-star lodge in the western section of the reserve contacted us to assist with their garden. Their primary goal was to redesign it in order to reduce the amount of water it guzzled.

The original lawn covered an area of 1600 square metres and consisted of a mix of kikuyu and LM grasses. It was (and still is) a magnificent sweeping lawn, but the extensive watering cycles it needed to keep it looking green and healthy were having a severe impact on the lodge’s water consumption.

Water is a scarce commodity in the region and, with the recent drought and uncertainty over the changing climate, efficient water usage is always going to be a concern. So the transition to a more water-efficient – and wildlife-friendly – garden was important for the lodge. There were other notable problems to resolve too: the lawn’s thirst was having a negative impact on some of the trees, specifically the beautiful row of coral trees Erythrina lysistemon that frame the outer edge of the garden. Generally, coral trees go dormant in winter and should not be watered during the dry season, but because of their proximity to the lawn they had received year-round watering.