New Waterwise Plants
Episode: # Waterwise Special 24th November 2007
Presenter: Melissa King
The last few dry seasons have been a real learning experience for gardeners discovering that plants don’t need as much water as once thought. Now we are seeing which plants are able to stand up to the heat compared to others.
One of the best things we are now seeing are the new plants going into nurseries with more and more growers searching the world for new waterwise plants.
Not all of us have a detailed understanding of where a plant comes from or how much water it needs, so if you’re looking for a really quick and easy way to tell if a plant can stand up to those tough summer challenges is to look for the water mieser logo. It is a bit like the star rating system on your washing machine.
The water meiser logo will tell you the number of droplets needed for a particular plants needs. For example, one droplet means once established it will survive on very little water, whereas three drops means it is a little thirstier but still a top waterwise choice.
Some of the best water mieser plants carry the name ‘Touch of Class’. They are classy and robust and are all grown and trialled here in Australia in every state and in all conditions so you know they will stand up to the toughest challenges in your garden. With over five hundred different varieties to choose from there is a whole smorgasbord on offer.
A few to consider include:
Cordyline Cabernet (Cordyline australis ‘Cabernett™) – It is proving itself to be both stylish and tough with rich wine coloured foliage that looks good all year round and with pretty summer flowers. Its foliage won’t fade with age, like other cordylines, and will stand up to hard hitting frosts. This is a dry garden star!
From a design point of view you can even group plants in the water meiser collection together depending on the number of droplets you see on the label. That way you will make sure that no plant in the garden receives more water than it actually needs and you will end up with the ultimate low water use and low maintenance garden with the best chance of flourishing.
Next time you go to your local garden centre keep an eye out for those tough classy plants with the water meiser badge.
Touch of Class
www.greenhillspropagation.com.au/
Presenter: Melissa King
The last few dry seasons have been a real learning experience for gardeners discovering that plants don’t need as much water as once thought. Now we are seeing which plants are able to stand up to the heat compared to others.
One of the best things we are now seeing are the new plants going into nurseries with more and more growers searching the world for new waterwise plants.
Not all of us have a detailed understanding of where a plant comes from or how much water it needs, so if you’re looking for a really quick and easy way to tell if a plant can stand up to those tough summer challenges is to look for the water mieser logo. It is a bit like the star rating system on your washing machine.
The water meiser logo will tell you the number of droplets needed for a particular plants needs. For example, one droplet means once established it will survive on very little water, whereas three drops means it is a little thirstier but still a top waterwise choice.
Some of the best water mieser plants carry the name ‘Touch of Class’. They are classy and robust and are all grown and trialled here in Australia in every state and in all conditions so you know they will stand up to the toughest challenges in your garden. With over five hundred different varieties to choose from there is a whole smorgasbord on offer.
A few to consider include:
Cordyline Cabernet (Cordyline australis ‘Cabernett™) – It is proving itself to be both stylish and tough with rich wine coloured foliage that looks good all year round and with pretty summer flowers. Its foliage won’t fade with age, like other cordylines, and will stand up to hard hitting frosts. This is a dry garden star!
- If you are looking for a great alternative to box then check out Golfball Pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golfball’). It is a perfect low maintenance hedging plant with a compacted rounded form without the need for pruning. It has beautiful glossy mint green foliage with only two drops on the water mieser scale, so you will get a lush appearance even in the dryer conditions.
- The Lime Wave Lomandra (Lomandra cylindrical subsp. Affinis ‘Lime Wave’) is not available until March next year 2008 but it will be one of the most exciting plants to hit nurseries. It has bright green foliage, a graceful weeping habit, perfect for containers or cascading over retaining walls. With just one water meiser drop rating it is virtually indestructible.
From a design point of view you can even group plants in the water meiser collection together depending on the number of droplets you see on the label. That way you will make sure that no plant in the garden receives more water than it actually needs and you will end up with the ultimate low water use and low maintenance garden with the best chance of flourishing.
Next time you go to your local garden centre keep an eye out for those tough classy plants with the water meiser badge.
Touch of Class
www.greenhillspropagation.com.au/
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