Drought-resistant gardens: Growing your property investment

Beautiful, clever and easy to maintain gardens

Whether your property is big or small, a beautiful and well-maintained garden can substantially improve the value of a home by five to twenty per cent. If you’re considering a garden revamp, make it a smart one and choose drought-resistant plants.     With many parts of the country in drought, and water restrictions in place for many cities and towns around Australia, drought-resistant plants should be feature of all Australian gardens. Not only do they look great, save money on water bills and help the planet – the promise of a good looking, easy to maintain garden can be very attractive to future buyers.   [caption id="attachment_10773" align="alignnone" width="690"] Miniature Echeveria succulent plants[/caption]

Types of plants to consider:

• Australian natives: Are robust and better suited to extreme conditions. Popular and pretty natives include Kangaroo Paws, Wattles and Banksias which look great and can attract native birds to your garden, too.
• Succulents: Not only low maintenance and great for beginner gardeners, succulents thrive in well-drained soil and don’t require much water to flourish. Commonly grown succulents include plants in the Crassula and Echeveria families.

Tips for minimising water use in the garden:

• Apply mulch around your plants to help save water lost through evaporation.
• Fertilisers can help stimulate plant growth and also help soil retain water.
• If plants do need watering, do so early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the heat of the day and minimise evaporation.

Talk to your local nursery about the best plants for your area and soil type.