Article Published in The Ko-Go Khronicles, September 2007

HOME GARDEN

By Bob Bayes
http://www.qualitygardens.biz/
qualitygamailto:qualitygardens2004@yahoo.co.uk

Water Wisely.
Many of us are wasteful of water in the garden. Water is an essential ingredient for plant growth but we should ask ourselves if we are giving the plants the water when they need it and in the correct quantities.
The first question that we should ask ourselves is: Do we want to water our plants? If the answer is no then we have to restrict our planting to plants adapted to the Mediterranean climate. This does not mean just the plants that can be found growing around the Mediterranean basin, but also those from other parts of the world with a ‘Mediterranean type climate.’ Many choice garden plants come from such areas in South Africa, California, Chile and Australia.
A problem for many with such a garden, however, is that it is very seasonal. Just look around at the surrounding countryside. Annual plants and bulbs generally flower in the spring or after the first winter rains (the nearest thing we have to an autumn) and many of the perennials are adapted in such a way that they are in a state of dormancy during the summer months. This may be fine for those of us who are working the proverbial 24/7 during the summer and for whom the garden is something to look forward to when the tourists have gone home. But many of us want use our gardens the whole year around and people with holiday homes here will be at the other side of the continent when their garden on Crete is in full glory.
If we want to enjoy our garden throughout the year we should water, but how much and when? This is not a question that can be easily answered. Each site is different. Each type of plant has different requirements. As with all living things, it is best to research a plant’s requirements before you buy it. I can, however, give a few tips:
Put plants with similar requirements near each other (Sufficient water for a hydrangea would drown a cactus), and water accordingly.
Place water loving plants nearer to the house/water source and use more drought tolerant plants further away (also a good ploy if you want your garden to gradually blend into the surrounding scenery).
Make sure that the water penetrates deep enough – putting 40litres of water per sq metre will wet the soil to about 20cm. The aim is to encourage the plant roots to grow deep. If we only wet the top couple of centimetres the roots stay too shallow and will not find sufficient moisture when we don’t water (or the mains are switched off).
Water very early in the morning or in the evening. If you water in the heat of the day much of what you put down will be lost to evaporation before the plants can use it. Also water droplets on foliage act like a microscope and will cause leaves to burn under the scorching Cretan sun.
With careful research and planning you can achieve a very good all year around garden and only water once per week.
Space prevents me from delving deeper into this subject. What about lawns and veggies I hear you shout. I would also like to have talked about irrigation systems. Alas, all subjects for future articles.

Even a cactus can wilt
under the Cretan sun.