Despite the ample rain which the Western Cape received this winter, it’s important to remember that water will always be a very precious and scarce resource in South Africa. Why not turn over a new leaf this spring and make these tips part of your everyday gardening routine?

• Avoid digging up the soil in your garden beds unnecessarily. This leads to rapid moisture loss, and disturbs beneficial organisms such as earthworms.
• Weed your garden beds and pots regularly – weeds steal precious moisture from the soil.
• Mulch all your open garden beds or cover them with creeping groundcovers to prevent the soil from drying out.
• Focus on keeping one small patch of grass looking good. Grass requires a lot of water to look at its best, so it may be a good idea to cover less prominent areas with pebbles or groundcovers.
• Water your garden deeply once or twice a week rather than giving it a light sprinkling every second day.
• When planting in containers (indoor and outdoor plants or hanging baskets), add moisture-retaining granules to the potting soil to prevent the soil from drying out too quickly.