Spring is here, and that means summer is only a few months away.
If you’re aiming for an October or November sale, planting some flowering natives can add flair to your garden.
However, with summer on the way and a dry few months forecast, water preservation is another thing to consider. Potential Sydney buyers will have this on their minds in the warmer months, so creating a waterwise garden now will be an awesome selling point when people come to look at your Northern Beaches home while the sun is shining.
Take a look at some tips to create a waterwise garden that still looks good.
Choose natives
A native garden is a waterwise garden. Aussie native plants can often survive on rainfall alone, requiring considerably less watering than plants that evolved to grow in far wetter climates. Clearly, the less watering you need to do, the more waterwise your garden (you’ll be saving money as well).
Native plants are a great idea for the following reasons:
- Natives grow more easily in Aussie soil
- They create a habitat for native critters
- They promote biodiversity
- They reduce the need for fertilisers and pesticides
- They save time and money
How to be more waterwise in your garden
Apart from planting Australian natives, there are other ways to make your garden more waterwise:
Reduce the amount of lawn: Expansive lawns are one of any garden’s most heavy water consumers. If you can reduce the size of your lawn either by placing pavers or adding or expanding existing garden beds, you will instantly reduce water use.
Use mulch: Using mulch to cover your garden beds is another genius strategy for reducing water use. Mulch protects the soil from the sun’s rays, instantly reducing evaporation and helping your soil to stay damp. Ensure you moisten the ground before placing your mulch so the soil stays as damp as possible.
Group your plants: Place your plants in groups according to the environment they like growing in. That way, your plants that need more watering will be together, and you don’t need to add extra water to plants that are happy without it.
Work with your soil: Work with your Sydney soil by planting natives that are happy to grow in it—more about which natives to choose below.
Increase shade: Increasing shade in your garden with either shade cloths or more trees instantly makes it a cooler environment. A cooler environment means less evaporation and then, of course, less need for excess water use.
Install reticulation: If you have plants that need water, installing reticulation can ensure that they are only watered when needed and only receive the amount they need. Since watering early in the morning is one of the better ways to reduce evaporation, letting a reticulation system do it for you also means you can stay in bed a little longer as well.
Buying native plants on the Northern Beaches
As a Northern Beaches resident, you are lucky to have a whole host of top-notch nurseries to choose from that all provide a swathe of native plants.
Here are two of the best:
Harvest Seeds and Native Plants: On Mona Vale Road in Terrey Hills, Harvest Seeds and Native Plants have been selling wholesale native seeds to Aussies since 1986. Check out their seed catalogue for an extensive list of available seeds.
Indigo Native Nursery: Indigo Native Nursery in Ingleside also specialises in Aussie natives. Priding themselves on ethical seed collection, they sell tubestock of native trees, shrubs, ground covers/climbers and grasses/sedges.
What to plant on the Northern Beaches
There are so many natives to choose from that it is impossible to list them all in one article.
Luckily, the Northern Beaches Council has an amazing site with more information about local plant life than you could ever imagine.
They have local native planting guides with extensive lists of plants broken down into wards, such as the Narrabeen Ward, the Frenchs Forest Ward and the Pittwater Ward, as well as a Native Plant Profiles page that lists the many stunning native plants that grow naturally on the Northern Beaches.
Your local nursery can also provide recommendations.
Want to sell your Northern Beaches home in spring 2023 or summer 2024? Contact our team today.
