Yes, yes, green is the catch-phrase of the century, but if you love your garden, then you must love the planet, and so putting some extra effort into having a greener garden makes sense. Here's how...

Use water effectively

Grey water: By installing a system to pump grey water (in other words, water from the washing machine, basins, shower and bath) to the garden, most households will eliminate the need for additional garden watering. This alone will reduce your consumption by 35 percent.

When to water: Avoid watering during the heat of the day or in windy conditions as evaporation rates are higher. Watering in the morning decreases the chance of mildew.

Water deeply, but less often: Deep soakings encourage roots to grow deeper and to utilise moisture deep in the ground, which enables them to thrive between watering and in times of drought.

Slow run-off: Hold water around plant roots by making basins around trees and shrubs. On slopes, make terraces or pockets to hold water and slow run-off.

Drip irrigation: High-tech or low-tech drip irrigation gets water to the roots of the plants where it is needed. Drip irrigation uses 25 percent less water than normal irrigation systems with the same effect and can even be placed under lawns.

Water harvesting: Harvest water from gutters into water tanks. You can buy a ready-made tank or make your own from clean drums, large buckets or even an old bath. Cover the tank to reduce water loss through evaporation.

The swimming pool: The most effective way to conserve your swimming-pool water is to place a cover over it as this prevents water loss through evaporation.

Smart planting

Plant effectively: Grow waterwise plants. While this may be quite obvious, we need to actually start putting this into practice. Generally, the plants best suited are those indigenous to the area as they seldom need additional watering.

Group plants according to their water needs: This avoids wasting water on plants that do not need it.

Plant in the right season: For winter rainfall areas, plant in autumn and early winter so the plants have a chance to develop their root systems before the dry season. In summer rainfall areas, plant in spring and early summer.

Lawns: Lawns guzzle water, so consider reducing your lawn area. Alternatively, use tougher, low water lawn types such as Buffalo (coastal areas) or Kweek (inland) rather than Kikuyu.

Remove invasive plants: Invasive plants damage the environment because they:

• Reduce available water. It is estimated that these plants use 3.3 billion cubic metres more water than indigenous plants.
• Replace valuable natural vegetation. Aliens compete for water, light, space and nutrients with indigenous plants. This upsets natural ecosystems and leads to some plants dying out and the insect species that are dependent on these plants disappear. This, in turn, will result in the loss of the reptiles, birds and mammals that feed on those insects, thus reducing South Africa's rich biodiversity.

Healthy soil

Organic matter: The addition of organic matter such as compost and mulch will improve the health of your soil and increase its water holding capacity. Research has shown that a high organic content favours soil microbes which detoxify pesticides after they are used and also furnishes energy needed by the microbes to make high analysis fertilisers available to plants without the fertiliser itself becoming toxic.

Composting: Feed your garden rather than feeding landfill sites. You may be surprised at how much food you can grow in a very small place if you utilise your green waste by composting. Composting with worms is usually even more effective and rewarding. Choose organic fertilisers (e.g. horse manure or material from your own composting bin).

Mulching: One of the most important things you can do to conserve water in your garden is to mulch — covering the soil with a thick layer of bark, compost, straw, grass cuttings, manure, leaves, nut shells or shredded newspaper. Not only does increase the water holding capacity while keeping the soil cool and damp, but it also reduces the number of weeds that come up which compete with your plants for water. Decaying organic mulch on soil keeps both plants and beneficial soil life species flourishing so they can help each other.

Pesticides: These are highly neurotoxic, and all are designed to kill (killing insects can lead to killing birds that feed on the poisoned insects). Try preventative and natural alternatives instead, but if you really must use a pesticide, choose an organic, bird-, fish- and animal-friendly product.