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So our house is finally under construction and will hopefully be finished in a few months' time. Yay!

 

We now have to think about finer details such as gardens and turf. There is a strict ban on sprinklers and watering lawns here at the moment, so I'm trying to find out whether there's 'drought-proof' types of turf and if so how much it would cost.

 

I've googled it but haven't really come up with any good leads thus far... does anyone know anything about turf here? Or can you at least point me in the right direction?

 

Any suggestions in relation to drought-proof plants would be welcome as well. We're getting a rainwater tank but I'm not sure if we'll be able to rely on it being full all the time.

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Nicole, in Aus you would be better going for native plants. Losts of shrubs and trees that are very drought reistant. Ask at a local nursery and they'll have heaps of info. If you really want grass, then you might wanna look at kikuyu (sp?) It is very tough against drought. But grass is just a very irresponsible thing to have in places like Aus I reckon. Such a water waster, even if you don't have restrictions in effect. The up side of native plants is that they attract lots of native birds into your garden too! \:\) Banksias, grevillias, proteas etc are all loved by honey-eaters and wattle birds. Also, look into the kangaroo-paw (native WA plant) Has beautiful flowers which also attract small honey-eaters thumbsup.gif

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Jackie French might have a book or something online covering that.

 

I also found this (US);

 

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Some turf grasses are more drought-tolerant than others. Bermuda, for instance, ranks high. It will actually go dormant during drought, then bounce back when rain resumes. Fescue, on the other hand, may die if it's not watered when rainfall is limited.

 

Along coastal Georgia, a new drought-tolerant grass called seashore paspalum is being widely used. Depending on your current grass species, changing over to a more drought-tolerant grass may significantly reduce your landscape's water demand.

 

Another option would be to replace an irrigated turf area with a drought-tolerant ground cover. Use plants such as English ivy, liriope or mondo grass in shaded areas. And plant Asiatic jasmine, variegated liriope or a low-growing, horizontal juniper such as Blue Rug or Prince of Wales in full-sun sites.

 

Once established, these plants require little to no irrigation. Check with local nurseries about ordering bare-root or "liner" plants (rooted cuttings in 2-inch pots). This is an economical way to plant a large area. Many groundcover nurseries in Georgia sell bare-root and liner plants.

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As well as a rainwater tank, have you looked at recycling your household water with settling tanks pumped to a pond, or at least using greywater on the garden?

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BP, yeah I know natives are a safe choice but there aren't really many that I like the look of. But at the end of the day I'd prefer to have an eco-friendly garden so we probably will go with natives. And maybe even some cacti!

 

011... thanks! I'll google some of those names and see if they're available in Queensland. It's hard to find something that's drought-tolerant, affordable and attractive at the same time. We may have to look at planting grass seeds as opposed to buying rolls of turf.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by Ocean11:
As well as a rainwater tank, have you looked at recycling your household water with settling tanks pumped to a pond, or at least using greywater on the garden?
Oops, just saw your last comment.

How much would it cost to do something like that 011?
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There are some nice natives out there Nicole, but it depends on what kind of look you like. No doubt you have already looked into it, but like I said before, a trip to a decent nursery should give you some good ideas.

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nicole, I have no idea about specific costs, and that will vary a lot by region. We're planning a house at the moment and our architect reckons a workable system won't overrun our limited budget.

 

Here are a couple of places to start, from Jackie French ("Mulching Matilda")'s book "Switch!"

 

www.aquanova.com.au

www.bioseptic.com.au

 

No bloody use to me at all! Wrong damn place.

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Turns out we don't have room for the underground tanks, which is a shame (our backyard is pretty small). I have a feeling it would probably be beyond our budget anyway. Still, it's a cool idea and one I would like to do when/if we build future houses.

 

011, this house you're building looks pretty cool. Can you tell me more about this solar panel system you're putting in?

 

What's the deal with council approvals over there? Are they flexible? Here you have to get approvals for the tiniest things, e.g. shadecloths, clotheslines, fences, etc. I can just imagine the hysteria it would cause if someone wanted to put a wind turbine in their backyard. lol.gif

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Council approvals cover only the basics like water and sewage, and integrity of the ground the building stands on (although not that of the hills around that will slide down and kill everybody when it rains, as we found out causing us to abandon our first find.) The UK sounds similar to Oz. It has its merits, but it can also be stifling.

 

The house will be south facing, with either Sharp or Kyocera panels on the southern roof. We don't actually use much electricity so we'll be able to sell the excess to the utility, although not for a great price. It will also heat the water for central heating. Matsuyama provides a subsidy for installing it, plus it's a sunny place so there are a lot of them here. Beyond that there's not much to tell. Got anything specific you want to know?

 

What part of Oz are you?

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That's cool that you get a subsidy. Here we get subsidies for rainwater tanks but I'm not so sure about solar panels. I want to look into that. May I ask how much it's costing you to set the solar up? And is it cheaper to do it at construction stage as opposed to later on when the house is already built?

 

I'm in Brisbane, Queensland.

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Retrofitting solar means your stuck with the pitch and orientation of your roof. It's far better to consider it at the design stage to get the most out of your panels.

 

Oz gets more "sun hours" than Japan, so its something you should consider.

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Standard quote for a 4 kw solar system is 2 million yen. Judging from our current electricity use, it will take about 13 years to recover its cost. In places where utility buyback of excess power is at a higher price than here, recovery is much faster. It's worth checking that out.

 

(Don't insist on southern facing panels though. ;\) )

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To answer your original question Nicole, the most drought resistant grass for Australian conditions is couch. The two most common types are Santa Ana and Wintergreen. It is commonly available as turf I had Santa Ana in my Perth garden and it was fine. We had a bore and reticulation though. If you aren't allowed to water it, it will die back in the dry season. You'll have to wait for the wet season to plant it.

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Thanks Soubs! Santa Ana looks good but I think Wintergreen might turn a bit scabby-looking in winter, judging from some of the descriptions I've read.

 

While googling Wintergreen I stumbled on a type of turf called Sir Walter that looks really good too. Pretty expensive but looks nicer than most drought-resistant lawns.

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