Episode: #9 28/10/06
Presenter: Kim Syrus

Having a waterwise garden doesn?t mean it has to be dull. Quite the opposite. Kim takes a look at a whole range of plants that will add colour and interest to your garden without the need for lots and lots of water.

Regular watering is really important for new plants. However, once they are established, they normally need only a weekly, deep soak to keep them looking their blooming best.

First cab off the rank, are roses. Roses are some of the best blooming and hardiest plants around. With the ideal climate for growing them, it is little wonder Adelaide is Australia?s Rose Capital.

Whether they are groundcovers, bush or climbers, roses are tough to beat for flower and fragrance. Plant in a separate bed or mix in with your other plants to fill up spaces in the yard.

Daisies like will brighten up any garden and come in a wide range of colours and sizes. The dwarf types (Argyranthemum frutescens var. Clara Belle) are low maintenance beauties, ideal for hedges and borders.

It is OK to feel blue in the garden with the Golden Sapphires (Felicia amelloides var Golden Sapphire). The small compact shrub will bloom from spring through to autumn. While Armeria (Armeria ?Thrift?) are small and clumping, excellent for placing in front of taller garden plants.

High on the list of Flowering Australian native plants are the Emu Bush (Eremophila). These are tough, yet showy, blooming through spring and summer with little or no attention. Also, colourful Native Fuchsia (Correa pulchella) are some of the brightest, low water users going around.

Polygala?s (Polygala x Dalmaisiana ?Dazzler?) produce purple pea flowers for most of the year. Leave them alone to grow into a well foliaged shrub or keep trimmed into a more formal shape. They even do well in pots.

Cistus or Rock Rose (Cistus sp.) is an outstanding garden feature and a very useful plant in any hot, dry area or even up against a wall or fence.

Pelargoniums are simply indestructible. They are almost never without a flower and they do brilliantly well in the garden. Ivy forms (Pelargonium Hybrid Cultivar, Ive Leafed Series) with their trailing flower and foliage, are great in hanging baskets, While the new German, zonal hybrids (Pelargonium Hybrid Cultivar, Zonal series) will keep blooming for 10 months of the year.

Add to this list of hardy flowering plants, Lavender, Convolvulus, Kangaroo Paws and a stack more and you get the idea that there is a lot of blooming beauties that you can choose from to add colour and interest to your waterwise garden.