Gardening

Wet Wet Wet

A few years ago, someone developed an eight-section subdivision above and behind our property and the council, in its infinite wisdom, installed about 100 metres of culvert to deliver the run-off into the stream that borders our property.

The wastewater arrives via a pig ugly outlet about 800mm in diameter and I am continually astonished at what comes out of it. Jandals, plastic bags, plants, tins and
more are disgorged into the stream, along with foam and who knows what chemicals.
And water. Lots of it.

The problem is, the road to the subdivision and all of the driveways are tar sealed,
and most of the houses have paving, increasing the amount of water that has to go somewhere other than into the ground. Most natural landscapes absorb rainwater and allow it to soak through the root zone into the water table. But the huge tracts of asphalt, concrete, paving and compacted soils in urban areas form an impermeable barrier, resulting in urban runoff.You might simply see this as surface flooding in your carport or on the road outside, but that water can also carry solvents, detergents, fuel spills and, of course, jandals into the natural environment. Charming.

This is, therefore, a good reason to make more garden. Everything you plant plays a part because water easily percolates through cultivated soil, and plants and soil naturally filter toxins. So the garden you plant to look attractive, smell good, encourage birds and provide fresh fruit and vegetables can also dissipate toxins and help to keep storm water out of your basement.

If you're not in the market for extra gardens (more digging, more weeding and more spending at the garden centre) you can make a difference by using permeable surfaces wherever possible in your landscaping. Driveways, terraces, parking areas and pathways can be made from porous materials that are firm, but that still permit water to drain through. Plus they're usually more attractive that solid masses of concrete.

Being country hicks, we have a gravel driveway and even though it gets some fairly serious puddles during a tropical downpour, the water drains away in minutes.We could improve its This area, covered with pebbles, stone chip and pavers, shows how easy it is to create a designer look with permeable materials. performance by laying what's called 'natural paving' - plastic grid - underneath it which would hold the stones in place when we drive over it, and that's certainly on the ten year plan. In the meantime, we've enhanced both the look and performance of the driveway by dividing it into sections with railway sleepers embedded into the stones.

The current obsession with paving is another culprit. But designing a landscape to improve drainage doesn't mean you can't have tiles or pavers around the garden. Just try to avoid covering the entire garden with them. By all means have pavers or flagstones leading from the house to the clothesline, but leave some dirt in between, and either plant it with, say, mondo or chamomile, or cover it with shell or chip. It's a good look, both ways.

And when it comes to making a level area on the lawn for an outdoor dining space, you can create a designer look by setting pavers with gaps between into the grass. Stagger the pavers at the edges to make it more interesting, and ensure they're the same level as the grass so you can run the mower right over them. Good for hopscotch, too.