Gardens can flourish with smart water use

Spring has sprung and South East Queenslanders keen to again enjoy the outdoors and their gardens are reminded that using efficient hoses and sprinklers is allowed at certain times.

Queensland Water Commission CEO Karen Waldman said gardeners were able to use hoses and efficient sprinklers on their gardens and lawns, within specific watering times.

"As we move into spring and the weather warms up more and more people will turn their minds to their gardens," Ms Waldman said.

"I remind South East Queenslanders that the Permanent Water Conservation Measures which are in place allow efficient garden watering to occur between certain watering times.

"Gardens and lawns can be watered using a hand-held trigger nozzle hose or efficient irrigation system before 10am and after 4pm on any day of the week, except Monday when no watering is permitted. These times avoid watering in the heat of the day when water will be largely lost to evaporation.

"It is a great achievement that South East Queenslanders now use half the amount of water each day on average compared to pre-drought figures.

"Our continued sensible approach to efficient water use means we can continue to enjoy our gardens without wasting water, and allows us to confidently plan for the future," she said.

Ms Waldman encouraged people to consider the following water wise gardening tips:

• mulch gardens to reduce water lost to evaporation,
• improve your soil quality to enable it to retain moisture,
• choose plants that are water efficient for your area,
• ensure soil is dry enough to warrant watering (no need to water after rainfall), and
• avoid watering in windy conditions.

More gardening tips and information about the Permanent Water Conservation Measures across South East Queensland is available online at www.qwc.qld.gov.au/restrictions/spring-gardening.html 

Ms Waldman said people right across the state who were starting or adding to a garden could also tap into a Queensland Government register of region-appropriate plants.

"The Waterwise Plant Selector helps Queenslanders find the most water efficient plants to grow in their suburb by searching a comprehensive new database of almost 4500 plants.

"The Selector is a searchable database of plants suited to the six bio-geographical climate zones in Queensland, from the arid stretches of the central west to tropical monsoonal regions of the north and the sub-tropical south-east corner.

"The Waterwise Plant Selector is a comprehensive database, featuring an extensive range of native and non-native plant species, and allows Queenslanders to search by their postcode to select water efficient plants suited to their climatic region and local conditions," she said.  

The Waterwise Plant Selector can be accessed from the Department of Environment and Resource Management website at www.derm.qld.gov.au/waterwise.