Did you know that the City of Greater Geelong, GT Magazine and Geelong Advertiser present the Geelong Sustainable Living Awards?
Smarty-bum LTSH (Long Term Suffering Husband) did. He’s obviously been Googling sustainable articles behind my back.
The awards are all about… you guess it – Sustainable Living. The award categories include Sustainable Homes, Water Wise Gardens, Sustainable Living Modifications, and Sustainable Schools.
One of the people in the running to win the Water Wise Garden of the Year award is Cheryl McCusker. Cheryl’s gardener designed a garden and rockery using pots, stones and succulents – very water wise plants.
Pots help to store water for the plant’s use over a much longer period. And you’d be surprised at the variety of plants that flourish in pots. Pots also add colour and height to your garden, creating a little extra variety for the eye. Be aware that Terracotta Pots dry out faster than other pots.
Stones are a ‘stylish way’ of mulching as they trap moisture when placed around plants and are a great haven for bugs and spiders to hide around and under. The only drawback of stones are they are also good ‘gliding terrain’ for slugs and snails. Use a eco-friendly snail repellent if absolutely necessary – and avoid snail pellets at all costs! I personally find picking snails off a plant and throwing it to a hungry duck works best… thanks to ‘Cuddles’ our pet duck for his contribution to natural pest management in our garden.
Now, let’s look at succulents…
They are basically plants that retain water in their leaves, stems and roots, and are therefore adapted to hot climates.
Some succulents you would definitely know of are Aloe and Cacti, but there are many, many others. They are easy to care for – even LTSH would have to work hard to kill them off. They require minimal care and some play extremely important roles in reducing pollution in your home, for example, Cereus peruvianus gobbles up electro-magnetic radiation from your computer and TV.
Succulents can be grown inside or outside, but they do prefer light.
Water your succulent, but let the soil go dry before you water again.
If they sound like something you’re interested in, check out the Geelong Sustainable Living Awards.