Go for drought-tolerant plants to ensure thriving green spaces

Andrew Mangwarara

CAN the erratic rains that have been received throughout the country spell doom for green projects being carried out by different companies and individuals?

Well, I do not think so if necessary measures are adopted.

By making a good selection of drought-tolerant plants and taking advantage of various skills to conserve water, as is the case at the Hawks Guest Lodge in Hillside, Harare, one can maintain a green environment throughout the year.

Of note here is the periwinkle (catharanthus roseus), a plant from Madagascar; followed by the elephant bush (portulacaria afra), which is common in the dry regions of Southern Africa.

The African lily (Agapanthus africanus) is also a garden superstar that survives the driest of conditions. Many aloes are found in Southern Africa and several can withstand the climate. However, of note are the dwala aloe (aloe chabaudii), the candelabra aloe (aloe arborescens) and the Barbados aloe (aloe vera).

To beat the dryness, you can group plants by their water needs, texture and colour harmony, and implement the mulching wonder technique.

Mulching is the key practice in water-wise gardening.

In drought times, it is advisable to use water-conserving methods such as drip irrigation as it delivers water directly to each plant, thereby avoid wastage of this resource.

If it rains, set up rainwater harvesting systems to collect raindrops. Also reduce the area of your lawn space by paving some sections. Use already established features to avoid soil disturbance.

Another water-conserving plant is the variegated baby sun rose (aptenia cordifolia), which can be used on sloping ground to stabilise the soil where runoff is prevalent.

The fairy iris (dietes grandiflora), the wild garlic (tulbaghia violaceae), the lobster bush (plectranthus neochilus), the hottentot (carpobrotus edulis), the bird of paradise (strelitzia reginae), the silver carpet (dymondia margarete), the asparagus fern (asparagus densiflorus), the snake plant (sansevieria leopardi), the orange bulbine (bulbine frutescens) and the spider plant (chlorophytum comosum) save water.

They help green up your space just as the other herbaceous water-loving species.

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