Water efficiency

Water is a valuable natural resource. It’s often scarce and it’s increasingly expensive. To save money and resources people are looking to drought-proof their gardens and grow species that survive on rainfall alone.

Native plants are adapted to our environmental conditions. They need less water to thrive than exotic plants. It makes good sense to choose plants that suit the water available in your local environment.

When you buy from State Flora you’ll get plants that are water efficient, hardy, and won’t burn in the extreme heat. Our plants are mainly propagated in tubes – proven to establish more quickly than advanced plants – and are hardened under controlled conditions.

The best time to plant natives is in autumn, just after the rains start when the soil is soft but still warm. Use an organic, low Phosphorous fertiliser and mulch around the base of your plants, but not right up to the stem.

In the first year water your plants infrequently and heavily. Light watering will create a shallow, unstable root system. After the first year you should have a hardy plant that can survive our dry, harsh conditions with little or no watering.

Gardening to conserve water requires some thought and planning. You soil type, how and when you water and garden design all play a part.