Rand Water’s WaterWise

1 water WiseLandscapingGuide toRRaanndd WWaatteerr ss1 rand water s water Wise Guide to LandscapingEditorial TeamRand water Editors:Leslie Hoy & Meagan Donnelly Consultant Editors:Kay Montgomery, Beverley Ballard-Tremeer, Warren SchmidtDesign & Layout:Arthur McLellan, Car na B chner Production:Kay Montgomery Editorial Services, tel: 011 723 9000 rand water Customer Service Centre Hotline:0860 10 10 60 This publication is a joint venture between rand water and the South African Landscapers Institute (SALI), for the future 3 water Wise landscapes4 Basic principles of water Wise landscaping6 Planning in hydro zones8 Design water Wise surfaces10 Marvels of mulch12 Harvest rainwater16 Efficient irrigation18 Become a water manager 19 Rainfall facts and figures20 Create a wetland 22 Wise up on water features23 water Wise container gardening24 water Wise management of buildings28 The South African Landscapers Institute 30 SALI 2011 Shield for Excellence winner31 SALI Awards of Excellence32 SALI 2011 Trophy winners34 rand water s water Wise Trophy winner36 SALI 2011 Gold Award

2 Winners40 SALI 2011 Silver Award winners 42 The value of a professional landscaper 45 Landscaping extravaganza46 Accredited SALI suppliers 48 Principal Members of SALIC ontentsCover: water Wise and eco-friendly landscapingDesigned and implemented by Marina Landscaping,this garden at the High Constantia Estate in theConstantia Valley in Cape Town was awarded the2005 rand water water Wise five hectare site comprises 19 residentialunits clustered around 2,5 hectares of open Landscapes followed the recommendationsgiven in theEnvironmentalScoping Report anddesigned a landscapeto preservebiodiversity andhabitats.

3 Theindigenous plantingsretain the naturalbeauty of the site, and resulted in the creation ofhabitats for a variety of riverine area at High Constantia wascompletely cleared of alien invasive plants. Thisvegetation had been absorbing large quantities ofgroundwater and reducing water flow in the area was rehabilitated with indigenous streamand wetland plants. The river has a 10m buffer zoneon either side, which provides habitat for plants andanimals, creating a biodiversity plantings comprise local indigenous plants a total of over 200 different indigenous plantspecies. Such plants are well adapted to localconditions, and therefore need little if any extrawater beyond that provided by the local indigenous plants are also more likely tosurvive in the event of a prolonged dry spell withaccompanying water restrictions, thereby protectingthe property owner s investment in the bare soil can be seen anywhere on theEstate, as all pathways are covered in mulch and allbeds are fully planted.

4 This reduces evaporationfrom the soil by up to 70%. The private open spacesof residents comprise informal natural landscapedareas to mimimise the use of waterholic lawnareas. To create a recreational area the meadowfield was planted with buffalo grass, a relatively lowwater usage Cape turf Estate is now a bird-watcher s paradise, andis home to many frog and insect species as well assmall mammals. The Estate showcases the principlesof water Wise gardening, illustrating how a beautifullandscape can be created that also conserves water ,and animal and plant African landscapers are internationally acknowledged as experiencedprofessionals who are able to overcome a range of difficult climatic conditionsin their bid to create beautiful landscapes.

5 They also appreciate the challengeof landscaping in a country that is officially classified as having a semi-arid from climate change experts suggest that even more tryingconditions can be expected as world temperatures rise on account of globalwarming. In South Africa, climate change is also expected to affect annual rainfalldistribution patterns which will result in extended dry periods interspersed withexcessively wet an ever-growing population and pressure on the availability of potablewater, rand water has joined forces with the South African Landscapers Institute(SALI) to promote the concept of water Wise likelihood of water demand outstripping supply to the rand water footprintbetween 2013 and 2020 are well documented.

6 The available supply of water in theVaal River System will only increase when the new Lesotho Highlands water Projectis completed in approximately 2020. This means that everyone, including officeparks, golf courses and housing estates, will have to become ever more proficient inmanaging water water s water Wise Guide to Landscaping outlines the basic principlesunderlying the creation and maintenance of water Wise landscapes. Most of theimages used to illustrate these basic principles are from projects submitted by SALIP rincipal Members for the 2011 Awards of Excellence. Since 2005, rand water hassponsored a water Wise Trophy at this event, and the water Wise winners arelauded for their hope that the water Wise ideas, concepts and advice in this publication willbe of benefit to everyone who develops, manages or maintains a landscapedenvironment around factories, mines, office blocks, hotels, casinos, golf courses orhousing Hoy Manager, Environmental Management Services, rand WaterPaul Kirkby Chairman, National Committee.

7 SALIW orld-class WaterWise landscaping rand water s water Wise Guide to Landscaping2 water conservation is destined to be an inevitable part of everyday life Leslie Hoy, rand WaterThe amount of fresh water on earthis constant, which means that thefresh water available today is exactlythe same as it has been for thousands ofcenturies. And yet in the last 100 years theearth s population has increased 1,6 billion people in 1900 there arenow 7 billion people on earth, and thisnumber is expected to reach 8 billion in2025. The present population of Africa is 1 030 million; it is expected to double increasing demand made on existingwater supplies by ever-growing populationsis of enormous concern to both governmentsand water authorities throughout the world.

8 The strain on water supplies wasinternationally acknowledged at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environmentand Development (UNCED) in Rio deJaneiro. The United Nations deemed itnecessary to establish an annual WorldWater Day March 22 to highlight theimportance of water conservation andwater water -stressed South Africa, studiesalready indicate that, as the populationgrows, our limited water resources could befully exhausted within the next 20 variety of programmes have been initiatedby both government and water authoritiesto manage water resources more efficientlyand reduce wasteful water for waterSouth Africa receives an average rainfall of495mm, less than half the world s average of1 050mm.

9 Hence South Africa is categorisedas a semi-arid country that is water stressed (see box). There is also an unevendistribution of rainfall across our country,and our hot dry climate causes excessiveevaporation. Climate change is also affectingrainfall, with drier dry spells and wetter wetspells being predicted. And increasingly,South Africa s limited water resources haveto be shared amongst an expandingpopulation, a growing business sector,agriculture and our unique ecosystems, thelatter of which generates a large part of ourtourism Africans have been urged to savewater in the workplace and at home.

10 Thelikelihood of future water shortages is not a fantasy. Reports from the City of CapeTown indicate demand will exceed supply in eight years, and the Department of water Affairs has predicted that watershortages can be expected in Gauteng andneighbouring regions from 2013, whenprojected population growth and develop-ment will exceed the available piped watersupplied to the region. Only in about 2020,when the new Lesotho Highlands WaterProject comes on stream, will more waterbecome available to for thefutureWater resources and their future availabilityunderpin the very existence of thelandscaping industry.