Plants
Use native plants and grasses extensively in your garden. Native plants have adapted to our tough environment and encourage native wildlife into the garden such as honey-eating birds.
If you are planting exotics, choose drought-tolerant plants from other arid areas of the world such as the Mediterranean, South Africa and inland North America. Seek advice at your nursery.
Use a tough groundcover on large open areas in your garden to help retain soil moisture and keep the soil cool.
Group plants together in your garden according to their water requirements. If you must have some plants that require regular water, display them in the same garden bed so that you can concentrate a basic sprinkler on this area.
Place plants that require more water in a cool part of the garden, at the bottom of slopes, or along the edges of natural watercourses and drains where they will receive more water.
When using potted plants, place the plants in plastic, glazed or painted pots because these are less porous.
Where possible, plant new plants in autumn and winter so that the roots establish themselves before the onslaught of hot weather. This will ensure that the new plants have a good chance of surviving and will require less water in their first summer.