如何利用澳大利亞的景觀設計理念來打造一個耐旱的花園

如何利用澳大利亞的景觀設計理念來打造一個耐旱的花園

The majority of Australians — about 85% — live on the country's coasts. That's because vast areas of the interior of the continent are desert. But even closer to the coasts, there are still plenty of areas that are only seasonally wet, and due to climate change, areas that used to be more temperate are drying up. So Australians have long known about gardening with less water — and they're getting even savvier as drier conditions persist for longer periods.

大多數(shù)澳大利亞人(約85%)生活在該國的沿海地區(qū)。這是因為該洲大部分內陸地區(qū)都是沙漠。但即使是在離海岸更近的地方，仍然有很多地區(qū)只是季節(jié)性的潮濕，而且由于氣候變化，過去氣候更溫和的地區(qū)正在干涸。因此，澳大利亞人早就知道園藝需要更少的水，而且隨著干旱持續(xù)時間的延長，他們變得越來越精明。

A drought-tolerant garden north of Sydney. Australian gardeners can teach the rest of us a lot about how to garden with a lot less water. (Photo: Gerald Vartan)

Because of the country's relative isolation from the rest of the world, native plants have always been a big part of Australian gardening, though in recent decades, the country has had greater access to imported plants. But anything water-intensive is out these days. (Yes, the northernmost part of Australia does have rainforests and plenty of moisture, but only a small percentage of the population lives there.)

由于澳大利亞與世界其他地方相對隔絕，本土植物一直是澳大利亞園藝的重要組成部分，不過最近幾十年，澳大利亞更容易獲得進口植物。但如今任何耗水的東西都不流行了。(是的，澳大利亞的最北端確實有雨林和充足的水分，但只有一小部分人口生活在那里。)

Many Australian flowers are striking and colorful; this banksia will turn into a cone full of seeds that native birds like cockatoos love to eat. (Photo: imagevixen/Shutterstock)

Choose indigenous plants

選擇本土植物

Native plants aren't just great for saving water; they also feed birds, bees and other beneficial insects. Flowers like daisies and kangaroo-paw provide what local creatures need.

本土植物不僅節(jié)約用水;它們還為鳥，蜜蜂和其他有益的昆蟲提供食物。雛菊和袋鼠爪之類的花朵為當?shù)厣锾峁┝怂琛?/p>

As with any garden, weeds are a concern in the Australian garden. If you have a wildlife-friendly garden, birds, small mammals and marsupials will eat and transport the seeds for weeds into your space. One way to fight weeds is to plant low-lying succulents and other plants that live close to the earth. Besides keeping weeds down, "ground covers keep water in the soil," says Vartan.

和其他花園一樣，雜草也是澳大利亞花園的一大隱患。如果你有一個適合野生動物居住的花園，鳥類、小型哺乳動物和有袋類動物會進入你的空間把雜草的種子吃掉。對付雜草的一種方法是種植低洼的多肉植物和其他植物，這些植物生長在離地面很近的地方。除了抑制雜草外，“地被物還能保持土壤中的水分，”瓦坦說。

A combination of native grasses and succulents means a garden can get by with very little water for much of they year. (Photo: Gerald Vartan)

Minimize or lose the lawn

減少或失去草坪

Forget the lawn, unless you're using it for a specific purpose like a play area for kids or dogs, and then, keep it small and planted with grasses that don't need much water. If you don't need a lawn, you're much better off planting native grasses that grow freely (no-mow) and blooming bushes.

忘記草坪吧，除非你是為了一個特定的目的而使用它，比如給孩子或狗狗玩耍的地方，然后，保持草坪的小尺寸，種植一些不需要太多水的草。如果你不需要草坪，你最好種植天然的草，自由生長(不修剪)和盛開的灌木。

A small recirculating fountain can make wise use of water resources, and add visual and aural interest. A winding gravel pathway can open up the area visually. So can benches, sculptures, or even an area of low succulents surrounding a tree or larger bush. A rock garden is the ultimate in low-maintenance and low water landscaping, and low-lying plants like the Sydney rock orchid, which can grow in sandy and rocky soils, can add a flowers to the space.

一個小型的循環(huán)水噴泉可以合理利用水資源，增加視覺和聽覺的樂趣。一條蜿蜒的礫石小路可以在視覺上打開這個區(qū)域。長椅、雕塑，甚至是圍繞在樹或更大的灌木周圍的一片低矮的多肉植物也是如此。巖石花園是低維護和低水景觀的最終形式，而像悉尼巖石蘭花這樣的低洼植物，可以生長在沙質和巖石土壤中，可以為空間增添花朵。

Kangaroo paw comes in a wide variety of colors, from pink and red to yellow. (Photo: Joanne Harris and Daniel Bubnich/Shutterstock)

Consider sun and soil

考慮陽光和土壤

Many beginning gardeners forget to take into account the sun's movement throughout the day and the seasons. This is especially important in a dry climate where plants that need a little extra moisture will need to be out of continual, direct sun. When you "aim for a low maintenance garden, take into consideration where the sun is at different times of the year, and make sure the soil is healthy and has good drainage," says Vartan.

許多初學者忘了考慮太陽在一天和季節(jié)中的運動。在干燥的氣候中，這一點尤為重要，因為植物需要一點額外的水分，就需要遠離持續(xù)的、直接的陽光。當你“想要一個低維護的花園時，要考慮到一年中的不同時間陽光的照射，并確保土壤健康，排水良好，”瓦坦說。