如何利用澳大利亚的景观设计理念来打造一个耐旱的花园

如何利用澳大利亚的景观设计理念来打造一个耐旱的花园

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.

大多数澳大利亚人(约85%)生活在该国的沿海地区。这是因为该洲大部分内陆地区都是沙漠。但即使是在离海岸更近的地方，仍然有很多地区只是季节性的潮湿，而且由于气候变化，过去气候更温和的地区正在干涸。因此，澳大利亚人早就知道园艺需要更少的水，而且随着干旱持续时间的延长，他们变得越来越精明。

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.)

由于澳大利亚与世界其他地方相对隔绝，本土植物一直是澳大利亚园艺的重要组成部分，不过最近几十年，澳大利亚更容易获得进口植物。但如今任何耗水的东西都不流行了。(是的，澳大利亚的最北端确实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

选择本土植物

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.

本土植物不仅节约用水;它们还为鸟，蜜蜂和其他有益的昆虫提供食物。雏菊和袋鼠爪之类的花朵为当地生物提供了所需。

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.

和其他花园一样，杂草也是澳大利亚花园的一大隐患。如果你有一个适合野生动物居住的花园，鸟类、小型哺乳动物和有袋类动物会进入你的空间把杂草的种子吃掉。对付杂草的一种方法是种植低洼的多肉植物和其他植物，这些植物生长在离地面很近的地方。除了抑制杂草外，“地被物还能保持土壤中的水分，”瓦坦说。

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

减少或失去草坪

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.

忘记草坪吧，除非你是为了一个特定的目的而使用它，比如给孩子或狗狗玩耍的地方，然后，保持草坪的小尺寸，种植一些不需要太多水的草。如果你不需要草坪，你最好种植天然的草，自由生长(不修剪)和盛开的灌木。

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.

一个小型的循环水喷泉可以合理利用水资源，增加视觉和听觉的乐趣。一条蜿蜒的砾石小路可以在视觉上打开这个区域。长椅、雕塑，甚至是围绕在树或更大的灌木周围的一片低矮的多肉植物也是如此。岩石花园是低维护和低水景观的最终形式，而像悉尼岩石兰花这样的低洼植物，可以生长在沙质和岩石土壤中，可以为空间增添花朵。

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

考虑阳光和土壤

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.

许多初学者忘了考虑太阳在一天和季节中的运动。在干燥的气候中，这一点尤为重要，因为植物需要一点额外的水分，就需要远离持续的、直接的阳光。当你“想要一个低维护的花园时，要考虑到一年中的不同时间阳光的照射，并确保土壤健康，排水良好，”瓦坦说。