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trees and shrubs.

Timandra is not a garden bursting with flowers nor is it meant to be. Due to the varying light conditions in each room and the restricted use of water not many flower-bearing plants would have the energy to produce many colorful blooms. For that reason they have been omitted in favor of varying types and colors of interesting foliage from the array of assorted plant species especially chosen for the garden.

That is not to say that the garden is totally devoid of flowers, there are a few dotted around in the more generously sunlit rooms, although they are not large nor vast enough to overpower the effect of the foliage plants, gently complimenting them instead.

Alternatively the creators of Timandra have used selections of strappy grass plants, palms of varying leaf forms, lacy ferns, fleshy succulents and hardy shrubs and bushes to make up the vegetation of the tree-lined undergrowth. Besides the different hues of green ranging from blue to yellow, colors of the different shaped leaves include silver, blue gray and red browns.

Timandra is a blueprint of how to create a garden that requires little or no watering.

Due to increasing populations water consumption is continually increasing and the amount of water people use to maintain their garden accounts for most domestic use. Conserving water by having a less water dependent garden through smart design and plant choices like the creator of Timandra has done is a small step you can take to become involved in helping combat climate change.

First you need to modify your attitude and expectations of what you would like your garden to look like and the plants you would like to grow. If you live in a hot dry climate then planting a thirsty English style garden isn't a very practical idea, especially if your area has water shortages.

Plant lots of trees and large bushy shrubs to form windbreaks. Using trees to reduce wind speeds decreases evaporation of moisture from the soil while also protecting smaller plants from being damaged and dehydrated. Trees also provide shade and recycle carbon dioxide, turning it back into oxygen during the photosynthesis process.

Excess water run off and evaporation due to compacted soils and sealed or paved grounds are major contributors to water wastage and loss. This is because they are impermeable to water resulting in increased surface drainage and evaporation.

Having plentiful areas of vegetation will hold and absorb rainfall, so reduce or omit paving and sealed areas to prevent water run off. If you must have paved areas make sure they slope towards the garden beds so the water runs off to somewhere it can be absorbed and retained. Using and topping up mulch in the garden beds will also help keep moisture in the soil for longer and additionally reduce run off and evaporation.

If you are concerned about global warming and the effects of climate change but would still like to have a beautiful garden without affecting your lifestyle, creating a garden using the same principles as Timandra would be a worthwhile and satisfying way to achieve it.

Learn more about this author, Blonde Rose.
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