It would be a lucky person in many parts of New Zealand who hasn’t experienced some sort of flooding in the past couple of years. Much of this can, of course, be blamed on Mother Nature for delivering extraordinary quantities of rain, liquefaction, tsunamis and the like, but some of it, sadly, is our own fault.
The problem is in the urban landscape we simply don’t like dirt unless it’s confined to a garden bed and the temptation to cover it up with more manageable surfaces is irresistible. Urbanisation itself – paving the ground, clearing trees and draining wetlands – makes flooding worse. Most natural landscapes absorb rainwater and allow it to soak through the root zone into the water table.
But the huge tracts of asphalt, concrete, paving and compacted soils in urban areas form an impermeable barrier, resulting in urban runoff. You might simply see this as surface flooding in your carport or on the street, but the water that floods homes and gardens to a greater or lesser extent also carries sewage, solvents, detergents, fuel spills and rubbish into the natural environment. Charming.
The good news is it’s a justifiable reason for making another garden. We help to reduce runoff and improve drainage with every bit of garden we plant. Water easily percolates through cultivated soil and plants and soil naturally filter toxins. Obviously, larger in-ground gardens have the capacity to absorb and hold a lot of water, but even container and courtyard gardens can help.
The garden you plant to look attractive, smell good, encourage birds and provide fresh fruit and vegetables can also keep storm water out of your basement. If you’re not in the market for more gardens – the downside being more digging, more weeding and more spending at the garden centre – you can begin to make a difference by using permeable surfaces wherever possible in your landscape design.
Driveways, terraces, parking areas and pathways can be made from porous materials that are firm, but still permit water to drain through. Plus they’re usually cheaper, faster and more attractive than solid masses of concrete. Don’t panic, though. This doesn’t mean you can’t have tiles or pavers in the garden.
Just try to avoid covering your entire yard with them. By all means have pavers or flagstones leading from the house to the clothesline, but leave some dirt in between and plant it with, say, mondo grass or chamomile, or cover it with shell or chip. It’s a good look either way.
**Paved with gold
**If you’re going to try to replace paving with plants to a greater or lesser extent, ground cover will be your best friend. Choosing the right ones for different areas will soften edges, provide contrast to paving and help to disperse water. The bonus is plants that have adapted to grow low to the ground are often very tough and rapid colonisers of bare ground or poor soil.
Vigorous ground-cover plants can quickly suppress weed growth and many are evergreen or long flowering. Check out this list for ideas to replace a few of those pavers.
Acaena novae-zelandiae (biddy-biddy): A vigorous native spreading perennial.
Ajuga reptans ‘Catlin’s Giant’: Semi-evergreen ground cover, glossy foliage and blue flowers.
Bergenia cordifolia: Leathery leaves and pink flowers in early spring. Bergenias are useful ground covers for shade.
Coprosma x kirkii ‘Variegata’: Low-growing, native, cheery ground-cover plant.
Grevillea ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’: Low ground-cover plant from Australia for open, sunny situations. Showy flowers.
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Pachysandra terminalis: **Useful low-growing evergreen ground cover for shade or full sun, wet or dry soils. Grows happily almost anywhere. How good is that?
Polygonum capitatum: The Chinese pink knotweed is a very vigorous perennial ground cover.
Vinca minor ‘Variegata’: Periwinkle with smaller leaves than Vinca major, a bit less vigorous. Low evergreen ground cover that grows anywhere.
Pratia Exotic: Provides a smothering of little blue starry flowers in spring, summer and autumn. Enjoys a sunny or partly shady site and some moisture. Grows 2-3cm high. Stands occasional light traffic.
Acaena Buchananii: Slower-growing native with pale bluish-green fine foliage. Prefers some shade.
Leptinella Minor: Fine, low-growing form for ground cover between pavers in native gardens.
Blechnum Penamanina: Mat-forming native fern with new leaves in spring and in summer a bronzy colour. Tolerates sun or shade, wet or dry, and has cling-on abilities for steep banks.
Lavender & Lemon Thyme: Quite vigorous and low-growing carpeting thyme with lavender or pink flowers in summer. Prefer sun and dry conditions.
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