Woodside plantings sprout local gardening inspo

More than 190 locally-sourced native plants are springing to life at SA Water’s Woodside Depot, as part of a landscaping project to enhance the area’s visual amenity and demonstrate the benefit of native gardening.

Working together with Adelaide Hills-based native vegetation specialists Amanda Pearce and Mark Thomas, SA Water’s team designed the garden using 30 species of local native flora, carefully selected for their visual appeal and adaptation to the area’s acidic loam soils and wet winter conditions.

SA Water's Vegetation Services Specialist Shaun Kennedy said it’s hoped the rejuvenated space will inspire the community to adopt similar gardening principles that can be easily replicated at home.

“Our Woodside depot on the main rood into town provided an opportunity to showcase a contemporary approach to gardening with native plants, helping educate the local community and contribute to a thriving environment,” Shaun said.

“Across the Onkaparinga Valley, favourable soils and generally cooler conditions allow the pursuit of a more lush, leafy aesthetic in your garden and by planting natives in a considered way, you can create a sustainable garden attuned with its surroundings.

“Taking inspiration from natural ecological systems, the concept of layering trees and shrubs over ground covers to build a complete vegetation system is at the core of the design for our depot’s new garden.

“For example, a well-placed Blackwood casts shade over plants such as Correa and Velvet Bush, which are underplanted with a mass of Fan Flower and Running Postman.

“The layers combine to protect the soil from erosion and heat in summer while leaving no room for weeds.

“Drainage is another important element to keep in mind when gardening in the Hills, and you can make use of large rocks to create raised sections to ensure water is moving away, as well as adding a textural element.

“If we consider the wetter conditions typically observed in the Adelaide Hills, species like Notched Sedge and Slender Mint enjoy ‘wet feet’ and do a wonderful job of filling out soggy corners of the garden where other plants would struggle.

“One of my favourites, the Long Purple-flag, also features in our garden and I can’t wait to see their violet blooms emerge as we head into spring and summer.

“We’re hoping the depot’s lively landscape will inspire the community to adopt native gardening techniques at home, while celebrating the region’s wonderful native flora.”

Members of the community are encouraged to view the depot’s front garden for ideas or visit sawater.com.au for more information about replicating the native garden at home.

SA Water’s Woodside Depot becomes the second site to showcase a refreshed native garden, with the utility planting around 35 native species at its Kadina Depot in 2020.

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