Too little green

Rolling green lawns take lots of water to stay that way, and being a single plant species they don’t support rich biodiversity.

The green gardening movement is shifting away from large boring expanses of lawn, a trend we'd do well to follow in semi-arid South Africa. Lawns were a fashion we inherited from rainy Europe in colonial times, and they often end up looking quite scruffy here unless they receive a lot of tiresome tending.

Instead, consider reducing your lawn size by paving areas already used as pathways, or adding interest features like flower beds and rockeries.

Also, choose hardier lawn varieties like Buffalo, and ask at your local nursery about water-wise ground covers as an attractive alternative to grass.

- Olivia Rose-Innes, EnviroHealth Editor, Health24, January 2013