Every year since she moved into her Windsor Spring home, Deborah Elliott's garden has wilted in the summer heat.
"I said, not this year, watering restrictions or no watering restrictions," she said.
Mrs. Elliott set out to build a system that would keep her garden healthy despite the mandatory water conservation plan that Augusta issued in response to a statewide drought.
She has given up a traditional garden for two drip irrigation tables that recycle water into potted plants. Only a few hydrangeas and angel trumpets are planted in the ground. The rest are fed through the irrigation system.
"Think of a fish tank," Mrs. Elliott said. "It circulates water so it's not wasted."
She sets the potted plants out in the morning sun and returns them to the shade of a carport in the afternoon. Water stored underneath the tables is pumped through hoses that slowly drip into the potted plants. Any runoff is filtered and reused.
Mrs. Elliott keeps 56 plants watered on this system, which she designed and built for about $100.
The barrel is filled once a week, when an automatic timer turns a hose on full force for a minute.
"That one minute of water is all my water for the week," she said. "It's so much more efficient than traditional gardening."
It's a system others could replicate if they wanted to grow vegetables and flowers, even when temperatures hit triple digits, Mrs. Elliott said. She hopes to duplicate the system on a larger scale by replanting her lawn with herbs.
"With food prices and gas prices, people have to have their gardens. They don't have to cheat the system to keep them," she said. "There are other ways to get the plants you want and still follow the city guidelines."
Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.
IN THE GARDEN WITH
WHO: Deborah Elliott
WHAT: More than 50 plants, including roses and vegetables, watered by a drip irrigation system
GARDENING PHILOSOPHY: "It's natural for plants to want water. It's necessary for a gardener to find a way to get it to them."
SAVE WATER
Keep your garden healthy while abiding by watering restrictions with these tips from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences:
MULCH YOUR PLANTS. Three to five inches of fine mulch will help prevent water loss.
WATER WISELY. Direct water flow about two feet from the trunk of trees and water at night, when you lose less to evaporation. Two or three deep soakings a week is best.
RETHINK YOUR LANDSCAPE. Swap hard-to-maintain beds for ornamental grasses. Use fewer annual and perennial flowers.
ADJUST YOUR MOWER. Use a sharp blade set higher than normal. Leave clippings on the ground to shade the grass.
IMPROVE SOIL QUALITY. Aerating or adding organic matter can prevent runoff, but don't fertilize, because it can dehydrate roots.
CUT YOUR LOSSES. When a plant wilts to the point you doubt it will survive, cut the top foliage back by a third or half. Don't prune regularly because it will encourage new growth that requires more water.
REPLANT. If all else fails, remember that fescue turf can be reseeded come fall.
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