Round 3
The University of Melbourne
Smart Garden Watering website
As Melbourne’s climate changes and water restrictions remain in place, gardeners need to adapt to these challenges if their gardens are to survive and thrive.
More than a decade of low rainfall has left Melbourne’s water storages at very low levels. As a result water restrictions have been implemented forcing gardeners in Melbourne to look at how they approach water use in the garden.
Seeing this need, the Smart Water Fund provided a grant to the University of Melbourne to investigate garden watering requirements by looking at soil types, irrigation techniques, plant types and micro climates across Melbourne. The result of this project is www.smartgardenwatering.org.au, a sophisticated online tool that gives users valuable information about their gardens water requirements.
SmartGardenWatering.org.au is an interactive website that shows gardeners the most water efficient way to sustain their gardens.
Developed by staff Department of Resource Management and Geography at the University of Melbourne, the tool will educate gardeners on the most effective ways to water their gardens. The tool utilises the latest features of computer interface design developed by the Department of Information Systems, University of Melbourne.
Many gardeners still water during cooler months when plants require less water due to increased rainfall and less evaporation. The SmartGardenWatering tool provides a watering schedule that takes these seasonal variations into account.
A unique feature of SmartGardenWatering.org.au allows gardeners to compare the water saving benefits of a range of watering techniques and plant options.
The tool is designed specifically for Melbourne, utilising the Burnley Plant Directory developed at the Burnley Campus, University of Melbourne. Containing over 1500 plant species, the Burnley Plant Directory is the most comprehensive plant database covering the Melbourne and Geelong areas.
SmartGardenWatering.org.au also incorporates a rainwater tank calculator that allows users to explore their ability to supply water to their gardens throughout the year.
The University of Melbourne has received a Smart Water Fund Round 6 grant to expand SmartGardenWatering.org.au with a number of new features including a social networking application to allow users to share their experiences and create an online community of water aware gardeners.
Project status: Complete
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