Backyard & Garden Design Ideas Issue 9

SUSTAINABLE GARDENS

There is nothing more iconic than an Aussie garden especially when you include a pool, but we are now living in an era that is demanding an ever increasing awareness of environmental value and responsibility.

Water restrictions, drought and unusual weather patterns have required Australians to adjust their lifestyles, but nothing will dampen our great love of the outdoors, our beautiful outdoor spaces, and back yard pool parties. The desire for a private oasis at home is as strong as ever, but more and more people are considering ways to approach their outdoor lifestyles in a more environmentally friendly manner.

So how can we manage the things we love about our gardens in a responsible and sustainable way? Landscape designer Ian Barker, of Ian Barker Gardens, believes that sustainable design principles are easier to incorporate into residential gardens than most people think. He also believes that it’s not necessary to compromise on a desired look and feel of your garden and swimming pool in order to achieve a sustainable result.

An excellent way to make your swimming pool water-wise is to utilise both water saving and water harvesting techniques to ensure that the pool minimises its use of mains water. This will not only help you and your family to save water making your garden more sustainable, but you will also save money through reduced chemical, energy and water use.

A pool can significantly lessen its reliance on mains water by using a combination of water saving devices. These include a water tank, to harvest rainfall that is used to top up your pool when necessary; a pool cover, to save the 90% of water that is lost from pools through evaporation; and a backwash minimisation system that prevents excessive backwashing.

In addition to these methods, there are even more options available to help make swimming pools water-wise and more environmentally friendly. If a pool cover will not work for your pool, then consider installing shade sails that also help prevent evaporation. If you are having a new pool designed, ensure that there is suitable coping surrounding the pool edge that will prevent water loss through splashing. Maintaining a pool with a healthy and balanced water condition is also important so you can avoid emptying polluted or unhealthy water.

Enkipools use advanced pool equipment technology to keep their pools both looking fantastic and performing to the highest environmental standards. “Our pools use the IntelliFlo Eco Pool Pump because we want our clients to be able to enjoy their swimming pool all year round with a clear environmental conscience” says the director of Enkipools, Scott Tymkin. “Most people would not be aware that an average pool pump can use as much energy as all their household appliances combined, so when we install IntelliFlo pumps we are actually cutting our clients pool associated energy costs by up to 90%”.

The long term benefits of installing a water-wise swimming pool or transforming your existing pool into an environmentally friendly element of your garden will far outweigh the short term costs involved at the beginning. “A pool is the ultimate water feature for your garden, but we should all be responsible when it comes to their environmental impact” states Ian.

“By getting good professional advice from an expert and employing the highest quality water saving devices, there is no reason that a pool can’t be a feature of a sustainable garden”.