It's interesting to listen to the gardening shows on Adelaide radio. A number of people have rung in lately with questions like the following: "My Ash tree is showing signs of stress even tho' I've been watering it every week. How much water should I give it & how often?" The answer from the gardening gurus is usually along the lines: "Water at least weekly & let the hose run for an hour or more to give it a good soaking."
Given huge habitat loss & climate change & the accompanying increasing severity of droughts I would have thought the question would have been more usefully posed: "My Ash tree is showing signs of stress & seems unsuitable for the climate conditions we now have. What species should I replace it with to cope with drought & save water?"
I get the impression that, as yet, Adelaide gardeners & their gurus are showing a distinct lack of awareness of what's going on around them. Or perhaps it's a sense of entitlement. Or both.
I'm wondering if this is an Australia-wide phenomenon or is it confined to the Athens of the South?
