Streetscape Irrigation

Aspect

Streetscape irrigation - quiet, unobtrusive, but so necessary to bring to the visitor's and the local's eye the ambience and street appeal of the CBD or the urban focal point. Whether the theme is green with variegated foliage, blooms, or the sculpted starkness of Australian natives, they all need a drink. Without a drink, the streetscape can easily become dry, dusty, and uninviting. We need our community areas to be inviting, a place to come and sit, have a coffee, discuss business, meet friends. The living, green environment is beneficial to all of us, our mental health, and our physical sense of well-being.

Irrigation

The scope of streetscape planting is wide - swathes of emerald green turf, mulched gardens, planter boxes, green walls and hanging plants - the list is only limited by the landscape architect's imagination. Irrigation of these differing plantings requires innovation and the application of a wide range of irrigation types. The irrigation has to be capable of applying the right amount of water at the right time but it must also be accessible for maintenance, and unobtrusive so as to not be a target for vandalism.

Types of irrigation used in streetscape irrigation include:

All of these have their place and all need to be designed to suit the needs of the overall planting theme.

Control

For irrigation, there always has to be water available in the area to be irrigated. Conduits and access to power are not always available to planters and garden beds etc. so the options come down to manually operating the irrigation system or looking at ways of automating.

Manual operation is both expensive and reliant on the availability of the person responsible. Centralised control is the preferred method.

For those isolated areas, islands of plants, and features, there is a range of inexpensive solar powered or battery powered controllers that makes irrigating these areas viable.

These units can be installed in isolated areas to operate only a single station or multiple stations in the isolated area. Using the solar power option offsets the need for someone to remember to fit new batteries at regular intervals.

Summary

The ambience of the streetscape coupled with the vigour of the retail area of your community is the drawcard that brings people into your CBD and urban centres. Can you afford to not have this area looking fresh and green? Can you afford to not have it irrigated?

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