Harry Svoronos is the winner of the Wyndham City Council and Melbourne Water Raingardens competition. 80567
By ALESHA CAPONE
HARRY Svoronos has created a wonderful water-savvy garden in Wyndham Vale, and he has encouraged other residents to do so.
The Manor Lakes horticulturalist has won a competition being run by Wyndham City Council and Melbourne Water, which was held to find the best ‘raingardens’ within the municipality.
Raingardens are planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses, and have layers of soil and gravel, which filter out pollutants found in stormwater runoff which would otherwise be washed into drains.
After his raingarden won the contest, Mr Svoronos received a $250 All Green Nursery Voucher as a prize.
“I have loved gardening for many years and enjoy the transformation and tranquillity a garden brings to the home,” he said.
“The recent drought definitely had me thinking how best I could conserve and divert rainwater into my garden beds.
“When I moved to Manor Lakes – Wyndham Vale, my passion was to build a raingarden that was self-watering, self-sufficient and in the long run require minimal maintenance.
“My raingarden project started four years ago and has been a work in progress ever since.”
“The ecosystem in the raingarden works well as I usually find frogs and various critters lurking around, especially after good rainfall.”
Mr Svoronos said he maintained the garden with regular weeding and pruning, and he did not need to use fertiliser or chemicals, as his plants complemented each other.
“I am passionate about sustainability and would like to see more raingardens built throughout Wyndham Vale and other areas,” he said.
