Gardening with little water: the guide

A soil that both drains and holds: that is the goal. In the clay soils of Casablanca or Rabat, work in coarse sand and compost; in the sandy soils of Agadir or Essaouira, add compost and coco fibre to hold water. Plant in October–November if you can, so roots settle with the winter rains.

• One 4 L/h dripper per shrub, two to four per tree, placed 20 cm from the trunk then moved outwards over the years.
• Programme early morning, in long spaced cycles (30–45 minutes, twice a week in summer for an established garden).
• Bury the lines under 5 cm of mulch: less evaporation, fewer algae, more discretion.

The lawn alone uses half the water of a classic Moroccan garden. Reduce it to one usable area, replace the rest with ground covers (creeping rosemary, thyme, gazania), pale gravel and shrub beds. The effect is more graphic and maintenance is halved.