Australian summers can be tough on gardens and early learning settings have the extra challenge of staff leave, busy terms, and long holiday breaks. The result is often predictable: gardens dry out, plants struggle, and enthusiasm for the garden wanes. The good news is that water-wise gardens don’t mean watering your garden more. Rather, it means setting up a garden so it uses water efficiently, consistently, and doesn’t rely on someone remembering to drag a hose around every day.
One of the most effective ways to do that is with wicking systems. Below are practical strategies that work in any setting, from services with big outdoor yards to city-based centres with a small courtyard or balcony. Read on for tips and tricks for building water-wise gardens in your setting.
This blog is proudly supported by WaterUps, a sponsor of the 2026 Little Scientists Early STEM Education Awards.
Why water efficiency matters in children’s gardens
When a garden is reliable and grows successfully, children build confidence and learn valuable skills such as making observations and predictions, testing ideas, and measuring outcomes. However, if a garden is inconsistent, it becomes something adults try to “save” in a rush, which is stressful, expensive, and usually not much fun for anyone.
A water-wise garden can:
- Reduces your time and workload.
- Reduces water use.
- Improve plant health and resilience.
- Supports children’s ongoing engagement and STEM learning.
Why gardens fail
Focusing on improving your watering system matters more than simply “watering more”. This is because most gardens fail (particularly in summer) for two reasons:
☀️ Water is lost before plants can use it, evaporation from the soil surface, runoff, and uneven watering.
💧 The garden relies on frequent top watering, which is the least efficient and most labour-intensive method.
Wicking systems will keep your garden thriving
Wicking systems are one of the most efficient ways to care for your garden because the water is stored in a reservoir below the soil. Then, when plants need water, the soil draws the water upward through capillary action, which significantly reduces water loss and creates more consistent moisture around the roots.
Put simply, a wicking system means:
- Less evaporation, because water is stored under the soil.
- More consistent soil moisture, which supports healthier roots and plant growth.
- Less frequent manual watering, which is critical during holidays and hot weeks.
- Less stress on staff, because maintenance is simpler and more predictable.
For early learning settings, this matters because consistency is everything. Children get the best learning outcomes when gardens are stable and observable over time, not boom-and-bust.
Why WaterUps is a strong fit for early learning settings
There are lots of “wicking bed” ideas online, but education settings need something that is easy to set up, works across very different environments and holds up long-term. WaterUps is and Australian company who manufacture wicking systems from 100% locally sourced recycled materials. Their wicking systems are modular which makes them highly adaptable across the real variety of early learning contexts, including:
- Ready-made beds and planters, a straightforward option when you want convenience and simplicity.
- Build-your-own using wicking components, great for services that want a hands-on design and construction element.
- Retrofit solutions, converting existing beds and planters into wicking beds, without starting from scratch.
- Options that scale, from small areas through to larger garden spaces and whole school projects.
WaterUps’ versatility is especially useful when your setting has constraints like limited outdoor space, paved or compacted surfaces, changing sunlight across seasons, or inconsistent access to taps.
Water-wise tips
Even with wicking, a few fundamentals make a huge difference. These are aligned with widely recommended water-efficient gardening principles:
1. Mulch properly. Mulch reduces evaporation and buffers soil temperature. Aim for a solid layer, and keep it slightly clear of stems.
2. Build soil that holds moisture. Healthy soil acts like a sponge. Compost and quality organic matter help hold water in the root zone and support plant health.
3. Choose plants strategically. Group plants with similar water needs. In summer, prioritise hardy, high success options, then expand variety as routines settle.
4. Manage sun and heat. Many plants prefer morning sun and some protection from harsh afternoon heat. In small spaces, even minor shade adjustments can change outcomes dramatically.
STEM learning links & investigations
Wicking systems are not just a “garden solution”, they’re also great spring-boards for STEM learning.
🌱 Explore capillary action with your children. Try a paper towel “wick” between a cup of water and an empty cup. Watch how the water moves. Ask, what can you see? Where is the water going? What changes if we use a different material?
💧 Compare watering methods. Compare two containers with similar plants, one watered from the top, one using a simple reservoir approach. Track soil moisture and plant health over 2–3 weeks. This video shows how a simple wicking pot can be created using milk bottles:
♻️ Document the cycles of your garden by supporting your children to measure and graph refill cycles. How long does it take before the water needs refilling? Children can count days, tally results, and create simple graphs.
🛠️ Invite your children to design a garden that can survive a long weekend without watering. Encourage them to propose ideas, test them, and adjust their approach. That’s science and engineering in its most meaningful form.
Want help choosing the right wicking set-up?
If you’re interested in exploring wicking systems and want a practical recommendation for your context, WaterUps can help. A good first step is to reach out to Olly at oliver.white@waterups.com.au
As a sponsor of the Early STEM Education Awards, WaterUps works closely with education settings and understands the practical realities educators face.
Olly is a former teacher and now supports early learning services and schools to plan garden solutions that are genuinely low-maintenance, water-wise, and realistic for the rhythms of the year, including summer and holiday periods.
To make it quick and easy for Olly to advise on your space, include:
- A photo of your space.
- Rough dimensions, or a simple description like “small courtyard” or “existing raised bed”.
- What you’d like to grow.
- Any constraints, sun and shade, access to taps, holiday closures.
2026 Early STEM Education Awards
If your setting is planning an inquiry-based STEM project this year, keep an eye and ear out for your children’s observations, questions, or curiosity when they’re engaged in garden and water play — this might spark your project’s research question!
Nominations open 1 March 2026, so now is a great time to start planning, testing, and building evidence of learning. Learn more about how to nominate.
Evidence-based STEM professional development:
- In-person STEM workshops.
- In-service STEM workshops.
- Online STEM workshops.
- Online STEM Hours.
- Certify as a Little Scientists House.
Join Little Scientists’ Facebook group “Early STEM Educators Network” to share your service’s garden and STEM ideas with educators all over Australia.
