• BWEP funding $1,649
• Water savings 1.02 million litres a year

Background

Bonsai Northside Nursery in Caboolture caters to everyone from the beginner to the advanced bonsai enthusiast, offering workshops and a range of specialised products.

Owner Tess Simpson began growing bonsai stock trees in the late 1980s and established Bonsai Northside as a retail nursery in September 2002.

Dating back to ancient China, the art of bonsai imitates in miniature form, trees as they appear in nature. Some bonsai are small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, while others can grow to more than one metre tall. The most popular commercial bonsais range from 30cm to 90cm in height.

Prior to implementing new water systems with the assistance of BWEP funding, the nursery used two water sources - an on site dam provided the majority of water for drip irrigation, while reticulated water was used for spray irrigation.

Water saving projects

The funding assistance provided by BWEP has enabled Bonsai Northside to:

• connect to Caboolture Shire Council’s reticulated A+ quality recycled water supply
• fit timers on all taps and automated irrigation systems.

Water saving achievements

Recycled water now makes up 83% of the water used by Bonsai Northside – saving more than one million litres of town water a year