The daisies are an annual attraction at Mount Annan. When the Herald visited Mount Annan last week, bees were buzzing over a perfect field of native Australian daisies. John Siemon, curator manager of the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, was crushed that the damage had occurred so early in the season. "[I'm] so disappointed for my team, after eight months of planning and five months of nurturing, that a select few of our visitors can destroy sections of our spring paper daisy display in seconds," he said. Selfie seekers had damaged the flower displays every year, usually "trashing them by the end of the season". But this year's damage had occurred earlier than usual.

Some of the damage was accidental, when a child lent over to smell a flower, for example. Often Mr Siemon would see photos on Instagram of people lying down in the flower beds. The entire display hasn't been ruined but selfie seekers on Saturday and Sunday morning had put several holes in the patch. This year, horticulturists had gone to great lengths to put on a showstopping display, using smart technology and other innovations to cope with water restrictions. Under the display of daisies, the earth was pulsing with sound from new technology designed to conserve established gardens and get more out of every drop of water. NSW is facing one of its worst droughts on record, and botanic gardens like Mount Annan's operate under the same water restrictions as the rest of Sydney - with some exemptions for rare plants in its collection.

Paper daisies are blooming in Mount Annan, but keeping them alive and blooming as the drought worsens is prompting new innovations in water management. Credit:Nick Moir Mr Siemon said the 418-hectare gardens used more water in drought to keep its plants alive. To mitigate this usage it has employed a mix of technology including increased use of timers and water moisture sensors and clever planting. It's the same story at Mount Tomah and the Royal Botanic Gardens, also managed by The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. The NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said like many areas of Australia, "public spaces have had to adapt their horticultural and environmental practices to accommodate the sustained drought".

That meant planting drought resistant plants and targeted and timed watering, he said. Some of the native daisies, including Xerochrysum bracteatum (Golden Everlasting), are also being planted earlier than in the past so they can be established with less water before the weather gets too hot. They are hand-watered to ensure water goes where it is most needed. "We don't want to be seen by the community as wasteful but we have to make resilient places for the community to go and enjoy themselves," Mr Siemon said. The garden has also been trialling new technology that allows its sprinklers to communicate wirelessly using soundwaves sent via soil moisture. This meant it could put in new sprinkler systems without digging up existing gardens, and didn't need to use as much water to establish new gardens.

"We've already got established garden beds, and the last thing you want to do as a horticulturist is dig up the roots," said Mr Siemon. The technology by an Australian company G-Wave is not yet available to the "average punter". At Mt Annan's nursery, horticulturalists are increasingly using wicking boxes - where plants draw only the water they need - instead of overhead sprinklers to nurture young plants. When the sprinklers go on in other parts of the garden, they pulse on and off, allowing water to be absorbed into the earth and prevent run off. "Most people would put a sprinkler on, then walk away," said Mr Siemon. "But if you continue to pour and pour water on, at some time it runs off. If you know what the penetration of the ground is, you can let the ground rest, and absorb that water on, before you put more water on. At Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, curator Greg Bourke said visitors were always amazed by the contrast between the grey green of the trees and foliage outside the gardens and the "luscious foliage" inside.