10 ways to make your garden water wise

1

Enrich your soil with organic matter, so that it can better hold onto moisture in dry spells. Lay a 5cm deep mulch on damp earth in spring, to conserve moisture and keep down weeds that will compete with your plants for light, food and moisture.

2

Use decorative mulches such as pebbles to make sure that the ground around specimen plants does not dry out so quickly.

3

Create a dense covering of foliage with your planting. This will deflect the sun’s rays from the soil’s surface. Plants are happy in company and the more foliage your garden contains, the more environmentally friendly it will be. There is no joy to be found in gazing on a sea of grey dust.

4

Install a trickle irrigation system rather than using sprinklers – even pots and hanging baskets can be fed with spaghetti tubes controlled automatically by a timer fixed to a garden tap.

5

Choose larger containers for patios and terraces – they look more dramatic and dry out more slowly than a collection of smaller pots, which are not only labour intensive but are also inclined to look messy.

6

Install water butts on all downpipes. Rainwater is especially handy for watering ericaceous plants, such as rhododendrons and camellias, in hard-water areas.

7

Use drought-tolerant plants rather than moisture lovers. Visit gardens like that of Beth Chatto in Essex to observe plants growing in dry situations. Make a list!

8

Add shade, if your garden bakes every summer. Plant one or two moderate-sized trees or construct a pergola to offer some respite from the sun.

9

Avoid watering the lawn in dry spells. On sandy soils, consider an alternative to grass such as thymes, or else use paving with gaps between the slabs for plants that will enjoy the cool root run beneath the stones and help to prevent your garden from looking hard and bald.

10

Water your garden in the cooler temperatures of early morning or early evening to prevent the water evaporating rapidly.