YOUR GARDEN Put a real dampener on things We’ve had little rain for two months so it’s vital we keep our plants well watered...but make sure that you do it in the right way

REGULAR readers will know that I have enjoyed doing a lot of planting in my own garden this year. I’ve finally put down roots and conquered my half-acre of space. It’s a blaze of colour, full of perennials that were left over from show gardens over the years. I’ve also got special plants – some rare and unusual oddities that I’ve picked up along the way – for which the soil has been dug, cleaned and manured, and composted before they were bedded in.

I was delighted to see the end of a very long winter, but it seems overnight the weather turned from being miserable, cold and damp to the most glorious Barbados-like heat – but now there’s an issue.

Plants, like us, are mainly made up of water and they need plenty of it – to get established and grow.

But there’s been no rain for nigh on two months, or at least no proper rain that really wets the soil and quenches the thirsty roots.

So how do we approach this dilemma from a practical point of view?

Prioritise your watering. New shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants have yet to establish deep roots, so will need assistance first. Fruit and veg will also be high on your list as they need plenty of H2O to produce their bounty. Mature trees and shrubs will be the most resilient.

Avoid watering during the day when evaporation is at its fastest – early morning or late evening is best.

Direct the water to the base of the plant around its stem. One long soak is better than a few sprinklings. If you water the surface a lot, it encourages roots to go upwards rather than downwards in search of water. If your soil is bone dry, water slowly to allow it to sink in gradually.

Pots and containers are always thirsty so will need watering twice daily. If you can, move them to the shade and group them together where they can create a microclimate and shade each other.

For future reference, it’s worth using water gels when planting up pots and hanging baskets.

Don’t panic if leaves start dropping or going brown. Your plant is going into survival mode and is trying to reduce its requirements for water. It may also shed its flowers and fruit in an attempt to batten down the hatches.

Take a break from mowing the lawn. Mowing it now will only put stress on it. If it’s already gone yellow, don’t worry – it will recover quickly once the rains return.

Don’t use fertiliser on plants. You don’t want to encourage any growth Pots will need regular soakings Early morning and late evening are the optimum times to water plants L-R: Rosemary and Eryngium can all cope relatively well with the hot, dry weather at the moment as this increases the plant’s requirements for water.

Remove weeds because they will be using up valuable moisture.

Running out of water? Grey water from baths or the washing-up bowl is all reusable on plants.

If this is an annual problem for you, plan ahead. Install water butts to collect rainwater as a resource. Improved soil culture is essential for water retention. Make your own compost and when you are planting put a bucketful of good humus material around the roots.

This will act like a capillary bed and clothe the roots in damper compost which sucks up all the moisture when added. It then makes it easy and freely available to the tiny roots that drink it in.

You could consider planting more drought tolerant plants that don’t require a huge amount of water, so anything with furry silvery leaves such as stachys, verbascum and salvias, and Mediterranean species such as rosemary, thyme and good old lavender.

Plants with succulent leaves such as Sedum spectabile, waxy leaves like Pittosporum and spiky Acanthus and Eryngium are excellent choices as well.

Finally, remember to keep yourself hydrated while you are out gardening.