Holiday-proof your garden

BEFORE you go travelling, get right up to date with all the routine jobs. Weed flowerbeds and borders, clear debris and mow the lawn a day or two before you leave, so it stays looking tidy while you are away.

Buddy-up containers

If you haven’t got a plant-savvy friend to look after things while you’re away, move patio pots and hanging baskets to a shady, sheltered spot where they won’t dry out too quickly. And group them close together to create a their own humid micro-climate.

Self-watering

If you’ll be away for more than a week, rig up a self-watering or “wicking” system. To do this, simply stand the container over a large bucket of water then push one end of a thick shoelace deep into the soil and drop the other end deep into the bucket of water, so that it provides a slow steady water supply in your absence.

Pick off flowers

Deadhead bedding plants before you go away so you come home to USE mini paper flags on cocktail sticks when leaving of a plants in the care out neighbour to mark which plants need as special care, such extra watering. flowers instead of plants that have run to seed. Also pick and freeze everything you can from the vegetable plot – especially runner beans and courgettes, which will grow big and tough if left too long.

Otherwise arrange for friends to call round every few days to ensure all is OK – and to help themselves to any goodies that ripen.