6 ways to use LESS WATER in the GARDEN
Act now to make your garden more drought-resistant come summer.
Last year was the driest since 1976*, leading to hosepipe bans across the UK, some of which stayed in place until December. With a very real possibility of hosepipe bans this summer, too, here’s how to make your garden more water-efficient.
1 CHOOSE DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS
Lavender, pelargoniums, sedum and thyme need less water so are great for sunny spots.
2 GET TO KNOW YOUR SOIL
‘Knowing the depth, texture and structure of your soil and matching suitable plants to it is just as effective in reducing the amount of water you use in the garden as choosing drought-tolerant plants,’ says Janet Manning, a garden water management specialist. ‘For example, if you garden on deep chalky or sandy soil that drains quickly, salvias will send down deep roots to find moisture, whereas they may struggle in a good but shallow loam during a dry spell and will need frequent watering.’
3 MULCH YOUR BEDS
Mulches help soil retain moisture in the summer and are best applied in mid to late-spring. Try home-made compost, wood chippings or well-rotted manure, suggests Dr Mark Gush, head of environmental horticulture at the RHS. You can even use shredded dead leaves and stems from last year’s plants. To help rainwater soak into your soil, Mark has another clever tip: ‘Leave the root systems of dead plants intact. As they decompose and break down, they create important channels for water to percolate through the soil.’
4 COOL THINGS DOWN
Aim to have ‘no bare soil’, says Janet. ‘Ground cover plants, not just mulches, can help keep the root zone of other plants cool and prevent moisture evaporating from the soil,’ she points out. ‘Choosing plants that form layers, from ground cover to shrubs, means their roots are drawing moisture from different layers in the soil and the shade and humidity created by the big plants help the smaller plants to use less water.’
5 WATER IN THE MORNING
‘If water is applied to the soil in the evening, it has the whole night to drain through the soil and be lost before the next day starts and plants really need it,’ Mark explains. Studies have also shown that watering two hours after sunrise is more effective at reducing slug damage than slug pellets.
6 CHOOSE MATERIALS CAREFULLY
Surfaces such as gravel give rainfall the best chance of soaking into the ground. ‘Slow the flow of rainwater away from your garden by having lots of plants, minimising paving and removing artificial grass,’ says Mark. ‘Where you need paving, make it permeable so that rainwater is returned to the soil, not the drains.’