Break from the border
WHelp the houseplants
Get ahead
GROUP TOGETHER Make it easier for neighbours to water e might be holidaying in the UK rather than flying abroad this year, but getting the garden ready for your absence is still vital.
Last- minute packing for your summer holiday can often mean forgetting something important.
Unfortunately, our plants can also suffer if we’ve not left enough time to prep them properly.
Returning from a wonderful UK staycation to find the garden worse for wear can be crushing.
Luckily, there are some easy steps to ensure plants survive without you.
Start indoors by grouping your houseplants together in the bathroom.
Take some old towels and use them to line the bottom of the bath, with the plug in, then fill until the towels are soaked.
Once the towels are saturated, stand your prized plants on them, making sure they’re not standing in deep water or they will be at risk of root rot from overwatering.
This is a great way of ensuring there’s enough moisture for the plants to draw up as and when they need it.
It’s also useful for plants that love a bit of humidity, like Boston fern, snake plants and orchids.
The evaporating water will create a perfect humid environment and grouping plants together will naturally improve the humid climate, so they’ll all benefit.
Not only that, but the reflection of the bath’s bright white sides does a great job at maximising natural light, so your plants will enjoy a holiday to the bathroom while you’re away.
It’s a good idea to get up to date with gardening jobs before you go. Give the garden a general tidy up, weed and water your borders and beds, and clean up the patio so everything is spick-and-span for your return.
Removing troublesome weeds will also stop them sucking moisture from the soil, competing with your beautiful blooms for nourishment.
Also, it’ll stop them seeding so you won’t see an abundance of weeds popping up after your return.
Another great idea is to add an inch or two of bark chippings to your borders to help to lock moisture in and keep weeds down.
Likewise, crop any grass or weeds growing around the bottom of young trees or shrubs to help them survive.
Weed block and bark chip will stop them coming back. Deadheading bedding plants will prepare you for a pleasant arrival, greeted by flowers.
And don’t cut the lawn – longer grass holds moisture better. Instead, before you leave, stick to your normal mowing routine up until your holiday.
Once you get back, mow with higher blades, lowering them each time until you get it back to the length you want. If you are away for a week, a normal routine mow will be fine.
If you’ve got a friendly neighbour who is willing to keep an eye on your
Worried your garden will go to seed while you are on holiday? Follow my guide to preparing your plot for a stress-free trip
garden while you’re away, make it easier for them by grouping your patio pots and containers together.
You can get wheeled container stands from garden centres which makes moving heavier pots a breeze.
For plants that are situated under the eaves of your home, consider moving them away from the house so they can benefit from any rain, but try and keep them in a slightly shaded spot, if possible, to save them from
DEADHEAD Don’t leaf home without doing it drying out. Likewise, keep them sheltered from the wind, which can increase evaporation massively.
If you don’t have a friendly neighbour or family member to water your containers or borders, consider a simple irrigation system – essentially a hose with holes in to slowly drip water into pots or soil.
A great DIY solution is to fill a used two-litre plastic bottle with water, poke a few holes in the lid and bury it upside down in the soil. It will then slowly trickle out water for any thirsty plants in either containers or in the ground.
If you’re growing fruit or veg, your neighbours may be happy to keep an eye on them if you let them keep any that ripens as a thank you treat!
Crop and freeze or give away anything that’s likely to rot. Herbs can often be dried, frozen or stored.
Time for departure
Take a walk around the garden to make sure all your fence panels are in place, security lights work and the shed and greenhouse are locked. Expensive kit should be postcoded with a UV pen and locked up, especially ladders, using a bike chain.
Remember, ordinary tools can be used to help someone break into your home – they don’t call the spade the burglar’s friend for nothing.
Finally, saturate the whole garden. No matter if it’s rain or shine, that last drenching will help keep everything going.
Then set off and enjoy your break, without worrying what it’s going to do to the garden.
Use a simple irrigation systen – a hose with holes – to drip into your pots