How to become more waterwise this summer

YES, we’ve had some lovely weather of late, but don’t reach for the sprinkler at the first sign of a sunny spell. Using as much as 1,000 litres of water per hour – more than the average a family of four use in a whole day – sprinklers aren’t exactly efficient.

Organisations including the National Trust, the RHS and Waterwise have long been promoting water-saving and conservation. If you do have to resort to a sprinkler, do it in the early morning or late afternoon when evaporation rates are lower, Waterwise recommends.

Here are a few other ways to help...

1. CHECK YOUR SOIL

If you’ve added organic matter to your beds and borders, that should help to retain some moisture, but if you’re in doubt, dig down to about a spade’s depth to see if the soil is moist. If it is, you shouldn’t need to water mature permanent plants. Light, sandy soils are going to need more watering than heavy clay ones, especially if you haven’t improved the lighter soil structure with added organic matter.

2. HELP YOUR CONTAINER PLANTS

When planting your summer blooms, add water-retaining crystals to your compost which swell when watered and release the moisture gradually. You can also use moisture control composts which store and release water when your plants most need it. If you have plants in pots, gather them together to create a little microclimate and again reduce evaporation, and you can water them all together. But it’s preferable to use the biggest pot you can afford for patio plants, which will require less watering than smaller containers.

3. USE DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS

If you are creating new beds and borders, consider drought-resistant plants such as lavender, Sedum spectabile, lamb’s ears and ornamental grass such as Stipa tenuissima, while middle-sized droughtresistant plants include Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’, Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ (wallflower), Russian sage and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ (catmint). At the back of the border, you could use species more than 1.8m tall, including Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, Choisya ternata (Mexican orange blossom) and Trachelospermum jasminoides.

4. DRY LAWNS WILL RECOVER

Don’t water established lawns – if we have a long hot spell, they may turn a bit brown, but they will recover with the autumn rains. Leave them to grow a bit longer to preserve water and introduce drought-tolerant clovers and trefoils, which will prevent the lawn from changing colour completely when a dry spell hits. During really dry spells, leave the grass a bit longer and if you do mow it, take off the grass box and leave the clippings on the surface to help retain moisture.

5. RECYCLE DOMESTIC WATER

Try to recycle water as a matter of course. Use a plastic bowl for washing up and then deposit the water on to your plants, as a small amount of biodegradable washing-up liquid isn’t going to hurt them. Save the really dirty water for tougher plants, such as mature shrubs and trees, and avoid tipping recycled water on to fruit and veg. Bath water can also be re-used if you install a diverter, which redirects water from the downpipe into a water butt.

6. INSTALL A WATER BUTT

Up to 85,000 litres of rain falls on your roof each year, so install a water butt and use it for your plants and to wash your car.