Secrets of splashing out on your blooms
Try some of these simple watering tricks and techniques to ensure your cherished plants stay in shape in the hot weather
SPECIAL
AS SOON as the mercury starts to soar, health professionals tell us to drink plenty of fluids to combat the heat. But it’s not just people who need to stay hydrated during the sunny season – our plants, whether in the ground or in containers, require attention to prevent them going rapidly downhill.
Over the summer, a lack of moisture will quickly result in some plants wilting, dropping leaves prematurely and possibly biting the dust entirely.
It doesn’t have to be this way. There are lots of simple watering tricks and techniques that will help your cherished charges stay in good shape. The key to ensuring plants in the ground remain sated is to water directly above the root area with a watering can fitted with a sprinkler head, or with a hosepipe armed with a spray gun. Once the water has soaked in, drench again. Watering like this promotes longer roots capable of finding moisture deeper underground.
Poor watering can do more harm than good. For example, lightly sprinkling the ground encourages shallow rooting, making plants more susceptible to drought. And a strong flow of water delivered directly from the end of a hosepipe or the spout of a can is likely to wash soil away, exposing a plant’s roots to the elements.
IDEALLY, try to water plants in the cool of the morning or evening. This gives them plenty of time to soak up moisture, rather than it evaporating quickly in warm sunshine. Watering at these times also lets droplets that land on leaves dry out, avoiding scorch damage caused by strong sunlight.
Plants in containers will dry out faster than those in the ground, and during hot or windy periods it may be necessary to water twice a day.
Pour water up to the rim of the pot, planter or basket, allow it to soak in and then apply some more. Stop when water runs out of the drainage holes in the base.
Some people hold back from watering containers if it has been raining, but my advice is not to rely on nature. Rain rarely falls accurately on to the tops of pots and is often too light to make any difference. And if the pot has been generously planted, a dense canopy of foliage will simply divert water over the sides of the container.
An easy way to keep groups of containers damp is to set up an automatic irrigation system to deliver water at specific times.
Many off-the-shelf kits are available that are simple to put together and have a computerised timing device you can fit to an outdoor tap. Some can even be controlled via a smartphone app.
Of course, watering plants is tricky if you’re hit by a hosepipe ban during a drought. One solution is to install a butt to capture rainwater, giving you access to your own supply of water during tough times. Rainwater is also best for some fussy plants, such as blueberries and carnivorous types.
Water butts come in all shapes and sizes, from huge tanks to slimline models suitable for smaller spaces. They are easy to attach to a gutter downpipe, and several can be linked to increase capacity.
Either fill cans from the butt’s tap or add a submersible pump to supply a garden hosepipe.
A clever way to minimise watering is to mulch beds, borders and other patches of bare soil with garden compost, leafmould, composted bark or similar organic stuff. Apart from trapping moisture in the ground, the material will keep the roots of plants cool in hot spells and prevent weed seeds germinating.
Spread a 2in to 3in layer of your chosen material over damp ground (if the soil is dry, give it a good soaking) and roughly rake level.
Take care not to cover low-growing plants, and be sure to leave a good gap around the stems of woody specimens as the material can cause bark to soften, leading to rotting and fungal diseases.
You can also reduce time spent watering by introducing droughtbusting plants to your displays. Lavender, oleander, common olive and other shrubs from the Mediterranean can cope without water for some time, along with a host of perennials including agapanthus, osteospermum and some eryngiums.
A great way to display lots of these plants is to create a gravel garden. Last year I did exactly that, lifting my lawn and replacing it with a sea of shingle that’s home to several plants that like dry conditions. I watered my charges for a few months to help them establish, and they now survive entirely on rainwater.