You can’t win with the British weather – some weeks we have too much rain and others there’s not enough. So, in the warmer months when water needs to be conserved, how do you ensure your garden gets enough to thrive? The most sustainable, answer is to harvest rainwater using a water butt.
Even the tiniest outdoor space should have room for a small water butt, such as B&Q’s Ward 100-litre Slimline Water Butt, and when connected to your guttering, you’ll find it fills up satisfyingly quickly, (when full, the surplus water will simply divert back down the drainpipe). Having rainwater ‘on tap’ in the garden is especially useful if you have an acid-loving plant like an azalea or blueberry growing in pots, as prolonged watering with tap water can cause poor growth.
Can’t do without your sprinklers? This year, B&Q is launching its new Verve range featuring manual and digital water flow timers, which are great for sprinklers and irrigation systems. Not only will a timer help you conserve water, but it will also allow you to water your plants while you’re on holiday. B&Q’s new Oscillating Sprinklers, meanwhile, cater for gardens of all sizes and include built-in timers, ensuring your water usage is controlled.
Of course, some plants need more water than others, so one way to reduce the need for water is to grow drought-tolerant plants. Just looking at a plant will give you a good idea of whether it can cope with a lack of water. Drought-tolerant plants tend to have silver leaves that reflect sunlight, and plants with thick, glossy leaves can store water better than those with thin, papery foliage.
Yes, water from the kitchen sink, bath or shower can be used to water plants growing direct in the ground, but only if used immediately, and as long as it hasn’t been mixed with cleaning products like bleach or disinfectant – household detergent is fine.
In the garden, the closest to this are succulent plants such as a trailing sedum and sempervivum. You still need to give them a good soak after planting though, and you should water them in warm spells in their first summer.
• Water first thing in the morning or last thing at night to reduce evaporation. If you have a slug problem, choose morning watering because slugs are active at night and love wet conditions.
• Make ‘wells’ around thirsty plants growing in the ground, so the water doesn’t just run off the soil surface and into other plants.
• Place saucers underneath plants in pots before you water them, so the excess water is trapped and can still be taken up by the plant or used elsewhere.
• Leave watering cans and pots without drainage holes outside in open areas so they can collect rainwater, in addition to water butts.
• Soak plants until puddles form, then wait until the soil goes dusty and dry before re-watering. This encourages a more resilient plant. If you water little and often, plants can develop shallow roots and end up drying out quicker and need watering more often.
• Direct the water stream to the base of your plants so it goes straight down to the roots, rather than splashing the plant.
• Soak newly planted plants, then spread a 5cm layer of mulch, such as B&Q’s Verve Bark Chippings, around the base to lock in the moisture and stop the soil from drying out quickly.
• Water plants in containers each time the compost is pale and dry. If you’re not sure, push your finger into the compost and if it’s dry all the way down, the plant needs water. In hot spells, plants in pots can need watering twice a day. When it gets really hot, move as many pots as you can into the shade until the weather cools down.
• If you plant any new plants this spring, they will need watering each time the soil is dry, especially come the summer. They will be much more resilient after the first full year in the garden, but they will rely on regular watering during each dry spell for those first few months.
Let your garden bloom with B&Q
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