water conscious gardening

With no immediate end to the current hosepipe ban and with predictions of hotter summers in the future it might be time to consider some longer term alternatives. This will ensure you have a garden to suit your lifestyle and more importantly the availability of non-restricted water.

Here are some ideas and suggestions;

Improve moisture retention in your soil

Mulching your soil will limit evaporation and significantly improve moisture retention. Please refer to the mulch section to learn more about the different types of mulch which can be use for this purpose

Water butts - every garden should have one or two!

You may regard them as unsightly but placed in strategic spots where they can catch water from the roof of your home, garage and other outbuildings they will invaluable. Most water companies provide special rates and promotions for local customers so it's worth contact your water supplier.

Recycle your household water

Providing the water does note contain bleach or detergents you can use it for the garden. Never pour the water directly on to the leaves of your plants and make sure you rotate the areas you use this water in to ensure 'fresh' water dilutes your 'grey' water. If you invest in a self-pressuring canister with a nozzle and spray you can apply the water direct to the roots of your plants.

Lay a drought resistant lawn

Lawn and turf areas are often the first to suffer from a shortage of water. You may want to think about reducing the size of your lawn or replacing it with a hard landscaping alternative.

But, if the lawn has to stay it may be worth replacing it with a drought resistant turf. There are many available such as RTF turf (rhizomatous tall fescue) RTF is a new type of tall fescue, which produces rhizomes. A rhizome is an underground stem that grows outwards from the main plant, producing more shoots as it goes. In this way RTF has the ability to repair itself and produce a nice dense mat of grass.

In addition, RTF turf has a remarkable root system that can grow down to a depth of 1.5m. This gives RTF turf the ability to withstand periods of drought and water logging. Also, because the roots extend such a long way, the grass needs less fertiliser.

The landscaping alternative

Although we all enjoy our lawn especially if you have children, there are alternatives that can provide extra interest and texture in your garden. These include:-

Paving & patios

There don't have to be 'concrete jungles'. There are an extensive range of materials available and effective planting of creepers can help to soften the hard corners/edges. Also, if you leave certain area unpaved, they provide ideal planting areas to again soften the overall effect.

Cobbles, gravel & aggregates

Again, a huge variety is available and these will naturally complement each other. For added contrast, planting and grasses can also be introduced in small areas.

Decking

Not only is it highly durable, it is available in a variety of woods and can be painted to add contract and colour. Ideal for any garden regardless of levels and can easily be softened with container planting.
 

Planting

There are a number of ways in which planting itself can help reduce the amount of water evaporation from the soil:-

A selection of plants suitable for drought conditions

Plant more trees

Shade from trees helps to provide cooler pockets of air, whilst the trees themselves create an excellent windbreak to minimise the drying effect of the wind. If your garden occupies a large, windy site, especially near the coast, you could benefit from planting a high hedge or a 'shelter belt' of trees and shrubs.

Grow plants in containers

If you grow a lot of patio plants in containers, grouping them together will enable them to produce their own microclimate. It will also help conserve water, as more water is required to water more widely spaced plants. Mulch or aggregates around the top of your containers will help to trap moisture and also reduce evaporation.

Incorporate ground cover

The use of ground cover planting is another very useful way of helping to retain moisture in the soil. The art of good ground cover planting lies in creating drifts of plants, broken by the occasional change of height, shape and colour.

Suggested ground cover plants;

• Brachyglottis 'Sunshine'
• Cotoneaster
• Cytisus decumbens
• Duchesnea indica
• Genista
• Hedera
• Hypericum calycinum
• Juniperus
• Liriope
• Melissa officinalis
• Nepeta
• Oreganum vulgare