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Save water in the garden

		Contents of this page
		Saving water in the garden
		Planting
		Compost
		Mulching
		Watering
		Lawns
		Automatic watering
		Tips on container gardening
		Maintenance
		Waterwise garden
		Plants

Saving water in the garden

• Plants obtain oxygen, nutrients and moisture from water
• It pays to plan the garden with water consumption in mind, whether it is completely new or you are redesigning an existing one.

What will the garden's main use be?

• A haven for wildlife?
• For children to play in?
• A place to relax?
• For home-grown vegetables?

Could more shelter from direct sunlight be created by the use of trees, hedges, or walls? Many plants, insects and small animals will thrive in a shady spot and too much direct sunlight is now considered a health hazard, especially for small children.

Planting

• Look for drought resistant plants
• Remember that the best weed suppressors are ground cover plants, which also provide shade and prevent evaporation
• Check that the type of soil and position of planting is suitable, then dig the hole and fill it with compost. The compost acts as a natural reservoir holding rainfall and releasing its water when the plant needs it most.

Compost

• Compost also provides valuable nutrients and encourages drainage, whilst keeping the soil moist.
• You can buy various types, or make your own, by saving refuse from the kitchen, such as: vegetable peelings and even tea bags. So you can forget the waste disposal unit! All kinds of garden waste can also be used, but avoid recycling diseased plants in this way.

Mulching

Mulches can be anything - from gravels, barks, manures, straw, tree leaves, grass cuttings - to artificial ground cover made from newspaper and plastic sheeting.

• Mulches serve several purposes:
  • insulate the soil from temperature extremes
  • reduce erosion
  • prevent evaporation and weed growth
  • organic mulches also provide nutrients for plants.
• Apply mulches when the ground is wet. Keep the mulch away from the base of plants to prevent rotting.

Watering

• When planting-out, water the plant before removing from its pot, then place it in the prepared hole. Water well and allow to drain. Follow this by regular watering until the plant is established.
• Rainwater is excellent for the garden. Collect it in a water butt fed by your gutters but remember to securely cover all large containers for safety, especially to prevent children and animals from drowning.
• Some water used in the home can be recycled for use on the garden, i.e. water that has been run-off, or water used to clean vegetables.

Tips on watering:

Lawns

• Grass can survive for long periods without water and will quickly recover from drought.
• Unless you totally drench the lawn, watering encourages the roots to come to the surface, thus rendering it less tolerant to dry conditions.
• In dry spells, raise the blades on your mower so that the lawn is left longer and cut the grass less frequently.
• Leave the cuttings on the lawn to protect the roots and return nutrients to the soil.
• Aerate the lawn well to allow the moisture to seep down to the roots. This can be done with a garden fork or a simple tool from any garden centre or DIY outlet

Automatic watering

• Hosepipes and sprinklers are expensive to use. Hosepipes use up to 1000 litres of water (or 1m3) an hour, costing 60p.
• Trigger devices are available which fit onto hosepipes so the water can be turned off easily.
• Sprinklers waste water - especially when they throw water high because much is lost through evaporation. If you have a sprinkler or any kind of watering system which uses water from the mains, you must have a water meter fitted. This will measure all the water used at your property so you pay for what you use.
• Whenever a hosepipe is connected to an outside tap, a double-check valve must be fitted to prevent backsiphonage causing contamination to the water supply.

Tips on container gardening:

Maintenance

• Maintaining your garden and plants will ensure water is not wasted on dead, diseased or damaged plants.
• Dead-head flowering plants to encourage new growth and remove any rotten  or dead wood.
• Pull weeds out when the shoots first appear, before they compete with your plants for precious water and always before they set seed.

Waterwise garden

We have sponsored a garden at the University Botanic Garden in Cambridge (visit garden). An area has been landscaped as a typical town house garden and laid out with drought resistant plants. Once established, the plants are not watered. It is easy to find valuable information on plants suitable for growing in this dry area of East Anglia by visiting our garden where you can also see the beautiful possibilities yourselves. The Garden is open to the public from (see visiting times) and is at Cory Lodge, Bateman Street, Cambridge, CB2 1JF Tel: +44 (0)1223 336265. email:enquiries@botanic.cam.ac.uk

Plants

Some plants are adapted to dry weather conditions with thick waxy leaves (e.g. sedums, cacti), or hairy leaves to trap moisture, or small narrowly divided or curled leaves to reduce transpiration. Others have fleshy roots or roots which reach down to search for water deep in the soil (e.g. poppies).

Sun-loving or drought-tolerant plants:

Herbs

Crops which can cope with little water include: