Saving water in the garden

Top Ten Water Saving Tips for the Garden

It is possible to garden and save water - just follow our handy tips.

1. Become a fan of the can

Your hosepipe or sprinkler can use as much water in one hour as a family of four in a whole day so get back to basics and swap your hose for a watering can filled with water from your water butt when watering your garden!

2. Be cool

Try to water in the cool of the evening or very early morning. That way less water will be lost immediately to evaporation. Direct the flow to the roots - not the leaves - to give the plants a maximum benefit.

3. Mulch ado about something

Mulches such as pebbles, gravel and chipped bark require low maintenance and are perfect for keeping moisture in and weeds out.

4. Don't hang around

Go easy on hanging baskets and small pots in summer; large containers are easier to keep watered and, plant for plant, use less water. Use moisture retaining crystals mixed with your compost to make an easy way of watering and reduce evaporation.

5. Let it go brown

Set your mower on a higher setting and don't cut the lawn too often - longer grass retains moisture better. Lawns don't need watering - a brown lawn soon recovers after a rain.

6. Around we go!

Water around plants, not over them, to reduce evaporation loss. Water less often but give the plants a good soak when you do, to encourage deeper rooting and sturdier plants.

7. Water Efficient Plants

Plants are an essential part to the beauty of any garden. By combining water saving measures with a careful selection of plants, trees and shrubs, you can save yourself water and hard graft and sit back and enjoy your green haven.

8. Spoil the Soil

Cultivate the soil deeply and dig in large quantities of organic matter to improve soil structure, soil water retention and water availability for plants. Well-rotted garden compost, composted bark and well-rotted farmyard manure are good to use.

9. Small is better

Plant things when they are small because they will develop much greater resilience as they adapt to their conditions from a young age. Ideally plant in the autumn so they can do some growing before the dry season arrives.

10. Unravel with Gravel

Gravel gardens are easy to maintain and require less watering, since you do not have a lawn.

11. Use your butt whenever possible!(One extra for luck)

Plants love rain water, so make sure to use it whenever you need to water any of your plants. You can buy them from Severn Trent with a special offer, Buy One Get One Half Price.

This article was sponsored by Severn Trent Water