Save Water in your Garden

Where I live, a couple of places have been a week without water – which makes you realise how essential it is to life.  And I mean ALL life, not just you and me.

We’d put a water butt in a few years ago and I’going to get another one, because I can only see water drying up more and more.

10 tips for saving water in the garden

Thompson & Morgan were established in 1855 so they have been around for about 160 years. They've now got over 6,000 plants, bulbs, seeds, fruit, seed potatoes plus many more products you can buy,  They've got 10 tips for saving water, and you can read them in more detail on their website:

  1. Improve your soil – dig in well-rotted soil or home-made compost each spring
  2. Work with nature – you could choose plants that enjoy dry conditions. 
  3. Mulch, mulch and mulch – it reduces water evaporation
  4. Collect rainwater – it’s free – and you could buy a water butt or two and put them where they are most helpful.  (It’s amazing how much easier ours has made watering things.)
  5. Water wisely – first thing before the day gets hot or warmer (or in the evening).    And go for the base of the plant.
  6. Use water retaining gel to the compost in your hanging baskets and containers when you plant them.
  7. Choose which plants you water – they won’t all need the same amount.  We haven’t watered our lawn which turned a browny colour but it’s actually bouncing back to a cheerful green after the recent rain and that’s just in a few days.
  8. Water well when you water – I remember my Auntie Joan (who was a very keen gardener) saying it’s much better to give things a really good soaking every few days than a sprinkling of water daily – a good soaking means the water gets to the roots
  9. Choose containers carefully and group them together – they can shade each other. Don’t let plants get rootbound – the larger roots need more water.
  10. Get rid of the competition – i.e. weeds – I’ve just done quite a deadhead bit of work before the rain.



Buddleja 'Buzz® 3 in 1'

Buddleja 'Buzz® 3 in 1'

We also use water from a dehumidifier we have to use – it’s amazing how much it collects.   I also chuck any water that’s unused from water bowls, our water glasses – it all goes straight on to the flower beds.  We also use a watering can where we can rather than a hose pipe.  It’s good for building up strength in the arms!

It’s actually amazing how many different ways there are to save water – switching one’s tap on and off as you clean your teeth for instance – and I know the more we’ve saved and found ways to save, the more we want to save.

Don’t forget your wildlife!

We’ve put in a pond for our wildlife – our first one, and the wildlife is loving it.  I need to put some plants around the outside but we’ve got a couple of plants in it.  The pond is NOT big – we didn’t want a large pond, we’ve gone for a small one.  It was hard enough to dig the first one out because the ground was so hard.


This is the Happy Beaks Bird Hotel with Solar LightThis is the Happy Beaks Bird Hotel with Solar Light from Thompson & Morgan


And we’ve also put water facilities around the garden for wildlife – an ornamental one (which my aunt gave us) here and a couple of the new RSBP ones dotted about.   I remember Monty Don saying one of the most important things we can all do for our garden wildlife is to give them water, so we have and it’s made quite a difference.   Thompson & Morgan have tips on wildlife gardening here.

One of the most effective ways I’ve found to save water is to imagine that I am a wild animal looking for water in streams and rivers but there isn’t any because they’ve all dried up due to humans wasting water.  It is incredible how that fires up my determination to save, save and save water.

Head over to Thompson & Morgan to see their tips for saving water here.