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The following articles have appeared or are about to appear in the County Times newspaper distrubted throughout Mid Wales Stephen Pryce-Lea also holds talks for local gardening groups specialising in low maintenance gardening techniques for your garden large or small.

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Tips to help keep your garden drought free this summer

Hard to believe, but the early warnings are long periods of drought conditions and water shortages ahead. As hosepipe bans are put into force in the drier areas of the UK, we are asked to restrict our use of water in the garden.

Long term predictions tell us the climate is changing and will greatly affect the way we garden and the plants that we can grow. Water gardens and ponds will be replaced by rock gardens and alpine screes; we will be growing more sun loving and drought tolerant plants.

Unless you are already experiencing dry conditions in your garden don’t rush out to buy those silver foliaged shrubs and perennials just yet! Instead adopt a few basic principles that not only utilise the water you have but also contribute towards a low maintenance garden.

The following tips for water saving in your garden can help reduce plant losses in and keep the garden tidy. 

Know your garden – Before you start to make any changes spend time finding the hot spots and the cool shady areas of your garden.

A few tell tale signs are, moss in the lawn and ferns in the border indicating shady damp conditions. The fork goes into the soil easily and the earth is a rich moist dark colour and often damp to the touch.

Hard baked dry soil that crumbles to dust when touched indicating a full sun aspect absorbing any moisture from the soil. Often difficult to dig and when raining it either runs off or seeps through cracks in the soil and dries up very quickly.

You may find you have a combination of these conditions and they can vary even in the smallest garden. On a day of full sun try finding where the sun comes into your garden in the early morning and how long it’s spends on each area. A sketch is a good idea, marking out areas of lawn and borders will help you decide the right plants and surface for your garden. 

Positioning - Providing the right place and conditions for your plants is essential and may need a little research. Planting a shade loving perennial in full sun will automatically put the plant under a great deal of stress and will soon die from the baking heat and lack of water, similarly a plant needing a sunny position planted in shade will struggle to reach its full potential, look drawn and is unlikely to flower. 

Drought-tolerant plants – Planting full sun borders that dry out in the summer with silver leaved shrubs and perennials such as Lavender, Cistus, Santolinas and Stachys are a great way to ensure your garden does not suffer in the heat. 

Soil improvement – Unless you are lucky enough to have a rich soil with high organic content, it is likely your soil would benefit from the addition of well rotted manure or peat free compost. The adding of organic matter to the soil will help improve the structure and in turn improve the water retaining ability of the soil. The best way to add organic material is to cover the surface of the soil with at least three to four inches applied early in the spring or late autumn or as long as the soil is damp. This layer helps the soil retain water and reduce the amount of weeds able to grow. 

Mulching – An increasingly popular way of cutting down on the need for watering and controlling the weeds is to mulch the soil with a thick layer of bark chippings or gravel. Firstly clear the site of all weeds then lay a heavy duty weed mat, plant through the weed mat by cutting a hole and removing the soil underneath, adding compost at this stage will ensure the plant establishes well. Place back the weed mat and mulch with a thick layer to cover all the matting. You will need to add extra mulch over time and remove the occasional weed seedling. 

Extra water butts – Essential during prolonged dry spells add extra water butts to your downspouts to ensure you have water for your baskets and containers which will need a regular supply to keep healthy. 

Using the right amount of water is most important to help a plant survive the dry conditions and it’s not just the heat but also the wind that can cause the soil to dry out. Watering in the evenings will limit evaporation, as will moving baskets and containers away from the direct sun if they begin to suffer. Try applying one or more ideas to save water and keep the garden growing this summer.

Written by Stephen Pryce-Lea Dip Hort www.smartgardensuk.com