Perrywood Garden Centre Shares Tips for Saving Water in the Heatwave

The UK is in the midst of a heatwave which is showing no sign of disappearing. Water companies have advised to save water wherever possible. Gardens are parched up and down the country – so what can you do to ensure your flowers stay lush in the hot weather?
Perrywood Garden Centre has shared its top tips for keeping everything in full bloom whilst saving water in the garden. Pick the ones which work for you!:
Planting and plant care
< Place plants in pots together in groups. This will increase the humidity around those plants and reduce need for watering.
< Cutting back a plant’s foliage can reduce its need for water. So if a plant looks like it is struggling you could cut a third of the leaves back to help it out.
< Use a water storing gel or crystals when planting. This will help retain water around deep roots, meaning less wasted water.
< Use mulch in flower beds and borders
Watering
< During a summer dry spell, optimum watering time is either early in the morning to avoid evaporation loss throughout the day or,early evening when the temperature has cooled.
< When watering plants in containers or baskets, make sure you only water the soil and not the leaves as plants use their roots to absorb moisture.
< Avoid any leaks from ill-fitting connections, leaky hoses etc. Any connections which are dripping should be taken apart, washed and put back together. Sometimes you may need to cut the end of the hose off and re-insert.
< Use timers for your irrigation systems or sprinklers, to ensure you are not watering them for longer than normal. Irrigation systems use less water than sprinklers, and you can even link them up to the Hozelock Cloud Controller system which allows you to control watering times and durations via an app on your phone.
< Use your greywater whenever possible. Greywater is the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. Using this water in periods of drought can be very effective. There are some dos and don’ts such as not using it on edible crops, so here is some further info https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world/water-use-in-gardens/using-grey-water