Save water in the garden

Follow our tips to achieve a beautiful, flourishing garden without using water from the mains supply at all.

Usually, only six per cent of the water we use is for outdoors activities like watering gardens and washing cars.
But come hot summer days, over 70 per cent of the water we get through is used to water gardens. Much of this water often does our plants little good.

Water is an increasingly scarce resource. So here are our tips on making the most of your garden, while using the least water.

If you’re on a water meter, these tips will save you money, too. Water costs about 10p for 100 litres (a bath is about 80 litres to give you a comparison – and a sprinkler uses up to 1,000 litres an hour).

Water-efficient gardening

There are lots of things that gardeners can do to reduce their use of water.

Boost your soil

Home compost increases the amount of water that soil can retain and promotes good root growth. Use mulches to keep weeds at bay.

Plant early

Spring is the best time to set out plants and lawns (as early as you can). You want them to grow good, deep roots before summer.

Choose the right plants

Plants suited to the soil and site will grow good roots, which are better at seeking out moisture. Mix aromatic summer-flowering shrubs, such as lavender, phlomis and artemesia, with plants that grow when the soil is moist between October and May. Choose crocuses, cyclamen and colchicums for autumn flowers, and daffodils and tulips for colour in the spring.

Go for drought-resistant plants

For small areas, ask in your garden centre about plants that are drought resistant. Thyme and oregano need little watering, and the same is true for dwarf bulbs such as crocus. Grasses such as fountain grass are another option, as are perennials such as hardy geraniums.

Don’t mind the lawn

Lawns are surprisingly resilient and will recover when it rains. So don’t worry too much about brown patches, they’ll soon turn green again.

Hone your watering technique

Good watering habits reduce water waste and are better for your plants too.

Apply water carefully, preferably at the base of the stems beneath the foliage. There’s little point watering between plants. Avoiding this will reduce weeds as well.

Don’t water small amounts frequently, as plants will grow shallow roots in response. At the other extreme, don’t leave hoses on for ages – the water will sink below the root zone and won’t help the plants.

Reuse your water

You can reuse rainwater and water from your home.

Get a water butt

A great starting point for saving water in the garden is the humble water butt. They come in all shapes and sizes nowadays and trellis and climbers such as clematis can make them look more attractive!

Rainwater is better for plants than mains water and if your water supply is metered, a water butt could save you money (a 200-litre water butt emptied five times would save you £2). Rainwater kits fitted to downpipes allow water to be collected in water butts without overfilling or flooding.

Buy water butts from Tesco direct.

Grey water explained

If your garden needs a lot of watering, waste water – known as grey water – from showers, basins and baths is generally great for the garden. The diluted soap from environmentally friendly shampoos and soap is actually good for the soil.

However, washing-up water is a no-no as it often contains food particles, oils and fats. Dishwasher water is also out as most dishwasher detergents contain harmful alkaline salts that are detrimental to plant growth.
Basic ways to use grey water include running an outlet hose out of a window to the garden. You can also get permanent systems plumbed in, although these are very expensive.