Resilient Planting & Water Saving Tips for Your Garden

Keeping your garden looking plant happy.

The Issue

There are times we experience extremely low rainfall and prolonged periods of hot weather such as we are experiencing now. So what can we do to keep our plants alive and thriving in these conditions without relying on hoses and potable water? Use resilient plants!

Our Planting Plans always ensure plants are chosen for the specifics of the site including soil type, and local climate (rain shadows etc). Increasingly though, we are incorporating the use of resilient plants in our schemes to help reduce plant death and issues with maintenance and reliance on irrigation. Get in touch if this is something you are interested in us providing for your garden.

The Science!

Plant drought adaptation strategies include ‘Drought Escape’ - completing their life cycle before the onset of drought, ‘Drought Avoidance’ - whereby plants maintain high tissue water content when soil water is low via for example deep rooting or reducing evapotranspiration, and ‘Drought Tolerance’ - where plants can withstand low tissue water content and may temporarily desiccate.

Grass is a key temporary desiccator! The brown lawns of the summer are nothing to be feared in my book, and are a distant memory once the rains return. It is a challenge to roll with accepting plant adaptations sometimes, as many want that green green grass throughout the dryest of months, but letting it go and allowing the plants to do what they need to in order to survive is the best thing we can do for the environment.

A sunny border of plants resilient to drought conditions could include Stipa, Perovskia, Echinops, Cistus, Nepeta, Verbascum and Sedum. Seasonal wet can damage these plants so some consideration must be made for winter conditions.

When we have rain we wish we had sun....and now we wish we had rain!

But I Need to Water!

While we don't encourage irrigation systems in gardens, sometimes we will suffer a prolonged heatwave and some plants will suffer without some additional help from us. Pots, planters, crops and isolated plants are most at risk. So how can we keep these watered without relying on mains water?

While we can water with hosepipes - some choose not to, and in a hosepipe ban we can't.

We would always encourage the installation of waterbutts, and these can be stacked so they overflow into a sequence of waterbutts to collect more valuable rainwater. However, if you don't have one, then while we are in a time of no rainfall, its rather too late to install one as it will sit empty. But do plan one or two, and soon, because it will come in handy for the next prolonged period of low precipitation. A shed, greenhouse, lean-to and even a bike store will collect plenty of water over time. So long as you install guttering!

Save your vegetable rinsing water and cooking water

How else can we conserve water to use in our gardens for these struggling individual plants?

I remember as a child in the 70s, mum would water the pots using these methods. And I have followed on in her footsteps.

1. Save your vegetable, fruit and rice rinsing water. Don't run it down the drain, but collect in a washing up bowl or bucket.

2. Save cooking water from your pasta, boiled eggs and veggies. Cool it down before using.

3. Collect the cool water you usually waste while waiting for the hot water to run out of the hot tap. 

4. Save your washing up or hand washing rinse water, (not the soapy water). 

5. Shower with a bucket and collect the run off. 

Save the runoff from your tap when you run for fresh cold water, or for hot. Don't waste it.

Remember to water in the early morning, or in the evening when evaporation is much lower and plants will get a chance to access the water. As well as excessive evaporation, watering in the hot sun can result in leaf scorch.

Water your garden in the evenings, or early mornings, whether you use harvested water or potable. Don't risk scorching your plants or excessive evaporation. Do NOT use a hosepipe or sprinkler if we have a ban.

Keeping the Moisture In

Soil with a greater organic matter (OM) content will hold more water than say a sandy soil. Keeping the OM topped up by surface dressing with manure, spent mushroom compost or other similar product suitable to your soil conditions, will help keep the soil condition and water retentive properties in good order!

Mulching your plants will also help retain moisture in the soil. Use a composted wood chip type, rather than a soil compost, as it is larger format material and will protect the soil beneath from heating up too quickly and drying out.  Gravels and crushed aggregate also make a good mulching alternative to organic materials.

Mulch mulch mulch.....

So, if you are trying to save water but keep your plants alive, there are methods and means. You cannot cover large gardens using the watering tips mentioned. Here you would have to install huge rainwater harvesting systems. But by using resilient plants and mulching, you are increasing the chance of having an amazing summer display. If you need help with designing a garden with resilient plants then contact us, as we are able to provide planting plans for such gardens.

Borders can be pretty hardy if we use resilient plants, make sure the beds are well worked with a good organic matter content, the borders are mulched and the plants are planted close and are overlapping without leaving large unplanted areas. The garden should make it through dry periods with a greater chance of plant survival. 

Pots, and specific plants may need some help, so use the watering tips to give them a fighting chance. Remember, use your water wisely.