Chepstow Garden Centre

Going Away This Summer?

Going away this Summer?

Summer is here and with it comes sunshine filled days and weeks away exploring the world. While you are away from your garden, you may be concerned about your plants and keeping them watered. There is nothing worse than coming home to wilted plants and withered crops.

Luckily, there are steps you can take to make sure your garden stays looking fantastic! So when you get back home, you can relax with a cuppa in the garden (and ignore the pile of washing!)

  1. A day or so before you leave, weed your garden. Weeds compete for water with other plants, removing them will make sure your plants have more.
  2. Cut the grass – instead of putting the cuttings in your green bin, pile them on your beds. Not only will your lawn look neat, the cuttings will create a mulch. Mulched plants lose 25% less water, helping keep them healthy.
  3. Before you leave, water your plants deeply. This means give the soil a through soaking – a quick run around with a watering can will not be enough. If you can leave a sprinkler on for a while this will help when watering large areas.
  4. If you have areas that dry out quickly because they are in full sun, cover the ground to trap moisture. This can be done with bark or wood chips, mulch or stones. Do not use plastic as you want rain water to still get in to the soil.
  5. You can also add a shade cloth. Common in greenhouses, shade cloths diffuse the light and help protect plants from direct sunlight. This could even be an old sheet on some poles!
  6. Use water spikes. These are handy for containers, hanging baskets and houseplants. Using a recycled plastic bottle, fill it with water and screw on the water spike where the lid would be. This will allow the water to slowly drip out, keeping your plants watered. If you are away for two weeks, you can use two or three bottles.
  7. Create an automated water system. You can add a timer to your garden hose and set up a watering system around your garden. This will make sure your plants are watered as if you were actually there.
  8. Ask a friend or neighbour! Usually they will be more than happy to pop in to your garden and keep everything watered for you.
  9. Water butts. These store rain water, so can provide you with lots of free water. You can run soaker hoses from them in to your garden, which will slowly saturate the ground while you are away.

Hopefully these tips will help your garden stay green and fabulous while you are away. If you need any help with watering products or have any garden related questions, why not give us an email or pop in to our centre and speak to our friendly staff. They are always on hand to give advice and help you achieve your garden vision.

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