BLOG: You can keep your garden green while away without wasting a drop - Julianne Robertson

Are you planning a holiday getaway this summer? If so, you might be a little worried about leaving your precious plants at the mercy of the weather.

Even if we don’t have a major heatwave in the next few weeks, a prolonged dry spell or high winds can leave your plants thirsty, especially when it’s a crucial time in the growing season. Fruits are forming, flowers are blooming, and plants need a lot of moisture at this point in their life cycle.

However, there are some simple and sustainable ways to ensure your garden is still green when you get back.

“Your lawn doesn’t need any watering during the summer, even if it’s turning yellow. Grass is so resilient that it will bounce back and green up as soon as the rain returns.”

Julianne Robertson
Gardening influencer

The best approach is to recruit the help of a green-fingered friend or family member who doesn’t mind wielding a watering can. 

You’re looking for someone with a sense of which plants and pots are likely to need regular attention and which are perfectly happy to fend for themselves - or someone who’s good at following your instructions! 

It’s worth asking if they can pop round once or twice a week in return for a holiday souvenir - plus anything they can harvest from the garden, should there be a ready crop of tomatoes, peas, or courgettes.

Firstly, let’s clarify what needs watering and what doesn’t.

Your lawn doesn’t need watering during the summer, even if it’s turning yellow. The grass is so resilient that it will bounce back and green up as soon as the rain returns. The only exception is if you have newly laid turf, that does need regular watering to help it establish. 

Equally, most borders don’t need watering. The plants here should be well established with deep roots reaching down into the soil where they can find moisture. However, anything newly planted should be watered regularly for the first week or two. And obviously, in extreme heat common sense prevails - if any plant seems to be wilting and the soil is parched it’s worth applying a watering can full to the base of the stem to help it cope with the conditions. Ideally, fill this from a water butt or dipping tank to supply your plants with rainwater - a great source of nitrogen, which promotes growth.

Home-grown vegetables and plants in containers are where you really need to concentrate your efforts (or those of your helper) - they’re most at risk of drying out if the weather is very warm, windy, or sunny when you’re away from home. Give everything a good drink of water before you leave and deadhead any spent or dying flowers and leaves.

Taking out competing weeds is also helpful and, if you have time, a fresh mulch of compost can also help retain moisture in the soil.

You can avoid getting out the hose or the sprinkler by reducing the need for watering: group pots together if possible, so they’re creating their own little microclimate. If they can be grouped into a shaded area that’s even better; saucers or trays underneath the pots will also make the most of any excess water or rainfall.

You can use capillary matting for this too which will keep them damp while you’re away - placed under pots it can stop them drying out too quickly. The capillary method is even more effective if you use strips of cloth or matting positioned with one end in a bucket of water and the other in the soil of each pot. This wicks the water down to the roots of each plant and will provide a steady supply of water until the bucket is empty.

You can also use watering spikes, globes, or even just an upturned plastic bottle filled with water and placed into pots, and these can be effective for houseplants too.

Alternatively, apply similar principles as with outdoor plants: group them together, keep them out of direct sunlight, and for those that like to be constantly moist it’s worth placing them together in the bath onto a damp towel, which will provide a nice cool and moist environment until you come home again, happy and relaxed from your travels!