| 1. Water
your garden in the cool of the early
morning or evening. This will reduce the
amount of water lost to evaporation. 2. Use a water butt
to collect rain water which can be used
to water the garden (with a watering can)
and wash the car. (Using a hosepipe uses
up to 15 litres per minute.)
3. If you
prefer to use a hosepipe, fit a trigger
nozzle to control the flow.
4. Water
plants thoroughly and infrequently -
little and often encourages roots to stay
near the surface.
5. Plant
ground cover plants which prevent
evaporation from the soil.
6. If you
water plants and shrubs too often their
roots will remain shallow, weakening the
plant. Leave them alone until they show
signs of wilting.
7.
Regularly weed and hoe your garden, to ensure
that watering helps plants and not weeds.
8. Plant
flowers and shrubs that thrive in hot and
dry conditions such as thyme, evening
primrose, rock rose, Californian poppy,
pinks, lavender, buddleia and hebes.
9. Mulches
such as wood chips, bark and gravel help
to prevent water evaporation and also
suppress weed growth, saving you both
water and time spent weeding.
10. Lawns
can survive long periods of dry weather
if the grass is not cut too short. Even
if the grass turns brown, it will quickly
recover after a few days of rain.
11. Garden
sprinklers can use as much water in an
hour as a family of four uses in a day.
If you use a sprinkler, many water
companies require you to have a water
meter fitted.
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