Spotlight Magazines Spotlight on Mansfield North, Nottingham July 2015 | Page 16

Spotlight Magazine

Garden View

Water without the guilt

Who remembers their dad hosing the
garden on warm summer evenings? We
always seemed to have a lush lawn when I
was a child, apart from the summer of 1976
when hosepipes were banned and we all
used stand-pipes for weeks.
But nowadays hosepipes are the
horticultural equivalent of a bad taste joke:
out of style and somewhat frowned upon.
But gardens need water to survive so what
can we do?
Well the truth is, we have more than
enough water in the UK to sustain an
average garden, but it tends to fall in the
winter when all the plants are dormant.
A water butt is a simple, economical
solution for most urban gardens. Butts will
catch the rainwater from your gutter and
store it until it’s required. They typically hold
between 100 and 300 litres depending on
size.
You can now buy huge rainwater tanks
which hold up 1000 litres and are great
if you have the space. There are also
underground storage tanks which hold over
2500 litres!
With special attachments, stored rainwater
can be fed into hoses and
sprinklers, so you can use
them guilt-free.

well rotted horse manure, or spent
mushroom compost. This organic matter
will help the soil retain any moisture it
receives.
Make sure the irrigation lines run under the
tips of the branches rather than at the base
of the plant. This will water the roots more
efficiently.
Make sure you mulch. Mulch can be a
membrane, gravel, bark chips or cocoa
shells. The aim is to keep moisture in the
soil. I favour organic mulches because they
gradually rot down and can be dug in to
improve the soil texture further.
A few simple measures will ensure that
your garden stays green this summer
without costing the earth!
Plants for Dry Spaces
Alliums - the huge ones look great
Cistus - Rock Rose
Euphorbia - my favourite, very architectural
Helianthemum - Sun Rose
Lavender - plant near patios for the
fragrance
Santolina
Sedum - almost indestructible!
Senecio - the sunshine plant
Thyme
By Rachel Leverton

However, if you want to make
the most of your saved water
then irrigation systems are the
best choice. They typically
reduce the amount of water
you use by 70-90%, which is
a huge saving. Here are a
few tips for getting the best
from an irrigation system.
Ground preparation is really
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