With the current record-breaking, warmer weather and decided lack of rainfall, there is a massive water shortage and you may wonder how to look after your garden and plants to get them through this period.

I am not here to debate the whys and wherefores of how we got into this position, be it the water companies lack of investment and leaking pipes all over the place or climate change.

The problem still stands that yours and my garden are suffering from a lack of water in the ground, whilst withstanding both previously unseen temperatures and possibly not enough water available to give them a much needed drink at the end of these blistering hot days.

There are some hosepipe bans starting to come into force slightly further South than me and I am sure it won’t be long until it reaches us, but it hasn’t as yet.

There are a few things you can do, just like my post regarding going away on holiday I left my plants while I went on holiday for a week and this is what happened…

Just to point out that some of my tips may not help with these coming weeks but forward planning can help to make next year less of a worry.

Preparation

I do presume the hosepipe ban is coming but before we even get to that, we have also had this warmer weather and no rain for quite a while now which means some of my plants are already struggling.

Just to know it is coming means we can try to minimise the effects it will have on the garden.

Location…

Just like before my holiday, a few of the more desperate looking plants have been moved into ‘my end’ where it is shadier through the hottest part of the afternoon, which means they won’t dry out quite as much as sat in full sun.

They are also sat on trays, saucers, plates; anything to keep hold of a little of the water that comes out the bottom of the pot.

Where necessary, I have dug relatively new plants out of the garden and put them back into pots. Now we know pots will dry out quicker than the ground, but some of my ground is bone dry with huge cracks. That is helping no plant.

Plus there is no mentioning my front garden, which is very dry and unloved; it looks like a non-gardener lives in this house at the moment.

To help with the above, we have now mulched the majority of my beds and borders with bark. This helps to keep the moisture in and keep the soil moist.

Anything you can mulch with is better than nothing; bark, leaves, straw, compost or even grass cuttings.

Water smarter…

When you water, water the soil not the plant. You want to see the water soaking down into the soil, the roots need the water, don’t waste what water you do have on the plant itself.

Water later in the day once the sun has gone down. There is actually nothing I like more than wandering around the garden as the sun sets. It is cool and quiet, a time to reflect your thoughts or talk to your husband/partner.

Equally you could water first thing in the morning but given how warm it is in the morning at the moment, my practice and recommendation would be at night.

Collect water…

A biggie if you love gardening, water butts. I have three, two probably more usable than the third (pictured) but it is still there and is almost full of water. Water from your butts where you can.

You can buy water butts from any good garden centre or second hand, one of mine came via a Facebook sales page, however, there is nothing to say you can’t use a large plastic drum or whatever you might have at your disposal.

If a hose pipe ban comes to your door, you can still water your plants using watering cans and wouldn’t it be good to have a water store waiting for you to collect from before you turn to the garden tap.

A tip as practiced routinely by my lovely mother-in-law June; when running water in the home, be it warm or cold, if you have to run your tap first, collect this water within a bowl, a small bucket or jug and put aside for your garden.

You can keep a watering can or bucket outside the kitchen door to decant your collection into for use later.

Only water what needs watering, obviously tender new plants, fruit and vegetables or a new tree. An established plant, particularly a more drought favourable variety will not necessarily need watering every day.

One such plant is my Rosemary who is very drought resistant and only really needs a water once a week. If I am honest, under normal circumstances, she doesn’t normally get that but these are extreme times.

Learn to ignore the call of your grass.

If your grass looks anything like ours then you are going to have to learn to ignore just how bad it is looking. When the rain returns your grass is going to love it and we are expecting some next week I think, though how much who knows?

In the meantime, bare, browning patches of grass is not going to hurt the majority of it for this short amount of time and your lush green grass will soon be back to normal.

If our summers are going to continue to be warm and lacking in rainfall, it may be prudent to consider your garden choices for the coming years.

With that in mind, here are a few ideas for some fabulous plants for your garden that you may wish to include at some point, this list is not exhaustive, there is a whole host of options for you to play with.

• Cordyline
• Hebe
• Lavender
• Jasmine
• Passion Flower
• Bergenia
• Euphorbia
• Echinops
• Eryngium
• Heuchera
• Osteospurmum
• Verbena
• Cosmos
• Gazania
• Sunflower
• Nicotiana
• Nigella
• Papaver

One final note…

We do not like to dehydrate, as do our plants. If you are out watering your garden, don’t forget to add a little water somewhere for the wildlife.

I have a white basin in my end of the garden with water and a solar fountain. Within that I have a brick and some stones to enable anyone who wants a drink to be able to stand upon it and get back out easily.

I have seen a hedgehog and a mouse mooching around my end of the garden in the last month. Do you know who is in your garden?

Yesterday I saw a little bee taking in water from our pond whilst balancing on a lily pad.