On a win & a sprayer

INTERMITTENT heatwaves have played havoc with our plants this year but there are ways to be water-wise and reduce the need to reach for the hosepipe.

- BY HANNAH STEPHENSON

So says environmental gardening specialist Angela Youngman, whose new book, The Water-Efficient Gardener, delves into the ways we can not only protect our gardens against the impacts of climate change, but transform them into colourful and biodiverse havens.

Groundwater depletion, violent floods and intense periods of drought are all on the rise and the need for water-wise gardening techniques has never been so important, she says.

So, how can we be more water-efficient in our erratic weather?

Check your soil

"If there's hot weather on the way, or even at short notice, you can make an instant difference by looking at your soil," Angela says.

"Get a hoe out and go over the soil around the plants. Make sure it's friable, it's soft and that it will allow moisture through. If your soil is compact, anything you pour on the plants, or later on when the rain comes, is just going to run off and won't do your garden any good at all."

To alleviate this, add compost which will help hold water, then add a mulch to keep in the moisture.

Create ridges around plants

If you've planted a new plant recently, dig a little trough around it so when you water, it will go into the dip and sink down into the roots of the plant where it is needed, rather than being dispersed elsewhere.

Keep on top of weeding

"Hoe weeds up quickly because all they are going to do is compete with your more desirable plants for the available share of water. There's no need to have competition," Angela says.