6. Planting

There are a number of ways in which planting itself can help reduce the amount of water evaporation from the soil:-

(a) Plant more trees - Shade from trees helps to provide cooler pockets of air, whilst the trees themselves create an excellent windbreak to minimise the drying effect of the wind. If your garden occupies a large, windy site, especially near the coast, you could benefit from planting a high hedge or a ‘shelter belt’ of trees and shrubs. For more advice about this kind of planting contact me by email amanda@garden- designer.co.uk or give me a call on 01903 859757

(b) Grow Plants in Containers - If you grow a lot of patio plants in containers, grouping them together will enable them to produce their own microclimate. It will also help conserve water, as more is required to water more widely spaced plants. Water-retaining granules incorporated in the compost of hanging Baskets and containers will also help keep the soil moist during dryer weather.

(c) Plant Ground Cover - The use of ground cover planting is another very useful way of helping to retain moisture in the soil. Plants with silver coloured foliage are especially effective in achieving this.

The art of good ground cover planting lies in creating drifts of plants, broken by the occasional change of height, shape and colour.

(d) Use Windbreaks - It is not only trees and shrubs that can be useful in slowing down the wind and reducing moisture loss in the garden. More immediate remedies are things like woven willow panels, trellising and baffle fencing, all of which provide instant, effective help in combating the drying process when erected in the right places.

For long term windbreaks, evergreen hedges such as holly or deciduous hedges such as hawthorn are an excellent choice.

(e) Terracing - In sloping gardens, water quickly drains away, leaving slim opportunity for the soil to absorb any moisture. Terracing provides a flat surface to help contain and conserve water supplies. Terracing can be constructed in various ways, one of which is to use sleepers. For more advice on this topic contact me or phone 01903 859757.

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR DROUGHT CONDITIONS

Select a planting scheme from the mulit-choice list:

select from below... Flowering plants Grasses Drought resistant foliage Plants for dry shade Bulbs and corms Shrubs Seaside hedging plants Seasise flowering perennials Seaside flowering shrubs Container garden plants Trees dry places Shrubs & climbers - dry places Perennials & bulbs - dry places Annuals & Biennials - dry places Rock plants - dry places Ornamental grasses - dry places