UK Gardeners Urged To Move Stones In Garden This Week

This has been the driest spring on record so far, meaning changes to how gardeners are advised to water, place, and test their plants. 

Some methods to ensure you’re keeping enough moisture in your garden include placing a pan of water in your backyard and watching how much evaporates in a week, and avoiding (or limiting) how much you mow. 

As the relentless dry spell continues, though, and the UK is placed at “medium” risk of drought, gardeners are being advised to consider low-water methods of keeping their greenery hydrated. 

And according to The Gardeners’ Guild, one answer lies in moving rocks in your garden. 

They can provide a makeshift shade for plants

Shade helps plants to retain moisture, the Guild writes. 

That’s why keeping your grass even a couple of centimetres longer can lower your water consumption (the Royal Horticultural Society [RHS] doesn’t think most of us should be watering established lawns at all, no matter how brown they get). 

But for potted plants or plants with exposed soil, you can reduce evaporation during dry periods with the help of some stones (which work as a sort of heavyweight mulch). 

“A decorative layer of small stones on the surface of your pots as a top dressing will insulate them from the heat of the day, helping to retain moisture and suppress weeds,” the experts write. 

The RHS agrees, adding that “Slate, shingle, pebbles, gravel, stone chippings and other decorative aggregates are often used as a mulch across beds.” 

Other options include tumbled glass and seashells, though you should avoid plastic at all costs.

Any other tips?

You can use “grey water,” or water from your shower, bath, washing machine rinse cycles, and washing-up, to water your plants in times of need. 

The RHS found that soils are surprisingly effective at filtering out any soaps, which can go on to act as fertilisers in some cases (though you should only use grey water in small amounts in the short term). 

You should also avoid using weedkiller or moving plants during dry spells, and consider growing drought-resistant plants for the future.