Archive
How to use less water – Garden water savers
Ditch the sprinkler
In one hour a sprinkler can use up to 1,000 litres of water– the equivalent of two days’ water consumption by a family of four. Most suburban gardens can be adequately watered using a 10-litre watering can.
- Saving Up to 1,000 litres (£1.90*) an hour
Water weekly
Your plants will benefit more from a weekly soak than a daily sprinkle. Fruit and vegetables are the exceptions to the rule. Water them daily if they’ve just been planted or are about to crop. Water the soil, not the plant, for maximum benefit.
- Saving Depends on the size of your garden. Watering in the evening is most beneficial as water evaporation is slower
Turn off your hose
Wash your car using a couple of bucketfuls of water, not a hosepipe connected to a tap. A hosepipe can use as much water in half an hour as an average family does in a day.
- Saving Up to 500 litres a car wash (95p)
Buy a water butt
Water butts collect rain water for use in the garden 
All the water a typical garden needs to stay green in summer can be collected from your house or garage roof in a single water butt. See our for current Best Buys.
- Saving Depending on the size of your garden, a water butt could save thousands of litres each summer
Reduce evaporation
Line the inside of terracotta pots with plastic and use mulch in borders – both will reduce evaporation. Plant drought-tolerant silvery- or narrow-leaved plants.
- Saving Halves the amount of water required to keep your plants alive
