I learned the hard way how much effort it takes to keep a container garden watered and thriving in July. My London flat has a small outdoor space that is completely paved and when I moved in last year I thought I’d keep things simple. Container garden ideasRather than re-landscape a small space. If anyone warned me that caring for pot plants is anything but easy, especially when dealing with hot weather.
July is the hardest time to keep your plants watered, even more so than August, because the days are at their longest and temperatures are usually at their highest. That means your plants have a lot of time to lose water from their leaves, and the soil dries out too. However, this year it is more difficult Hosepipe Ban Being introduced to parts of England.
However, the last thing I want to do is water my plants every morning before leaving for the office at 6am. Last July, I learned the consequences of neglecting my watering duties; My garden became a cemetery of sad, withered and charred plants. So this year I’m preparing myself, learning all the tricks in the book from the experts to make sure my garden is well watered in July and not having to go out with my watering can every day, and making sure. Watered when I go away on holiday.
My choice of pot plants in my raised garden.
(Image credit: Future / Rebecca Knight)
1. Opt for larger pots
This was a huge mistake I made with my first choice of container pots. I filled my garden center trolley with a selection of gorgeous little terracotta pots to be dotted around the garden. Unfortunately, small pots are the most difficult to keep well watered because they contain little compost, which means they dry out especially quickly.
Instead, this year I opted for larger pots that hold water better, and I can better plant a few plants in them. Not only do they look better, but the larger pots also survived the recent heatwave the best.
‘Small pots are a perfect pest,’ says Guy Barter, RHS Chief Horticulturist. ‘If you have small pots, plant something really drought tolerant, like a succulent or pelargonium.’
He adds, ‘It’s better to go for the biggest pots you can afford and handle, and then choose reasonably drought-resistant plants.’ ‘But avoid things like begonias and fuchsias that are very thirsty.’
I have several large plantings with miniature trees including figs and dwarf apple trees.
(Image credit: Future / Rebecca Knight)
2. Invest in a saucer
If, like me, you’ve already bought a whole load of small pots, the answer to keeping them well hydrated is to invest in a saucer. All my mini terracotta pots now have a matching saucer that sits under them so they can soak up any excess water that comes out of the pot when watering.
Alternatively, you can try introducing self-watering into the plant pot One of these from Elho on Amazon. Elho makes some gorgeous, miniature plant pots and their self-watering models are designed to keep your plants healthy and grow even easier. I currently have Bouncy Basil Plant Pot, £19 at AmazonOn my wishlist for my herb garden ideas.
(Image credit: Future / Rebecca Knight)
3. Use compost for containers
One of the most crucial steps to keeping your plants well-watered in July is to invest in a container-designed fertilizer with minimal effort.
‘The best thing to do is to go for potting compost that’s formulated for tubs and containers, and it’s going to be fine, so it’s going to hold a lot of water in the spaces between the compost particles, but still have enough air for summer,’ explains Guy on which compost you should choose.
Our garden editor, Sophie King, is a huge fan Delfoot peat-free wool fertilizer, available at Crocus. They are ideal for tubs and containers because the wool allows them to hold moisture well so you don’t have to water your plants as often. She has used it Fill in your growth table, Which is currently flourishing.
(Image credit: Future plc/Colin Poole)
4. Set up a drip watering system
There are many drip watering systems that you can connect to an outdoor faucet. However, I wanted to make the most of the water I had stored during heavy rains or while waiting for my shower to heat up so I set up Gardena Solar-Powered Aquabloom Irrigation Set, £87 at Amazon. It comes with a water tank that you can refill frequently, but I chose to use a large plant pot to hide the water source in my container garden.
Guy’s advice when setting up a drip irrigation system is to make sure your plants are getting enough water to survive. Then you can top up watering when needed.
‘What you do is you set them up so that they deliver the minimum amount of water to keep the plant alive, and then you can water it as you see fit, or if it gets set in the rain,’ says Guy. ‘With my containers when I go on holiday, I set the automatic watering system to water for three minutes at 3am, which keeps them alive until I get back.’
The Garden Aquabloom irrigation set keeps selected pots well-watered.
(Image credit: Gardena)
5. Use mulch
A layer of mulch on top of my plant pots is one of the quickest and easiest changes I’m making to keep my container plants well-watered in July without having to water them daily. Our Senior Digital Editor, Jenny McFarlane, has been maligned about RocketGro Magic Mulch He bought on Amazon that is Helped his garden flourish Despite the heatwave and sudden downpours in June.
Mulch helps rain soak into the compost in the container, but it also prevents the compost from drying out. It also has the added benefit of adding nutrients to your pots, which will help your plants thrive.
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Gardena
Gardena Solar-Powered Aquabloom Irrigation Set with Water Tank
RocketGrow
RocketGrow Organic Magic Mulch
Elho
Elho Bouncy Basil 16 – Self Watering Plant Pot
Would you use any of these? Low maintenance garden ideas Want to keep your plants watered with minimal effort this July?
