Northants, Leics &amp; Rutland


<p>Whether you’re a regular jet setter or covet your annual two weeks in Marbs, not everyone has a friend, neighbour (or reliable teenage child of the above) who’s willing and able to keep an eye on their beloved dahlias while they&#8217;re off on their travels. But how can you nurture a verdant oasis in your absence? We caught up with Hannah Phillips of <a href="https://www.hpgardendesign.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HP Garden Design</a> to find out what you can do, or design into your garden, to give your plants the best chance of surviving the holiday season and beyond.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="664" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-002.jpg" alt="English flowers HOLIDAY PROOF YOUR GARDEN" class="wp-image-58330" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-002.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-002-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-002-768x510.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-know-how-you-grow">1. Know how you grow</h2>



<p>We all know that plants need water to survive, but how much they need depends on the type of plants, the ground conditions in your garden to start with and the weather conditions you&#8217;re faced with, so understanding these three elements is a great place to start.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-right-plant-right-place">2. Right plant, right place</h2>



<p>If your garden is prone to drying out quickly (or, you’re typically away a lot over the drier months) consider using plants that are adapted for drier conditions:</p>



<ul>
<li>Not all plants need the same amount of water – for example, Mediterranean style planting – Lavender, Nepeta, regional herbs and the like are often typified by lighter green and silvery foliage. This reflects adaptations the plants develop to help them retain moisture and reflect heat.</li>



<li>Plants lose moisture through their leaves during photosynthesis (it’s also a by-product of respiration) and during dry or windy conditions the rate of this process increases. If your garden is exposed, consider creating wind breaks or moving pots to a more sheltered spot while you’re away.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-bottom-up">3. Bottom up</h2>



<ul>
<li>If you know your garden soil tends to dry out quickly, incorporating materials rich in organic matter such as compost of leaf mould can improve its structure and its ability to hold what moisture it gets.</li>



<li>Mulching around your planting (best done when the soil is damp already) with similar materials to the above also helps retain moisture and slow its loss through evaporation from the soil surface.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="788" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-005.jpg" alt="Geranium Pelargonium in a teapot garden ideas" class="wp-image-58332" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-005.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-005-300x236.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-005-768x605.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-pot-on">4. Pot on</h2>



<p>When you use pots, the plants in them are totally reliant on you for their water and nutrition needs. When considering using them:</p>



<ul>
<li>Go as large as you can fit or afford to maximise the water holding space. &nbsp;</li>



<li>If you have a lot of pots, consider grouping them together to create a microclimate.&nbsp; Here plants can create a small, localised difference in climate conditions (for example, increasing atmospheric moisture levels immediately around their little group and reducing leaf water loss as a result).</li>



<li>Terracotta pots look the part but they are porous and moisture leaches out and evaporates from the surface.&nbsp; Consider, other non-porous materials and use a ‘puddling’ method of watering or maintaining grouped pots:&nbsp; Fill a large shallow container (a gro-bag tray is perfect) and place as many pots as will fit in it as you can.&nbsp; The plants will soak up water as they need it over a period of time.&nbsp; Watering them first will help it last longer.</li>



<li>A layer of mulch is also a good idea in pots and can provide some extra nutrients at the same time.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-not-making-a-splash">5. (Not) making a splash</h2>



<p>If you know you’re going to need a bit of help keeping things going in case of dry weather while you’re away (I don’t tend to advocate planting that requires long term irrigation as a matter of course) you might want to invest in a timed, drip irrigation system.&nbsp;This clever bit of kit that attaches to your outdoor tap (or, preferably, a collected rain water source) and set with a timer to water your garden at the most efficient time of day (to minimise evaporation) with the least amount of water required. &nbsp;</p>



<p>It’s basically a bit of leaky hose positioned around your planting that trickles water to where it’s needed at the base of your plants.&nbsp; You can also run micro-irrigation fittings off the same system to put into your pots and smaller planting areas to cover all the angles.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-004.jpg" alt="Watering cans hangin up" class="wp-image-58334" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-004.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-004-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/HP-GARDENING-MAY-004-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-rain-planters">6. Rain Planters</h2>



<p>I <em>might</em> just have mentioned these before?!&nbsp; Resilience is built right in.&nbsp; These are effectively large pots but, built and planted to cope with through-flow of large amounts of water direct from your down pipe and periods of time when they don’t really get much water at all.<br>So, even if it doesn’t rain when you’re away, they typically will have some retained moisture and plants in them can cope for longer periods of time than regular pots.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-things-you-may-need-to-consider">Other things you may need to consider</h2>



<p>Even if you’ve spent a few quid on some clever new, drought tolerant planting, here’s the rub:&nbsp; All plants, even those specifically designed to handle dry spells are going to need some watering in the first year or so until they get established. Every plant needs to build a strong root network in order to survive and thrive.&nbsp; In the case of drought tolerant plants, this is extra important as they look to extract even the smallest amount of moisture deep down.</p>



<p><br>So, if you’ve been future savvy and still find yourself in this situation, don’t panic – you could employ a temporary irrigation systems (the leaky pipe method can be just that – an old hosepipe attached to a timer) or, indeed, a local teen!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-ahead">Looking ahead:</h2>



<p>Holidays or no holidays, building up your garden&#8217;s reserves of collected rain water is going to be an important part of keeping the lush gardens we’ve grown familiar with, green.</p>



<p>Climate change is bringing more extreme weather patterns and as gardeners we need to think about how we can adapt our planting, gardening styles and expectations to meet the challenges ahead. &nbsp;</p>



<p><em>If you’d like advice on how to make your garden more climate resilient, get in touch</em> <em>with Hannah at <a href="https://www.hpgardendesign.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HP Garden Design</a>. &nbsp;</em></p>


How to holiday proof your garden

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