Heading abroad? Maintain your garden while on holiday

Heading abroad? Maintain your garden while on holiday

The summer is a brilliant time for gardeners as it provides plenty of opportunity to step outside and get involved with the things you love - namely the growing of plants, flowers, fruits and veg. However, there is a time when a summer holiday with the family rolls around, or when you need to travel away for a little while for whatever reason, and this can prove quite problematic for many gardeners. There are fears of flowers and plants frazzling in the heat, fruits and vegetables dying away, and lawns looking unkempt and out of shape.

As far as garden furniture is concerned, provided you’ve chosen quality furniture that is specifically designed and manufactured for garden-use, there will be no problem on that front.

But, when it comes to nature, things can prove problematic while you’re on holiday, so what measures can be taken to ensure your garden joys are protected until you return? 

Here are a few handy ways to make sure your garden is in the best state possible during your time away:

Ask the neighbour(s)

If you have a neighbour, friend or family-member who are happy to help, this could be a godsend! Ask them, in the politest way possible, if they’d be willing to water your plants while you’re away. If this is somebody who can pop in on a daily basis, even better! 

Finding a fellow gardener would beneficial as the favour can be reciprocated when they happen to be away. You could always offer to reward them with some of your very own home-grown vegetables or cut them a selection of the beautiful flowers they’ve helped maintain for you.

Place containers close together

Patio containers can be extremely difficult to sustain if you go on holiday and have nobody you can rely on to regularly water them. Add some slow-release water granules to the compost when planting, and ensure they receive a good soaking just prior to you leaving. Place them in saucers out of direct sunshine and huddle them close together. This will help create a microclimate and increase humidity.

When looking for a shaded area to place them in, try not to choose an area that’s right next to the house. This is because if it happens to rain you’ll want them exposed to it, and next to a house with an overhang will often prevent the rain from reaching them properly.

Remove hanging baskets

Hanging baskets look beautiful when blooming and on display, but while you’re away they are the most vulnerable containers because they dry out extremely quickly. If you can’t find someone to water them regularly (ideally twice a day in the summer) then take them down and dig a hole to place them in with a shady border and give the basket and surrounding soil plenty of water before you leave. 

Purchase and install an irrigation system

An irrigation system will assess the soil dryness and can tell when plants or flowers need moisture. Many of the systems can even be controlled by an app on your mobile phone, with high-tech sensors doing all of the work, helping bring your garden maintenance into the digital world - but most of all keeping a close check on your pride and joy!

So, now that you’re equipped with a few handy tips you can go on holiday feeling a little better about what you may find in the garden upon your return! Here at Barbed, we offer a whole host of outdoor furniture and accessories, from dining tables and garden armchairs, to storage solutions and all in between, so why not browse our collections online or pop into one of our London showrooms?

3rd August 2018

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