Gardening Advice, News & Offers
Top Tips for Customers ahead of the Housepipe Ban
We have been lucky enough to enjoy some beautiful Summer weather this year, some days have even been a little too warm! However, during July we have only had 8% of average rainfall for the month, with the long-term forecast for August and September is for similar weather.
Unfortunately for residents living in the South East, they are now subject to a house pipe and sprinkler ban, which starts from Friday 12th August. South East Water have issued a statement around the ban, saying “The demand for water this summer has broken all previous records, including the Covid lockdown heatwave. We have been left with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers from 0001 on Friday 12 August within our Kent and Sussex supply area until further notice.”
“Water butts are a great way to collect recover and store large quantities of rainwater. If you’ve not got a water butt at home, it is worth investing in, as it is highly likely we’re only going to see more hosepipe bans in the future due to the hotter weather.
“Gel granules are excellent for water retention and a great way of reducing the frequency in which you have to water your plants and they are also extremely eco-friendly.
Polhill is not affected by the hosepipe ban itself, however, we’ve already not been watering non-essential areas, such as by the restaurant gardens, in order to save water. We’re only looking to keep ‘essential’ planting areas watered, and, due to the hosepipe ban being announced, these will be watered less regularly.
Josh Novell, director at Polhill Garden Centre, has recommended using water butts, gel granules, bark or mulch, and drought-tolerant plants. He said: “As we know, there is a hosepipe ban coming and we’ve had lots of calls from customers concerned about what to do with their gardens. However, there are lots of things people can do to help their gardens during these hot summer weeks.”
“Using bark or mulch is good as it can help reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation by up to 75 per cent as it shades the soil from the hot sun. It also insulates the soil and keep the roots of the plants at a constant temperature.
If you are re-filling a container or have a space in a border, you can also opt for drought-tolerant plants in your garden, meaning they will not suffer from the hot weather. Plants such as lavender, verbena and sedums are all great choices, they are also super bee friendly too!
