Leading garden designer, Andrew fisher Tomlin, shows how to beat the hosepipe ban

International garden designer Andrew Fisher Tomlin has reacted to the news of a hosepipe ban from April 5th with some positive ideas for ensuring our plants and gardens get through the drought and continue to thrive.

Fisher Tomlin said “Our company designs and builds gardens in many parts of the world where rainfall is sporadic and we can’t rely from year to year how much rain will come. So we’ve become experts in waterwise planting design not just on hot islands but back here with our garden designs in the UK.”

Andrew’s top tips are:

1. Water correctly – get the water to the plant at the base near to the roots rather than just spraying over the foliage.
2. Water at the right time – evening and very early morning before the sun is up are ideal.
3. Recycle washing up water, a bowl of warm water for a tree can work wonders.
4. Store water - get a water butt to store excess water when it does rain.
5. Plant the right plants – those with silver and pale grey narrow foliage like Lavender, Rosemary and Perovskia are excellent, as are conifers and grasses.
6. Plant in a waterwise way – close together to get a good root system going.
7. Mulch with bark mulch to conserve water in the ground.

A few simple measures can make sure your garden looks as good as last year with less watering.