At Jacks Garden Store we are an Eco-friendly bunch! We are always looking to share new ideas and tips on how to take care of your garden and environment. Today we will look at watering your garden.

Now that the summer has finally arrived and we are receiving some long awaited good weather our gardens may be beginning to suffer slightly. You may have noticed that during the hot and dry weather your plants begin to wilt and cannot survive without regular garden watering.

Before you reach for the hose pipe or sprinkler please read my top tips on watering your garden in an environmentally friendly way!

Water Butts

Water butts collect rainwater that can be used to water your garden during dry spells. Investing in a water butt is a great idea as they will last you a lifetime and provide great water storage. You can use buckets and other items such as ice-cream tubs to collect rainwater as well. Watering your garden with this water is fantastic for both your garden and the environment!

Brown Water

Brown water is the term used for water collected from the house e.g. bath water or washing up water. Brown water can be used on any part of your garden that is inedible. It shouldn’t be used on vegetable patches, herb gardens or fruit trees. Using brown water is incredibly good for the environment as large amounts of water used during a bath are being instantly re-used. If you use an environmentally friendly form of washing up liquid this will be better for your garden than a chemical mainstream type.

Use Mulch

Mulch in a flower bed or garden planter will help your soil to retain more water thus reducing the amount of watering your garden requires.

Drip irrigation

A drip irrigation system can be set up throughout your flower beds or around your greenhouse to give your plants the optimum amount of water throughout the day. Irrigation systems water your plants at the base which is exactly where a plant should receive water so that it is quickly absorbed by the roots. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way of watering your garden with the least amount of water wasted. The only downside to this type of watering is that it can be expensive to set up and if you have a large garden pretty impractical.

Hoses and Sprinklers

If you do choose to use a sprinkler or hose system to water your garden, please make sure you do so sparingly. Water your garden either first thing or last thing at night not during the day when a lot of the water will be lost through evaporation. Do not keep your sprinkler on for any longer than required as excess water will simply run off of your lawn and be wasted.

For more great gardening ideas and advice visit my blog at Jacks Garden Store.

Good Luck

Gardener Jack!

Solar Fountains – Are they the way forward?

A solar fountain does exactly what it says on the tin! It is powered by the sun and allows you to have the relaxing sound of flowing water in your garden without any requirement for electricity.

How it works?

Each fountain has solar panels which enable it to capture the sun’s energy and use this to power the water through the fountain jet. As no electricity is required, so no cables or power cords have to be used. This will save you money in the long run. Always place your solar panel in a spot where it will receive lots of direct sunlight. The solar panel in most cases is separate to your fountain so you can even enjoy a solar fountain indoors as long as you position the solar panel in direct sunlight.

Spray heights of your solar powered water feature will vary from 12cm to 2.5 metres. The most popular types of solar fountains currently on the market are the floating solar fountain, the solar pond fountain, the solar wall fountain and the solar birdbath.

If we look firstly at the floating solar fountain, this is an extremely unique product. The fountain floats around your pond on its own individual lily pad. The pump sprays the water pretty high in the air and will definitely catch any guest’s attention.

The solar bird bath fountain creates a lovely splashing sound in your bird bath which attracts birds to your garden. For every avid bird watcher this product is a must. However do note that whilst the fountain is in use you must never allow the water pump to run dry, this will mean checking the bird bath especially on those hot summers days to ensure there are sufficient water levels.

Benefits of solar fountains

Solar fountains can be used virtually anywhere as long as the solar panel is positioned in direct sunlight and add beauty to your garden. You do not need to consider proximity to a power source, which is great for those with larges gardens. Solar fountains are environmentally friendly and need very little maintenance. The panel itself has no moving parts and the energy source it generates has no emissions, no fuel or no noise.

Downfalls or drawbacks

As with any product unfortunately there are always a few drawbacks which need to be considered. On a cloudy day some solar fountains may not work or when they do are incredibly slow. The best way to resolve this is to purchase a solar pump. These pumps are able to store energy and can be used when the fountain itself is running low on reserves. More and more manufacturers are now including the pump with the solar fountain kit.

Jacks top tip! : In order to get the most out of your solar water feature, position the solar panel so that it is north facing.

Gardener Jack