Greener garden choices

Water is a precious commodity and one we should always use wisely in the garden.

Using rainwater on your plants is better for the environment, better for your wallet, and here in East Anglia with our hard limescaley tap water, it is also better for the health of your plants too, particularly those in pots.

Don’t wait too late into summer to fit water butts - you need some rain first to get them filled for those hot, dry spells!

Put saucers under pots in summertime to stop water escaping away out the bottom, and add bark to stop it evaporating from the top.

Except when newly planted - and during heatwaves - plants in borders shouldn’t ever need watering. If they do it is a sign they are in the wrong place.

If you don’t have any areas of naturally damp soil to move them to, light shade can reduce the strain instead.

• For drought-tolerant  plants take a trip to   Katie’s Garden Plant Centre