Drooping Daisies And Wilting Wisteria: The Realities Of Leaving Your Garden Alone

Any keen gardener will know how this goes. You go away for a week, and you come back to a drooping or even dead garden. Sure, you could get a friend in to take care of things. But, can you really trust them? There’s no telling how your garden will look when you get back! Especially if you don’t have any green thumb friends to turn to.

Instead, you turn down those life-changing vacations. You have responsibilities. Let the family go without you. You’re doing it for the greater good. Or, are you? Is it really such a sure thing your garden will droop without you here? We don’t think so. Plenty of avid gardeners manage to keep on top of things when they go away. You could do the same, and here’s how.

Automate watering

The main reason for drooping is a lack of water. So, the first thing you need to focus on is taking care of this. There are many options that allow you to automate the process. Most notably, water irrigation allows you to work with a watering schedule you won’t need to think twice about. And, that’s not your only choice. Even people working with standard sprinkler systems can set up timers. Either way, watering shouldn’t be a worry.

Know the weather forecast

You also need to check the weather for the time you’re away. As a garden person, it’s likely you’re already in this habit. But, it’s especially important when you aren’t going to be around for a while. After all, you can’t just check the day before and take action. To make this work, you need to take action a week or so ahead. Look out for any extremes, like wind, or hot spells. These warning signs will dictate how you prepare.

Batten down the hatches

If it’s going to be windier than usual, you might want to batten down the hatches. That could mean taking potted plants inside so they don’t fall over, or protecting seedlings with a covering before you head off. In extreme cases, you may even want to provide splints for certain tall plants. All this will ensure that delicate grows aren’t damaged in your absence. It’s a step worth taking because, if anything were to happen to them, you can be sure they’d droop by the time you got back.

Make a mulch

Equally, if it’s set to be sunnier than usual, you might want to make mulch to help keep moisture contained. One daily watering might not be enough to keep plants hydrated through extreme heat. Instead, a simple mulch of leaves or bark would help to keep moisture in your soil. All you would need to do is cover the ground around your vulnerable plants in a layer of this before leaving. Bear in mind that this isn’t a miracle cure. Your plants may still wilt with the sun beating on them all day. But, they shouldn’t be beyond help by the time you get back.