Water wisdom

Water-saving measures don’t have to be complicated, as the simplest tricks can help your plants

- TOBY BUCKLAND

THE text message from Jan read “I’ve got news!”, which made me wonder if she’d discovered a rune-covered scroll explaining the meaning of life. But no, Jan’s news was that she’d installed a water butt to her shed.

My first thought was to warn her that competition for the film rights would be cutthroat, but instead I replied, “Good on you!” Collecting rainwater at the back end of a drought might feel like closing the gate after the horse has bolted, but when it comes to making our gardens climate-change resilient you’ve got to start somewhere.

I’ve been striving to do just that for some time. For example, I am an avid mulcher of composted stuff from the heap, as well as freshly cut prunings, leaves, twigs and spent flowers swept from paths. Some might question the wisdom of this ‘lazy’ technique, saying that slugs will hide among this litter, but I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference, except to the health of the plants.