Garden Help
Here are a few tips to consider if you’re headed out of town (and away from your garden) on a summer getaway.
If you are headed out of town for a long weekend or a summer vacation, you may want to ask someone to water trees, shrubs and perennials that were planted this past spring or last fall, containers and any plants that you've found typically need extra watering in your climate.
Follow these tips to get the most out of your garden helper:
- Walk the garden with your helper before you leave. Show them which plants to water and how much you would typically water. Go over spigot locations, hoses, wands, watering cans, etc.
- In addition to pointing them out, flag the plants you expect watered. Place a landscaper's flag or golf tee next to each, tie a ribbon around a branch of each, or devise some other kind of marker.
- Group containers together—including hanging baskets—to be sure none are forgotten. Moving container plantings into a shaded location will help conserve moisture. Applying mulch to the top of the soil now (if you didn't at planting time) will also help conserve moisture. Taking hanging baskets down to ground level will also protect them in case of high winds.
- Leave equipment readily available in an agreed-upon place, whether the hose and watering wand are hooked up to the spigot or stored in the shed.
Meghan ShinnAuthor
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