It’s finally time to get back into the garden! But don’t reach for your hosepipe just yet. There are plenty of ways to rejuvenate your green space after the long dark winter months without drastically increasing your water usage. After all, the last thing we need is a huge water bill or water scarcity to occur after the events of the last couple of years. So, instead of worrying about how you’re going to avoid the paddling pool in summer, start implementing our water saving ideas for the garden in spring. Leaving you plenty of time to make any adjustments.
Self-watering devices in your flower beds
If you’re using water in your garden, it’s more than likely associated with your flowers and plants. Even if your green space consists of a small flower box in the window or a few houseplants, it’s easy to over-water plants. Not only are you wasting water but you’re killing them too. Over-watering a plant is the most common reason for it to die. So, relax with your hosepipe for a minute and listen up!
Self-watering devices are invaluable when it comes to water saving ideas for the garden (and your houseplants). Pop them in the soil nearby to the roots and fill them up, then the plant can take as much or as little as they need. Save time, save water, save your plants from a watery-grave (literally!).

Using a water butt
Here’s where we call for some investment. If you have the space, purchase a water butt. We cannot tell you how essential they are in a British garden. We all know that when summer rolls around, we’ll have a week of beautiful sunshine and then a horrendous downpour. By installing a water butt you can collect all the water to use in your garden. This reduces your water consumption the following week to a tidy 0L (and even further if you’re not watering too many plants regularly).
Water butts come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you don’t have a large garden, grab a small one to sit outside your door or on a balcony – you could even try to attach one to your windowsill. That way you have plenty of water for bushes, shrubs, and any smaller houseplants – including the tiny ones in the bathroom.

Increase the height of your grass
Yes, that’s right, for a healthy lawn try not to cut it. When a lawn is allowed to grow, the roots reach deeper into the soil to give them a stronger foundation. It helps the grass stand strong, but it also means they end up reaching more nutrients lower down in the soil. Meaning that when that downpour happens and sinks into the earth, your lawn is still able to reach it days later, allowing it to thrive longer.
If you’re one for cutting your grass weekly, reduce this. For a healthy fresh look with a strong root, your grass will want to grow to at least 10cm before it needs cutting. We’re not saying you need to get your ruler from your child’s pencil case, but take a break from mowing the lawn so you need less water for it to look healthy – remember a brown lawn isn’t dying!

Water saving ideas for the garden: Add mulch
If you’re an avid gardener then you may already be investing in compost for your soil, but what about mulch? Mulch transformed the look and the health of our gardens a long time ago. It’s the perfect tool for locking in that moisture and slowly releasing it into your flower’s beds. Combining this with your self-watering device and a water butt and you’ll need to sell your hosepipe!

Be wild with your lawn: opt for something water-less
We mentioned it earlier, but lawns can go brown. Don’t panic, it’s not dying. In the UK you’d really struggle to kill off your lawn. But if you’re worried, why not try a low-water lawn that thrives in hot and dry conditions. Meaning they stay green under pressure keeping your garden picture perfect during the height of summer. Here are a couple of lawn examples that stay green with little maintenance:
- Eco-Lawn seed. Plant, grow and forget. This grass rarely (if ever) needs watering and will remain green all year-round.
- Pearl’s Premium. From the US, this grass rarely needs watering, cutting and needs no chemicals to help grow from seed.
- Clover lawns. Minimal watering, minimal cutting, no chemicals, boosts wildlife, will out-compete weeds for space, does not discolour from dog urine.
These three lawns all have their benefits. It depends how eco you want your lawn to be as to which you pick, but all will significantly reduce your water usage in the garden.
Now you have plenty of water saving ideas for the garden to tackle this spring, there’s no excuse to bring out the hosepipe in the summer. You can keep your garden looking luscious and green without the need for water from your home. It’s just a case of clever sourcing and setting yourself up for success. How will you use these water saving ideas for the garden in your green space?