Dimmock advice to beat drought

The whole of the South East and East Anglia are officially in drought after two unusually dry winters, and last week the Environment Agency said parts of Yorkshire were now also suffering from drought conditions.

Seven water companies are bringing in water restrictions that will affect 20 million people across the south and east of England from Thursday, ahead of the Easter weekend, which is a popular time for gardening.

Thames Water said its hosepipe ban, which will apply to 8.8 million customers, was about prioritising the most important uses of water and made it less likely tougher restrictions, for example on businesses, would be needed later in the year.

Richard Aylard, the company’s sustainability director, said “keeping everyone’s kitchen and bathroom taps supplied has to take precedence over manicured lawns”, warning that running a sprinkler for an hour used as much water as a family of four required in a day.

To help gardeners beat the dry weather, Dimmock is suggesting drought-resistant plants such as lavender and bergenia, as well as watering plants in the morning or evening so that less water evaporates and more gets to the plant.

And she said gardeners should not worry about lawns, which go brown quickly but recover as soon as it rains, or well-established plants which will be able to use their roots to find their own water.

She urged gardeners to be responsible and considerate