I’m going on vacation for 12 days. I’ve arranged for a pet sitter, stopped the paper and put my lamps on timers. But what about my garden? It’s gonna be in the 80s and 90s while I’m gone. Will it survive? (I’m planning on it!)
It’s easier to water containers when they’re grouped like this. Place them in the shade, and they’ll need less water.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Before you go on vacation, give your plants a good long drink.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Here’s my situation: I have lots of established trees and shrubs in my garden, but all the perennials and annuals are new. Many of the perennials are valuable, hard-to-find plants that I don’t want to lose. We’re new to the neighborhood and don’t know any other “plant geeks” who can look after the garden while we’re away.
My solution is to prioritize plants – in this order:
Why save them first? They’re more expensive to replace, and they form the backbone of the garden. Fortunately, I don’t have any newly planted trees or shrubs, so I’m in good shape there. But if I did have “newbies,” I’d water them THOROUGHLY before leaving town, leaving timed sprinklers on for hours at a time. (Speaking very generally, trees and shrubs need about an inch of water every week.)
Like shrubs and trees, these are more expensive to replace than other plants, and I’ve focused on adding these to my garden this year. There are too many flower beds to ask someone else to water, so what can I do? Just as with the trees and shrubs, I’ll water these plants thoroughly before I leave town. It takes two to three days to water everything, so I’ll start watering three days before leaving town.
All my containers are going into two groups, so the pet sitter can easily water them every two days and they’ll survive. I’ll move all the small pots into the shade so they’ll need less water. The big pots are too heavy to move far, but I’ll group them as much as possible. And, of course, I’ll water them all thoroughly before I leave. (Do you sense a theme there?) I’m saving my container plantings rather than the annuals because I’ve invested more in them from an artistic sense. Containers take some finesse to plant and maintain – I don’t want to lose them! (Plus, I can corral ’em.)
Annuals are pretty – and inexpensive. I’ve never done the math, but I’ve often wondered if it’s cheaper to buy midsummer annuals than to try to save some of the unfortunates that I planted in early spring. Either way, I’m prepared to sacrifice the annuals. I’m gonna let these plants fend for themselves and see what we come home to. (You never know – they might just make it.)
I don’t usually go out of town for a long period in the summer like this. If I did, I’d plan and plant my garden differently. For example, I might group plants according to their water needs. (This follows one of the principles of Xeriscaping.) I’d find a trusted neighbor kid to water. And I might buy a timer for automatic watering. In the end, you just have to do whatever fits into your lifestyle. My plants don’t get to go on vacation, so it’s up to me to make sure they keep thriving the best they can while I’m away. (And if they’re “good” while I’m gone, maybe I’ll bring them back a souvenir.)
