Eco gardening tips

Alison Patel writes: All gardeners want to make sure they are doing their utmost to care for the environment and one expert has suggested it can be easier than people might imagine.

Rachel de Thame suggested being an eco-gardener is "usually based on common sense and working with local growing conditions".

Writing in the Times, Ms De Thame explained that eco-aware gardening can help consumers cut costs as "reusing and recycling" are the eco-warrior's buzzwords.

Water conservation is an important activity for the eco-gardener and she advised that gardeners should use water butts to collect rainwater.

Bath water can be recycled Ms De Thame encouraged gardeners to adopt an approach of "watering
generously only when absolutely necessary", rather than "little and often".

Mulching is also suggested as a means of retaining moisture in the soil.

Ensuring plants are placed in the right area of the garden will mean they need minimal watering.

Other advice from the expert includes not using peat, recycling garden waste, reusing non- biodegradable products and minimising the use of chemicals.

The Royal Horticultural Society has advised that closed drain pipes can have a "rain water diverter kit" attached to them to help gardeners with conservation.

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