Tips for reducing water usage
• Recycle as much water as possible, from washing salads, rinsing dishes, and the stuff that runs out of the hot tap while you're waiting for it to warm up
•Install water butts under downpipes on the house, garage and greenhouse
• Enrich the soil with lots of water-holding organic material
•Mulch the soil, but make sure it is damp first
• When planting in containers, use larger pots and group them together to create a more moist microclimate. Lone pots marooned on hot pavements "sweat" a lot of water
• If you must water, do so early in the morning, or in the evening when there is less evaporation
• Don't water the lawn. Keep the water for vegetables and young plants
• Don't cut the lawn short. Longer grass (a couple of inches) protects the roots from drying out
• Grow plants that suit your soil
• Smaller plants establish more readily, and with less watering than larger ones
• Finish planting in the next couple of weeks, while the weather is cooler
• Plant as closely as possible, so that the soil is not exposed
• When watering, soak the soil thoroughly so that the moisture seeps down, instead of permeating just the top few centimetres. This encourages roots to travel downwards, where they may find more constant moisture