How to keep your outdoor plants alive while you're on a summer holiday

your mind. Truth is, the summer months are an important time for our plants. But planning ahead can keep your plants safe and sound. Here are the basics:

• Give your plants a thorough drink before you go
• Fertilise and prune your plants to conserve their energy
• Charm friends and family into babysitting duties
• Use some clever DIY watering methods
• Invest in irrigation systems for longer trips

Pampering your plants before you set off helps them relax while you're away. The most important thing is to thoroughly water all of your outdoor plants just before you leave, especially any plants in pots.

Your plants also need plenty of energy, so give them a dose of fertiliser about a week before your holiday. Deadheading spent flowers, trimming away dying leaves, and pulling up any nearby weeds also help your plants to conserve energy and water.

If you're only going away for a few days, this should keep your plants perfectly perky.

Asking friends or family to lend a helping hand is the easiest way to keep your plants watered. Your garden babysitter doesn't even need to be an expert. If they can pop round once or twice a week to give your plants a quick drink, that'll be more than enough.

But if you can't find someone to look in on your outdoor plants, you need to take matters into your own hands. Depending on how long you're away, there are a few tricks you can use to keep your plants topped up.

A week off is always music to our ears. But a week without watering can really affect your outdoor plants. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to keep your plants happy.

Grouping your potted plants together is an easy way to preserve water. Think of it as a garden party for your plants. They'll be sharing a few drinks in their own little microclimate.

Move the group into a shaded space. By staying out of the sun, your plants won't lose as much moisture through evaporation. Popping some saucers or terracotta trays underneath the pots helps your plants make the most of any excess water.

If it's really hot, there's an ingenious way to drip-feed water to your potted plants. It's called the capillary method. All you need is a bucket full of water and some cloth strips. Dip one end of the cloth deep into the bucket and hold it down with a stone. Position the bucket so that it's above your plant and tuck the dry end of the strip down into the soil.

As the cloth gradually gets soaked it'll slowly wick the water down to the roots of your plant. Using several strips lets you nourish multiple plants with one bucket.

If you're away for more than a week, having someone pop round to babysit your plants is still the best option. But if that isn't possible, here's what else you can do.

If you don't have room for a greenhouse, you can improvise one. Grab a big clear plastic bag and lay a slightly wet towel in the bottom. Then pop your potted plants inside. Puff up the bag with some air and tie it shut.

As water evaporates, it'll collect on the sides of the bag and trickle back down onto your plants. Place the bag out of direct sunlight, otherwise you'll come home to a bunch of burnt plants.

You can also invest in sprinklers, irrigation systems, or self-watering pots. Although they're expensive and take up a lot of room, they're also pretty effective. But if you don't have the space or the budget, there is a DIY alternative.

Fashion some large plastic bottles into a makeshift irrigation setup. Screw the tops on tight and cut off the bottom quarter of the bottle to make a well. Then prick some tiny holes into the collar and stick the bottle cap first into the plant pot or soil.

Once you pour water into the bottle, it'll gradually trickle out of the holes and down to the roots. For bigger pots or vegetable beds, use multiple bottles to provide plenty of water.

With just a few simple actions, you can keep your outdoor plants hydrated and happy - so neither of you will have to compromise on switched-off sunbathing. Add these steps to your pre-holiday checklist and your outdoor plants will do just fine.