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How to look after your garden on holiday

Going away doesn’t have to mean coming home to wilted plants. From watering containers to caring for hanging baskets and houseplants, these practical tips will help keep your garden healthy while you’re away

Going away on holiday should be a chance to relax, not spend two weeks worrying about thirsty containers, wilting tomatoes or dried-up hanging baskets. During warm weather, gardens can change surprisingly quickly, especially plants growing in pots. Fortunately, a few simple steps before you leave can make all the difference, helping your garden cope while you’re away.

Quick checklist before you leave

• Move portable pots into shade
• Deadhead faded flowers
• Water thoroughly on the morning you leave
• Set up houseplants with capillary matting
• Ask someone to water if you’re away for more than a few days

1. Recruit a holiday waterer

The most reliable solution is to ask someone you trust to keep an eye on your garden while you’re away. Ask them to focus on containers, hanging baskets, vegetables and any newly planted trees or shrubs, as these dry out much faster than established plants.

2. Relocate and group containers

Container plants are usually the first casualties of the summer holidays. Pots and hanging baskets dry out much faster than plants growing in the ground because they hold far less moisture.

• Move to the shade: Shift portable containers into a shaded, sheltered position out of direct afternoon sun to slow down moisture loss.
• Cluster them together: Group pots tightly to create a humid microclimate that naturally reduces evaporation.
• Create a water reserve: Water deeply before departure and place pots on shallow saucers to hold a temporary water reserve. 
• Create temporary shade: If a container is too heavy to move, shield it using large garden prunings or taller potted plants to reduce the intensity of the midday sun. 

Grouping containers together in a shaded, sheltered spot helps slow moisture loss and keeps plants cooler during hot weather

3. Give hanging baskets special care

Hanging baskets dry out faster than any other container due to wind exposure. If you are leaving for more than a few days, take them down entirely to help them survive. 

• Ground level: Place them on on the ground in total shade.
• Water reservoirs: Stand the baskets inside buckets or large saucers filled with water. 
• Prune and revive: Strip away all faded flowers. If the basket is looking leggy, do not be afraid to cut it back quite hard; with a watering and liquid feed upon your return, many basket plants will produce fresh growth and flower late into summer.

4. Protect tomatoes and edible crops

Tomatoes are incredibly demanding in summer and highly susceptible to blossom end rot – a dark, sunken patch on the base of the fruit caused by inconsistent moisture levels. 

• Harvest early: Pick all ripe and ripening fruit so the plant redirects its energy entirely toward survival. 
• Water deeply at the roots: Give the roots a long, deep soak right before you lock up. 
• Future planning: If you travel frequently during summer, refer to the vegetable watering guide for tips on setting up deep rooting environments, or choose smaller-fruited varieties such as Tomato ‘Tumbling Tom’, which cope better with irregular watering than large beefsteak tomatoes.

5. Deadhead and lightly prune plants

Removing faded flowers and lightly trimming vigorous plants before you leave can help reduce water loss, allowing them to cope better while you’re away.

• Deadheading: Clip off all faded and fully open flowers to stop plants putting energy into producing seed and encourage fresh blooms when you return.
• Give vigorous plants a light trim: If suitable, reduce the top third of leafy, vigorous
  Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

  perennials to lower their water demand. Avoid cutting back plants that are at their peak or have only just come into flower. Similar in principle to the Chelsea Chop, the aim is simply to reduce stress rather than encourage later flowering.

Removing spent blooms before you go on holiday helps plants conserve energy and encourages fresh flowers when you return

6. Keep houseplants hydrated

Indoor plants face the same dehydration risks as outdoor pots but can easily be managed using capillary action. 

• Move away from glass: Drag houseplants away from bright, baking windowsills into a cooler, central room. Avoid leaving plants in direct sunlight while you're away, as this increases water loss dramatically.
• Capillary matting: Line your bath, kitchen sink, or draining board with damp capillary matting or wet towels. 
• Wicking moisture: Sit plastic pots directly on the wet fabric; the potting
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  compost will naturally wick up moisture through the drainage holes to keep the
  The roots and accompanying soil when a plant is removed from a container or lifted from the ground.

  rootball damp. 

7. Invest in automated drip irrigation

If you travel frequently, a timed drip irrigation system connected to an outdoor tap is a highly effective investment. These systems deliver water directly to the plants’ roots, minimising waste. 

• Automated timers: Program the system to run late at night or early in the morning to prevent evaporation. 
• Calibrate accurately: Set it to provide survival rations only, ensuring plants do not rot if substantial rainfall occurs while you’re away. 
• Explore methods: Review the garden watering methods guide to compare options such as porous seep hoses and micro-drip networks.
• Water regulations: Always check your local water provider’s guidelines regarding hosepipe bans and automated watering exemptions before installing or using automatic watering.

A drip irrigation system delivers water directly to plant roots, helping reduce waste and keep plants hydrated while you’re away

8. Revive stressed plants when you return

Don't assume a wilted plant is dead, many recover quickly once they're watered properly. Most established garden plants are remarkably resilient. 

• The submersion method: If a pot is completely dried out, top watering will just run straight down the gaps at the sides. Instead, submerge the entire pot in a bucket of water for two hours until bubbles stop rising. 
• Hydrate foliage: Mist the leaves gently to cool the plant down and reduce immediate environmental stress. 
• Prune the damage: Cut away completely dead shoots, brown leaves and ruined flowers to encourage fresh buds. 
• Acclimatise slowly: Leave recovered pots in the shade for a day or two before moving them back into full sun. For general post-drought recovery steps, check out our watering guide.

A little preparation before you leave can make all the difference. Water thoroughly, move containers into shade,

Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers from plants to encourage more blooms and prevent seed production. This helps to redirect the plant's energy into producing more flowers rather than producing seeds.

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