Water is essential for life and a precious resource. That’s why it’s so important to promote water-saving measures in the garden. With our seven tips, you can help protect the environment and make your garden climate-friendly.

Saving water starts with planning and selecting the right plants for your garden. Due to climate change, it is especially important to choose species that are drought-tolerant and require little water.

Peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, courgettes, and tomatoes are among the plants that require a lot of water to grow. Root vegetables, such as parsnips and carrots, grow deep into the soil and can still access water even when the top 10 cm of soil is dry. If you want to save water but still include thirsty varieties in your vegetable garden, opt for plants with smaller fruits. They require less water for fruit production compared to large-fruited varieties. Smaller fruits are particularly flavoursome.

Among ornamental plants, some species need a lot of water whilst others are content with less. Hydrangeas (Hydrangea), phlox, and larkspur (Delphinium) require regular watering, while tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata), baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata), and white gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) can withstand dry periods well. You can often tell if plants are climate-resilient by their appearance: densely hairy leaves, such as those of lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina), reduce evaporation, as do the water-storing leaves of orpine (Hylotelephium telephium). Small-leaved plants like thyme are also well adapted to drought.

How much water is needed depends not only on the plants but also on the soil type and weather conditions. Deep, sandy-loamy, or clay soils require less watering than soils with a high sand content. How quickly water evaporates from the soil depends on the temperature. The warmer it is, the faster it evaporates. Wind can also dry out soil, while fog in the air reduces evaporation.

If you’re unsure how dry the soil is, a spade can help. Insert the spade blade into the soil next to a plant and push it slightly aside. This allows you to see and feel whether the soil in the root zone is still moist.

The best water for watering plants is rainwater. It’s not as cold as tap water, contains little lime, and therefore doesn’t affect the soil’s pH level or nutrient content. If barrels are placed under a rain gutter, you can collect up to 10 cubic metres of rainwater from a small roof area of just 12 square metres. Larger amounts can be stored in cisterns. These underground water tanks come in a variety of sizes and materials, including brick, stone, or polyethylene.

The best time to water is early in the morning when plants can absorb the most. It’s better to water infrequently but thoroughly: around 10 – 20 litres of water per square metre is recommended for each watering session. Depending on the plants, soil, and weather conditions, this amount can last for several days. Always water at the root zone to ensure it reaches where it’s needed most. You can read more about proper garden watering here.

For smaller areas, a watering can is great but the GardenPump from Bosch makes it more convenient. It allows you to easily pump water from a rain barrel or cistern and water with the Fontus comfortably using collected water. Even more convenient and water-efficient is an automatic irrigation system. There are fully automated systems controlled by moisture sensors. Particularly interesting are drip irrigation systems, where hoses are laid above or below ground and release water drop by drop through small openings.

Remembering to focus on watering your favourite plants that need extra care can take time. This can be easily done with a homemade mini-irrigation system. Repurposed plastic bottles work well: cut off the bottom of the bottle, insert the neck as deeply as possible into the soil near the plant’s roots, and pour water into the large opening. A particularly stylish option is ollas, clay water dispensers that you can also make yourself.

Mulching involves covering the soil between plants during the growing season to retain moisture. Ideally, you can use garden waste such as grass clippings, leaves, or plant remnants as a mulch layer. Straw, bark mulch, or miscanthus mulch are also effective. Mulching protects the soil from evaporation, drying out, and crusting. An additional benefit is that you don’t need to hoe or water as frequently. 

There are also special mulch films, fleeces, and woven ground covers made of plastic. These products are water-permeable and, if handled carefully, can last for several years. However, for the sake of the environment, it’s better to opt for biodegradable materials, such as those made from corn starch, lactic acid, or cellulose.

Lawns, in particular, suffer from drought. If not watered, the grass quickly turns yellow. In such cases, using a mulching mower is worthwhile. This type of lawnmower is especially valuable in summer. During intense heat and dry conditions, the soil loses more water through evaporation after mowing, especially if the grass is cut too short. A mulching mower, however, finely chops the cut grass and spreads it across the lawn, slowing down evaporation.

Your garden paths and seating areas also play an important role in the sustainability of your garden. Ensure that you don’t unnecessarily seal large areas, as water needs to be able to drain into the ground. If it can’t, heavy rainfall will wash away the soil, leading to erosion. 

Place stepping stones with gaps into a bed of gravel and sand: stable joints that are 1 cm wide can allow over 50% of rainwater to drain on the spot. On main pathways, grass pavers, lawn-jointed paving stones, or even simple gravel allow rainwater to penetrate the soil. Classic and highly effective options include grass pathways.

If you'd like to know more about when to carry out specific gardening tasks, you can find the right times to do the important activities in our garden calendar.