In a perfect world, we’d all have really good neighbours who we could trust with our holiday plant care. Someone who knows everything about gardening and plants. You’d be able to sail off into the sunset, knowing they would talk to your plants every day. Water and tend them so that when you came back everything looked just as you’d left it…
Meanwhile, in the real world, we’re just grateful that someone is kind enough to keep an eye on our best blooms! Here are some tips to make their holiday plant care go with a swing.
Our Holiday Plant Care Tips and Tricks
Coming on holiday to the Fylde Coast? Or dashing off somewhere else? Here are some of our holiday plant care tips and tricks.
It’s always going to be helpful if you make watering as easy for people as it can be. That way, they’ll be amenable to doing it again! Don’t forget they don’t know all the nooks and crannies where you might have planters hidden. Best not to have them searching for plants all over your home and garden!
1. Holidays for Houseplants!
Are you the proud owner of specimen houseplants that need special attention? Possibly the easiest thing to do (for a small collection) is send them to a friend or neighbour for a holiday of their own. Then they’re not left to their own devices in your baking house – with no water for a fortnight!
2. Prepare your plants for time on their own…
Giving them a good talking to – explaining that you’ll be back soon – is optional!
But you could leave plants at home alone. Put them in your coolest room, water them thoroughly before you go, and stand them in a tray on a wet towel. As long as you’re not gone for an eternity, they should be OK.
3. Drip, Drip, Drip
You can also invest in the little individual plant waterers. Usually ceramic or glass baubles that you fill with water and stick into the compost. They gradually deliver water to the plant as the soil dries out.
4. Safety First!
It’s best to avoid putting houseplants in a room where the curtains will be closed, as during your holiday they will try to grow to find light, and will be leggy upon your return.
But don’t leave them in a room where unscrupulous people can see through the window. We don’t want burglars to see that you’ve gone on holiday and break in. You could even take them upstairs (if you have an upstairs!)
5. Garden Plants
Garden plants are a little easier to accommodate, being outdoors.
Ideally, hanging baskets are best left hung up where they are. Although depending on the age and agility of the person left in charge it might be something you need to do.
Got a lot of pots and tubs and a fair sized garden? It’s easier for the plant sitter if you put all of them together on a path or patio, next to the outside tap. That way they can water them all at once – but also not miss anything that needs a drink. Remember that they don’t know your garden as well as you do so they might miss a pot in a distant corner.
Of course you need to leave all the things on hand that they will need to look after your plants:
- the hosepipe with a suitable attachment to make watering easy,
- or a full water but and watering can.
It might be best to mention that your tubs will steed need watering even when it rains. Once they get into full growth the foliage deflects the rain from reaching the compost. Planters can flop quickly and die easily for lack of water, even in the foulest wet weather.
Your garden plants in borders should be fine while you are away for a week or two, especially if you’ve got robust planting. The lawn might go brown but will quickly recover when it rains again.
But if you’ve just planted something in the garden before you go away it might need watering while it beds in (particularly in the rare event of dry weather). Don’t forget to mention it to your friend before you go – possibly mark it out using a cane with a bag tied on the top to identify where the plant is.
6. Present for the Plant Sitter
It’s fairly usual to provide a little something to show your gratitude and repay your friends kindness in keeping your plants alive. Unless of course you have an exceptionally good relationship and been expressly forbidden from providing a thank you gift!
Depending on where you are going on holiday, and the tastes of your helper, you might find it easier to sort out a gift before you go. There’s nothing worse than being on holiday with the knowledge that you need to buy a gift but are surrounded by the worst gift shops in the world. If you get something before you go, you know that it’s sorted out and one less thing to worry about. Or pack and bring back with you!
Happy holidays!
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