Some top tips for keeping garden and house plants alive while you're away
For many gardeners, the idea of taking a summer holiday away from home is as unthinkable as packing one's bags and leaving a house full of helpless, squirmy infants. And for those gardeners who do decide to take flight, preparing to leave one's horticultural operations can be an exhausting undertaking. It's hard not to wilt when faced with dozens of seedlings urgently needing potting, a big hairy lawn needing mowing, and countless things needing tying up, picking, watering, weeding and otherwise attending to, before it's safe to close the door and flee.
For years I didn't dare leave my garden during the vulnerable months from April to mid-September: the greenhouse and its daily watering needs were the deciding factor. But a few birthdays ago I received an automatic irrigation system, and now, although I wouldn't risk spending more than a week away, the summer holiday is once again a lovely possibility. Mr Middleton (01-8731118, www.mrmiddleton.com) offers a watering system with a battery-operated timer (€79.95 plus €6.95 p&p), with 40m of hose and 25 drippers - enough length for a small greenhouse or patio. But be warned, there are 150 pieces, so you'll need a couple of hours to fit it, and plenty of patience (erecting my own watering system was one of the greater horticultural trials yet faced in my normally happy marriage).
The trick for organising the rest of the garden so that it looks after itself in your absence is to start getting it ready a week or two before your departure. Spend 10 or 15 minutes a day chipping away at all the little jobs that you'd normally be doing in a mad frenzy in the precious few hours before you leave. Pot up seedlings, repot things that need to go into larger containers, and get as many plants into the ground as possible - if that is their final destination. Water them well when you plant them, to settle the roots into the soil.
The day before you go, thoroughly water all your house plants (dunk them in a bucket of water if they're dry, and take them out when the bubbles stop rising), and move them away from sunny windows. Most will be fine for a week or even more. If you're going to be away longer, enlist the services of a friend, or put particularly thirsty plants in the bath with an inch of water.
This treatment isn't ideal, as some plants don't like waterlogged roots, but it will (probably) keep them alive. Clever engineering types might like to rig up a reservoir at a higher level and use a piece of horticultural capillary matting to feed water to a bed of matting under the pots - but life is often too short for this kind of contraption-building.
Outdoors, gather pots together (they will dry out more slowly in the mini-microclimate created when they are grouped), and stand them in the shade, if possible. Or, put them into a child's paddling pool with a bit of water, or again, enlist a friend to look after them.
If you grow beans, peas, courgettes, tomatoes or any other fruiting produce, remember that the plants will stop cropping if the fruits or pods are not picked. So harvest before you leave, and encourage your obliging friend to help himself after the watering tasks are finished.
You'll most likely be pushing that beautiful friendship too far if you angle for your lawn to be mowed in your absence, so just let it grow. On your return, however, if the grass is very shaggy, don't scalp it in one go, or you'll have a straw-coloured lawn. Set the blades higher than usual, mow, leave for a few days, and then mow again.
Before you go, spend some time on the internet (if you have it), and check out notable gardens, including botanic institutions, to visit. Do a bit of research on the best places to see the native flora - as it can be quite a thrill seeing the wild plants of a region, especially if they are species that we grow as garden plants (we gardeners are easily satisfied in the thrill department). If you're a book collector, invest in a guide to the native flora when you reach your destination.
If you're visiting an EU country, you can bring back plants, seeds and cuttings - just make sure you've acquired them legally. Some plants need plant passports (see panel). If you're planning on buying a bulky plant, walk a good distance away and think about it before you decide to make the purchase. Perhaps you can get the same plant back home? Will it survive your conditions? Is there somewhere to put it?
If you are hell bent on having it, then here's how to pack your purchase, according to experienced plant handler, Frances MacDonald, who organises a dozen trips abroad for gardeners each year. If you are flying, don't think of carrying a large plant in your hand luggage as it will get crushed and cause an annoyance to other passengers. Instead, carry it in your suitcase. Water the plant and let it sit until the water permeates the compost. Tap it gently out of the pot, and knock off the excess compost (without making a mess of your hotel room). Take a couple of newspapers, open them out, lay the plant on them and roll the whole lot into a tube. Fold over the ends and encase them in polythene carrier bags from the supermarket. A couple of elastic bands will keep the parcel ship shape. Don't leave the spare compost for the chamber maid, and don't flush it down the toilet. Instead, ask if you can sprinkle it into the flowerbeds at the hotel.